Even Pitt students in their rooms were affected

I am a University of Pittsburgh student, and I am absolutely disgusted with the way Pitt allowed us to be treated last week. Last Thursday, at the peaceful gathering of kids, curious about the situation happening on our campus, I was tear-gassed/pepper-sprayed a combined three times attempting to get to my room in Tower C of the Litchfield Towers. After being herded by the police, arbitrarily and all over Pitt's campus, the lot of us were finally driven into the Towers' lobby and barred there for an hour.

Friday night, I was "peacefully" (I thought) watching TV in my 10th floor dorm room of Tower C, when I looked out the window and was greeted by a burning sensation in my eyes and throat. I had been tear-gassed in my own room! No joke. I called the police ... on the police, just to see if this was a normal thing. Not so much, as it turns out. This was not at all beneficial to my education, except to experience firsthand how a militant nation must feel.

I am completely surprised and disappointed by the way Pitt allowed its students to be harassed by the police. Also, I paid a full two days' tuition and room/board, only to be virtually locked in my dorm, tear-gassed and trampled on by the completely unnecessary force and occupation of the cops.

I only wonder how much of our tax money went into "keeping Pittsburgh safe" from these "vicious" protesters.

NICOLE COAST
Oakland

A special ride

My two young boys and I rode our bikes throughout Downtown during both days of the G-20 summit. I would like to say "thank you" to all the police, both those from our great city and those who came in from elsewhere to help during this event. We felt totally safe riding around.

They showed great patience with the protesters but were ready to act if necessary. While, sadly, the city was empty on Thursday, just their presence was a deterrent to those who may have thought about coming into town to cause damage.

For anyone who complained about the cost, the image of our safe, beautiful city shown around the world is priceless! A job well done.

MARIAN GUMINA
Banksville

PG coverage

Thank you for your thorough coverage of the G-20 summit. At a time when the very existence of newspapers is threatened and their sustainability is questioned, you demonstrated why newspapers play a distinct role in informing the public. Your coverage was comprehensive; the articles, particularly your profiles of each G-20 participant, were educational. Thank you, Post-Gazette for a job well done.

MICHELE RONE COOPER
Penn Hills

I was impressed

I returned home Sunday after being deployed to Pittsburgh as part of an ILEAS (Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System) Mobile Field Force Team. We arrived Tuesday of last week and left on Saturday. I had never thought of Pittsburgh as a place to visit until now.

We arrived by bus, and after coming out of a tunnel and entering the city, we were astonished by the view. What a sight. While there, we assisted the Pittsburgh police and other agencies during the G-20 summit. We did not get to do any sightseeing but did see a lot of the city as we were constantly being bused to areas to keep the peace. At times we waited on the streets until our next assignment. We met many locals and patronized businesses to get drinks, snacks, etc. Everyone was fantastic to us. As we did our job, the people of Pittsburgh were constantly thanking us and even clapping and cheering for us.

During one break we were down by PNC Park and they opened the gates and allowed us in to see the park and even down into the dugouts. I can't thank the people of Pittsburgh enough for how graciously we were treated. I have a daughter who is a die-hard Steelers fan. After seeing the city from a "work" standpoint, I look forward to bringing my family there as visitors. Hopefully we can come next fall and catch a Steelers and a Pirates game and revisit some of the businesses that were so nice and hospitable to us on this visit.

Thanks again, residents of Pittsburgh -- you are a class act.

SGT. DAVID WESSELMAN
Springfield, Ill.

Neither wind, nor rain, nor G-20

Pittsburgh has just experienced a historic week hosting the G-20 summit. As a result of a dedicated team working together, regular mail delivery was conducted in the Golden Triangle and surrounding area with minimal interruption.

We wish to express our sincere thanks to all law enforcement personnel in Pittsburgh and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in protecting and securing our facilities during the summit. Similarly, we wish to express our gratitude to the employees of the Western Pennsylvania District, Pittsburgh Processing & Distribution Center and the Pittsburgh Post Office branch and finance offices.

