People accused of G-20 felonies receive court dates

Lauren Wasson, 23, of Pittsburgh, also known as “Bike Girl,” stood outside the Criminal… Lauren Wasson, 23, of Pittsburgh, also known as “Bike Girl,” stood outside the Criminal Division Chambers of the Allegheny County Courthouse today, quietly waiting for her attorney and the district attorney to set her day in court.

Six people with multiple charges relating to last September’s G-20 protests, including Wasson, received their court dates at a series of pretrial conferences today.

All six have felony charges, according to court documents. Glen S. Downey, Wasson’s attorney, said the DA’s office is not currently having any discussion of plea bargains or deals.

Mike Manko, spokesman for DA Stephen Zappala Jr., said the six with felony charges would likely see trial.

“They’re all in the system,” Manko said. “They’ll all have their day in court.”

The format differed drastically from the “organized chaos” of previous hearings, as one attorney called it. The crowd lined the hallway for 50 feet on either side of the Criminal Division Chambers of the courthouse by 9 a.m.

These conferences were not exclusive to the G-20 arrestees, as previous hearings were. Many of the pretrial conferences handled by the court today went through Judge David Cashman, including the six G-20 defendants.

Judge Kevin Sasinoski held one of the G-20-related pretrial conferences. Cashman held the other five.

At 9:30 a.m., the receptionist called the first name. Every five minutes, about two people would enter the office before leaving just a few minutes later.

The attorneys for each of the five G-20 defendants who dealt with Cashman entered the judge’s chambers for a few minutes before emerging with a court date, most of which were in June. They spoke briefly with their clients before leaving.

Wasson said her nickname “Bike Girl” came from the media after WTAE-4TV caught Wasson’s arrest on video, which has since been posted on YouTube. On television, Wasson said that reporters referred to her as “Bike Girl” whenever they showed the clip. As of Friday, the video had more than 17,000 views on YouTube.

Police arrested Wasson Thursday, Sept. 24, and charged her with aggravated assault and obstruction of highways, according to court documents. Those documents list aggravated assault as a class-two felony and obstruction of highways as a summary offense.

The video shows Wasson riding her bike down the sidewalk as part of a crowd moving away from advancing police. A police officer behind Wasson shoves her, and she gets off the bike before being shoved again by a second officer. Wasson then turns around and throws her bike at an officer.

Officers then push Wasson to the ground and drag her behind the police line before arresting her. The video ends shortly afterward.

A small circle of friends and supporters arrived with Wasson, including members of the group We Are Change.

Amanda Trovich, 26, a resident of Washington and a member of We Are Change, said she became interested in “Bike Girl” after seeing the YouTube video.

“I didn’t have to re-watch it. It really pissed me off,” Trovich said.

Trovich wasn’t in Pittsburgh for the Summit, but has since become involved by providing “moral support” for Wasson through We Are Change.

We Are Change tries to spread information about people’s rights and organizes to protect them, Trovich said.

Kalan Sherrard, 22, of Oberlin, Ohio, was arrested during the Summit and charged with Riot-Intent To Commit Felony and Failure to Disperse, a misdemeanor.

“I’m hoping for the best,” Sherrard said.

Most of the other defendants didn’t want to answer questions on the record.