G-20 articles and discussion (Pittsburgh, Reading: shop, safety, office)

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Why Stanwix Street? There's only Highmark over there. Unless they think the construction site is a target. Maybe they're planning to use Stanwix Street as a staging area for police vehicles.

I guess I don't even know how to exit onto Ft. Duquesne. The Ft. Duquesne entrance isn't even wide enough for two-way traffic.

Why Stanwix? They're setting up some kind of security command post there. This is also what will cause the inability to use the garage exit. As for exiting onto Ft Duquesne, you nailed it. There is no exit, only the entrance. It's not wide enough. How they will handle this is unclear, except that exiting and entering can't happen at the same time. Hence, the idea is to get out before this goes into effect. :-)

[greg42]

Bill Flanagan on the supposed other cities turning down hosting the summit:

https://www.pittsburghg20.org/NoteFromBill.aspx

For some, there is a feeling of anxiety. This morning a local media personality asked me a question we've heard before: "Why? Why bring this to Pittsburgh?" The simple answer is because the President of the United States asked us to. We should have said no, I was told, a comment followed up by falsehood we've heard too often: that 11 (or 12, or 25) other communities had turned it down.

That assertion is dead wrong. We have been told a few other cities were considered, particularly New York, but we've never heard of any city having been asked to host but refusing. There is no actual reporting to suggest otherwise.

I did a little more searching today after someone else linked this Ruth Ann Dailey P-G piece Pittsburgh has arrived. Let's move on which mentions it (not clear that she thinks it's true, she said it didn't matter whether it was or not), with simple things like "other cities turned down G20" (no quotes) in Google. I did turn up some other forum posts and sourceless answers, with the number 9 appearing more than once. The rumor probably will not die with Flanagan's assertion either. But it still does not appear to have solid sourcing anywhere.

[Hopes]

Well, that claim is off the mark when it comes to NYC. There has never been a dispute that NYC was origionally supposed to host the G-20. It had to turn it down because it wasn't logistically possible with the UN meeting at the same time. That's not the same as turning G-20 down because NYC didn't want it.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Well, that claim is off the mark when it comes to NYC. There has never been a dispute that NYC was origionally supposed to host the G-20. It had to turn it down because it wasn't logistically possible with the UN meeting at the same time. That's not the same as turning G-20 down because NYC didn't want it.

Can you point me to the actual reporting on this one? As far as I remember, even this has not appeared in the actual reporting that I've read. I'm referring to NYC turning down the hosting of the G-20 summit, for ANY reason, not to the fact that the UN meeting is also this week.

You know, I wasn't going to put much emphasis on that piece from Ruth Ann Dailey. I don't read that kind of stuff much. But perhaps she's right, and this is another indication. Pittsburgh, the city that can't possibly believe 10 others weren't asked first to host this summit. ;-)

[Hopes]

It was in the Tribune Review's Sunday Edition, special G-20 Section, Page Two, article titled "How Pittsburgh Was Chosen for Summit is Unclear" by Jeremy Boren.

I'll type it from my newspaper because I can't seem to find it online and I'll simply reference it to the main page of the website.

G-20 WAS DESTINED FOR THE BIG APPLE

"It was on the calendar to be in NYC," [Flanagan] said, "For whatever reason , they wanted to move it from New York and Pittsburgh got on that list."

French President Nicolas Sarkozysaid during a news conference in early April that the summit would be in New York.

"We have decided....that the third G-20 summit will take place during or after the UN General Assembly in September in New York," Sarkozy said.

Another reason some think the meeting was changed: The UN General Assemble is scheduled to meet on Wednesday through September 30. Holding both summits at the same time in the same place would be undesirable.

Pittsburgh News, Sports, Entertainment, Events - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

There is no way anyone can deny that the G-20 was first scheduled for NYC.

[Hopes]

April 2, 2009

Fox News Video about New York City hosting G-20

Controlling Chaos - FOXNews.com


May 28, 2009

KDKA report G-20 moved from NYC to Pittsburgh due to UN Meeting being held at the same time:

They were originally planning to meet in New York City, but a gathering at the United Nations of world leaders around the same time made it imperative to find an alternative location.

President Barack Obama Offers Pittsburgh As Host Of G20 Summit In September - kdka.com

[BrianTH]

Here is one slightly more detailed account of what happened with New York:

G20: Why Pittsburgh? - Real Time Economics - WSJ

The decision to convene the leaders of the Group of 20 countries in the U.S. this fall around the time that heads of government gather at the United Nations in New York presented U.S. officials with a delicate decision: How to gather the 20 leaders in a way that didn’t insult those from countries that aren’t included.

The solution was to put some geographic distance between the U.N. and the site of the G20 meeting, but not so much distance that the site was inconvenient. One option considered was a site in northern suburbs of New York City.

The White House said Thursday that the G20 leaders will convene in Pittsburgh on September 24 and 25. . . . Over the years, G8 summits often have been used as an economic development tool, a way to bring businesses to cities outside the host nation’s capital.

That is obviously not a complete story, since it doesn't detail how the White House got from considering the New York suburbs to Pittsburgh. But as far as it goes it makes some sense.

By the way, I agree the notion that 9, or 20, or more, cities turned down the G-20 before Pittsburgh is the kind of story a certain sort of Pittsburgher is likely to seize upon. Which doesn't make it false, but in the absence of some sourcing, this provides an alternate explanation of why such a rumor would have been spread.

[Hopes]

I think the main reason Pittsburgh was chosen over other cities was Pittsburgh's proximity to NYC.

They needed somewhere close to NYC since heads of state will be attending both summits.


May 30th, Tribune Review:

Many world leaders will be in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting scheduled for late September. The large, long-distance aircraft ferrying heads of state will fly to Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay. Private planes with other members of delegations could use the smaller West Mifflin airport. The county Airport Authority likely will reschedule taxiway repairs planned for Sept. 14 through Oct. 1 at Allegheny County Airport.

Hotels fill, security plans take shape for world economic summit - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

June 14th, Tribune Review:

The White House settled on Pittsburgh after touring the convention center as part of its search for cities close to the United Nations in New York where the summit could take place.

Environmentally friendly David L. Lawrence Convention Center to host G-20 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[pghsteelersgirl]

Hey guys. I read on there that all Munhall and West Mifflin Schools are closed on Thurs and Fri.

I have a problem. I work in Foster Plaza in Greentree. Greentree road is closed as well as all major high ways. Also I read somewhere on google that West Run Road is closed and some of the roads in Munhall/Lincoln place area.

Can someone find something where it shows all roads that are closed not just downtown. I need to know what to do for Thurs and Fri.

[groar]

Originally Posted by Hopes

They said Wednesday will be a madhouse downtown with wall to wall protesters expected to be everywhere throughout the entire day.

wednesday? where'd you heard that?

i've become the token protest-tracker for my office (since i know people who will be protesting) but i hadn't heard anything about big protests downtown on wednesday. i'm not doubting you, i'd just like to know where you got your information from so i know whether to tell my coworkers that we have to take wednesday off too!