Since the summit was announced in May, tremendous logistical planning was undertaken on a weekly basis leading up to this event. As a result, we were able to implement contingency plans to continue delivery service to the Downtown area. Our transportation and maintenance crews secured postal assets and mapped alternate routes for transporting mail. Our postal inspectors worked side by side with local, state and federal law enforcement to enable our carriers to deliver in the Golden Triangle while ensuring the safety of our personnel and postal facilities.

We recognize that much of this work went virtually unnoticed by the public; that was our intent. Our employees showed, once again, that under the most challenging situations, they faithfully go about the business of binding America together through reliable and consistent mail delivery. And for that, I express my sincere appreciation.

ROCCO D'ANGELO
Pittsburgh Postmaster
North Side

Pitt students' G-20 contributions have been overshadowed

The vast majority of University of Pittsburgh student participants in demonstrations during the G-20 were observing or peacefully participating, as reported in the Post-Gazette. The Allegheny County district attorney has recognized this, quickly dropping charges against four Pitt students and promising to review the cases of the other 47 Pitt students arrested. The university has also backed away from a previously stated commitment to process all arrested Pitt students through the university's Judicial Review Board and is actively working with the district attorney to review the arrests of Pitt students.

The Pitt students involved in the Oakland G-20 demonstrations were participating in the unique life experience the Pittsburgh summit presented during their college years. The vast majority did this within the university's code of conduct and within the safety advice on participating in the gatherings given by the dean of students. As evidence of this, no major property damage was reported in Oakland outside of the damage done Thursday, for which one person has been charged. Several large, organized demonstrations such as the People's March through the Pitt campus and a demonstration Saturday night went without incident.

University of Pittsburgh students have a long tradition of contributing to the city and region. During the Pittsburgh summit, students demonstrated this commitment by welcoming and engaging Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Japanese first lady Miyuki Hatoyama at the university.

More than 100 multilingual students volunteered as translators at summit hotels and welcome centers. During the summit, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon students organized a women's soccer game between Iranian students and American students in a demonstration of international collaboration. Prior to the summit hundreds of Pitt students came out to help "redd up" Pittsburgh as part of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's cleanup campaign. It's a shame that acts of a single vandal Thursday night attracted such overwhelming and aggressive police force Friday and temporarily overshadowed the contributions of our students to the summit, to the University of Pittsburgh and to the city.

Student leaders will continue to work with university officials to restore our students' sense of home, safety and pride in Pittsburgh.

DANIEL JIMENEZ
President
University of Pittsburgh Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
KEVIN MORRISON
President
University of Pittsburgh Student Government Board
Oakland

The city must evaluate its security measures

The police did what they had to do in handling the anarchists group during the G-20 summit. People intent on violence and destruction of property should expect to be called to account for their behavior and arrested.

However, when the police presence morphs into reactionary storm-trooper-like oppression, civil authority crosses the line. The security forces who harassed and gassed innocent bystanders, including students and journalists, also should expect to be called to account for their equally violent behavior.

It was obvious from early media accounts that the Seeds of Peace and the Everybody's Kitchen groups were law-abiding young people simply trying to follow the teachings of the Bible and feed the hungry, yet the authorities wasted time and tax dollars following them around and harassing them.

It is unfortunate that Pittsburgh's leaders appear to have set the tone of fear of the "other," by turning the city into an armed camp and ghost town; that may have contributed to the overreaction by the authorities. The city's leadership needs to analyze all aspects of the way they handled security.

CAROL J. MOESSINGER
Crafton

Pittsburgh as police state

Thank you, Tony Norman, for calling a spade a spade ("The G-20: A Guest With an Iron Fist," Sept. 29 column).

Having grown up in Nazi Germany and survived the concentration camps, I have been grateful to enjoy the freedoms in the United States for the past 54 years.

