Surviving the next G8 Summit

James S

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Aug 27, 2002
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on an island surrounded by reality
Hi Folks,

Anybody out there who has lived through any of the previous G8 summits in the US? Seeing as how the thing isn't until June, the news around this part of the country is all about the G8 already. Though the important folks will be sequestered about 90 miles away, they will be putting the press and protesters downtown in MY town!

So while the people at the conference will be sipping mint julep and deciding the fate of workers everywhere. All the protesters will be 100 miles away trying to keep this worker and his wife from getting safely to their job.

Any experiences to share from others that trudged to work through the picket lines? How about emergency services crews? Just how out of hand is this stuff likely to get? Do I need to invest in some heavier firepower? I think I'm set for flashlights now if they take out the power station /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

This isn't really about politics, your support or disdain for either side in this confrontation can be posted in other threads if you like. This is about trying to keep life going while my town fills with people exercising their right to assemble and protest and hopefully not get involved in anything dangerous. Although the Zodiac patrols are already training for a full frontal assault...

Thanks
 

RadarGreg

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May 10, 2002
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453
Location
Bamberg
Uhh...where exactly is the town of Wardrobe Malfunction? Sounds like west Texas, but I might be wrong.
 

Ross

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Dec 21, 2002
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329
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland
It's up in Scotland next year and I will probably be working at it. No specific advice for you other than avoid large crowds & keep your head down!
 

MichiganMan

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Aug 31, 2002
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589
Location
Saginaw, MI, USA
You would probably be well served just accepting the fact that going five miles out of your way may ultimately be the quickest route from point A to point B.
 

Charles Bradshaw

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Sep 14, 2002
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Mansfield, OH
Beware of the Anarchists. They wear hoods, like the Terrorists they are, to conceal their identities. These are the ones that cause all of the trouble. Their only manifesto is to destroy everything in sight and cause Maximum CHAOS. They are not legitimate protestors.
 

NightStorm

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Jun 16, 2002
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Between a rock & a hard place.
Geez James,

How should I know, I live in Seattle (does WTO ring a bell /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ). The "Anarchists" ran around and broke some store windows, the police chased and tear-gassed them (and anyone else who was in the way) and the law suits have filled the courts 'til this day. I was all great fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif But seriously, that all went on downtown so it didn't bother me too much. I really don't think you'll have much problems as long as you're not in near proximity to your "visitors".

Dan
 

James S

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
5,078
Location
on an island surrounded by reality
PercaDan, they are staying here cause this is where they are keeping the Press. And of course, since thats where the cameras are, thats where the protests will be.

I haven't lived here long enough to get a real picture of the capability of the local police and government. But here is an example of how we do things.

3 roads parallel to the river. The first one is completely unusable due to traffic, one lane. The second one is extremely slow and over used and is 4 lanes. It needs to be expanded. The third one is far enough away from downtown that it's got some extra capacity. So the plan to alleviate congestion on the 2nd road is to REMOVE a lane in each direction, making it so miserable to use that people will drive several miles out of their way to use the other road.

Thats urban planning /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

So I'm not really jazzed about their ability to handle things...

Charles: I'll keep an eye out for anyone in a hood /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Course, anyone wearing a hood around here in June is going to be rather obvious to start with. Hard to hide more than your anarchists cookbook under a t-shirt and shorts.
 
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