Permits or not, protesters are coming

This weekend, thousands of protesters are expected to arrive in Pittsburgh for the largest… This weekend, thousands of protesters are expected to arrive in Pittsburgh for the largest peace demonstration here in 30 years.

The Pittsburgh Regional Convergence Against War has sponsorship from more than 60 local organizations. There will be concerts, teach-ins, marches, rallies and forums expressing opposition to the possibility of war in Iraq. Bands are coming from as far away as California.

Organization has been under way for months. Food Not Bombs is providing vegetarian food and ride-sharing bulletin boards have sprung up all over the Internet. Volunteers have even provided access to their couches and spare beds for long-distance protesters, sorted by cat and cigarette preferences.

The only thing missing, then, is a place for it all to go down. The issue of permits looms large. At press time, there was not agreement on whether the protesters had permits for the Cathedral lawn or the William Pitt Union lawn, both of which are listed on the Thomas Merton Center’s Web site (www.thomasmertoncenter.org) as major sites for rallies. The protest organizers say they have permission and University officials say they do not.

At this stage in the game, permits or not, everyone who has committed to brave the cold is already coming. Rather than petty quibbles over permission, organizers and police should join forces, recognize a mass of humanity will be overtaking the city, and plan accordingly.

As gung-ho and refreshingly proactive as the protesters are being – there is no war yet, and after all – this protest is flawed from the start by its divisiveness. It would be terribly unwise to expect riled-up protesters to behave themselves perfectly. Some protesters have already announced plans to be arrested.

Volunteering one’s couch or spare bed to a politically like-minded stranger sounds noble and idealistic, though there is the potential for it to end badly. Only one location, the St. Regis Parish on Parkview Avenue, will be open 24 hours during the three days of protesting. Will local businesses be willing to open their restrooms to folks who aren’t buying anything? Will the Cathedral lawn turn into a temporary refugee camp?

The scope and vision of this event is admirable. The planning, however, seems to leave much to be desired. Communication has broken down between organizers and law enforcement. The two sides should stop worrying about permits and deal with the reality of an inevitable event.