I have been very concerned that our freedoms of speech, privacy and assembly were infringed upon by the Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act.

I have seen how freedoms can be taken away one by one, so that you do not notice it, or presume it will only affect others, until the day you realize that you can no longer speak your mind and you can no longer trust you neighbor.

Being active in the peace and justice movement for a long time, I participated and helped organize the Women's Tent City at Point State Park. We had to go to court to get that permit.

I walked on Friday in the People's March with 5,000 others from around the world.

The overwhelming police presence was a horrible sight. It was for me a deja vu with frightful memories. Nowhere have I seen so many uniforms since I left Nazi Germany.

The police stood shoulder to shoulder in their padded riot gear at every intersection, not to stop traffic, but to intimidate.

I was not present at the event on Friday night in Oakland, but from what I heard and read, it was a police raid, reminiscent of Gestapo tactics.

Was it fear of terrorists -- who would not have been caught by the police in their riot gear anyway -- or a grab for power, that made Pittsburgh into a police state?

If we want to keep this country free of oppression, we have to make our voices heard to make sure we will never lose our right to free expression.

EDITH BELL
Highland Park

The writer is a member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

He paid for his mistake

Regarding the Sept. 14 article "Group Objects to Vick's NFL Reinstatement": It amazes me that people are still chasing Michael Vick around in forms of protest.

He was sentenced to 18 months of prison in the dogfighting case and served his time. How much more should a man take after being already prosecuted and put into jail and under house arrest? In today's society it is very wrong to fight dogs, but after you sacrifice 18 months of your life after being caught in the mistake and admit you were wrong, you clearly are going to do everything you can to escape what caused the problem.

The Pit Bull Positive organization is doing nothing more than chastising a human being for a mistake he made in his past. Even Mary Anne Fisher, who was quoted in the article, said people deserve a second chance, then said Vick did not. It confuses me as to how this double standard has been made to him and him alone.

Instead people should just remember what he did and use it as a distant memory of his past, and if something like this happens again in his life punish him appropriately. Vick has never once said that what he did was right, but people still treat him like he condones it today. If people leave him alone, they can see that he made a mistake and needs to move on with his life.

GRIFFIN SEFCIK
McCandless

Highmark, tell us more

It was with much interest that I read Dr. Kenneth Melani's Sept. 30 letter ("Our Region Provides a Blueprint for Insurance Access"). He is president and CEO of Highmark.

As direct subscribers -- my wife has Keystone Health Plan West, and I have Security Blue -- we are very happy with the quality of insurance coverage. Highmark has the best products in Pittsburgh, but also the ones with most frequent rate hikes. I am not an angry insured, just a frustrated one who pays $825 per month for two of us. Since Highmark has submitted almost 40 rate hike applications in May and August 2009, affecting more than 300,000 Western Pennsylvanians, I wonder if Dr. Melani submitted this self-promoting letter to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to bolster said rate hikes.

I could go into extreme detail on Highmark's consistent multimillion-dollar annual profits, or its obscene surplus, but I will not. Maybe if Highmark did not expend $65 million in marketing for 2008 (as if no one in Pennsylvania knows what Highmark is), or the untold and unknown amount spent on its failed merger with Independence Blue Cross, some of its 4 million subscribers would not be looking at double-digit rate hikes this past month.

I would like to issue public challenges to Dr. Melani:

1. Make public the total amount of money spent, from inception to withdrawal, on Highmark's merger application with Independence Blue Cross.

2. Given the $350 million in financial support he alludes to in his letter, how about a complete breakdown of how it was used and by whom?

3. Allow subscribers already within the Highmark family to downgrade coverages to a lesser-cost product, without the pre-existing exclusion. I would think that if a subscriber is considering dropping coverage because of its costs, it may make financial sense to Highmark to allow the person to make a change, keep a subscriber and reduce coverage.

But since my wife and I pay only $10,000 per year for medical insurance, what do we know?

LARRY GRUMET
Squirrel Hill

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