A trade summit in Quebec City in two weeks could draw hundreds - perhaps thousands - of protesters to Buffalo, and local authorities are making plans to deal with unruly demonstrations like those that shut down Seattle 18 months ago.
Thousands of demonstrators are expected to pass through Buffalo trying to get to Quebec City to protest the Summit of the Americas trade meeting, April 20 to 22.
What worries local officials is that some activists who have hinted on their Internet sites about violence may end up in Buffalo if they're not allowed to cross into Canada.
In addition, because the Peace Bridge represents a symbol of international trade between the two nations and the protesters are seeking to call attention to the North American Free Trade Agreement, some demonstrators may try to disrupt bridge traffic, authorities fear.
City officials already have denied a permit to demonstrate in Buffalo's Front Park on April 22.
Protest organizers picked Front Park, at the foot of the Peace Bridge, because of its position at the border of two NAFTA nations.
In the meantime, Buffalo police officers have been training for riot and crowd control measures in anticipation of possible disruptions at the Peace Bridge or wherever else protesters assemble, a Buffalo police official said.
Organizers of the local rally told city officials 500 to 700 people might show up for the Buffalo rally April 22, but neither organizers nor police have solid information on how many will attend.
"We hope to attract as many as we can," said Charles Cobb of the Buffalo Activist Network, who has been negotiating with city officials over where to hold the rally. "Fifty people is a great rally in Buffalo."
City officials said snow that has melted plus recent rainfall has left the ground at Front Park unsuitable for a rally. The demonstrators want to erect a stage at the park; that, combined with hundreds of protesters trekking through, could tear up the ground, said Peter Cutler, spokesman for Mayor Anthony M. Masiello.
Cutler said Front Park's proximity to the Peace Bridge is not why they would prefer the demonstration be in LaSalle Park.
"The factor is our interest in protecting the integrity of an Olmsted park," Cutler said. City officials suggested protesters use the bandshell in LaSalle Park. Plus, the city could provide electrical power at that site. But the rally organizers said LaSalle Park is too far from the bridge. Cobb scoffed at the city's reason for denying a permit for Front Park. The ground is soft at LaSalle, too, he said.
"We're still going to try for Front Park," Cobb said. "We have First Amendment rights to speech in a public forum. We have a constitutional right to be there."
Now both sides are looking at other locations near the Peace Bridge, including Prospect Park near the Connecticut Street Armory, Cutler said.
"It's irresponsible of them to tell people the rally will be at Front Park when they haven't received permission to use that park," Cutler said.
Cutler declined to say how city officials would react if protesters demonstrate at Front Park without permission.
"We'll face that when it happens," Cutler said.
Authorities anxious
The notion of hundreds of protesters converging near the Peace Bridge has local authorities nervous.
They are reacting, at least in part, to an Internet site that advertises the Buffalo demonstration where "hundreds of people will risk arrest." The site also listed "symbolic bridge crossings/shutdowns/direct action" as some of the actions planned.
Cobb said he is not aware of any group planning civil disobedience in Buffalo, though Internet sites indicate otherwise.
The Internet site also urges those who plan to attend the rally to agree to several guidelines: No violence, physical or verbal, toward any person; no weapons; no alcohol or illegal drugs; no vandalism.
"It's definitely something to be concerned about," said Harold Litwin, chief of operations for the Buffalo Police Department. "They have events scheduled in and around Buffalo on the same weekend they're having the summit."
Issues of globalism
Labor rights activists, environmentalists and students are among the groups who believe the Quebec summit's goal of extending the free-trade zone from the Canadian arctic to Argentina will result in lower wages and weaker anti-pollution laws in the 34 Latin America and Caribbean nations working to be included in a free trade pact.
Activist groups have designated Buffalo as one of three "convergence points" for protesters to gather en route to Quebec City. Police in Burlington, Vt., and Jackman, Maine - the other two convergence points - are also preparing to deal with the influx.
"We could feasibly have a lot of people coming through here," Litwin said.
Those passing through to get to Quebec City pose no major problem for local police, he said.
It's those who are turned away at the border and decide to stay in Buffalo to exercise their right to protest, whom the police are gearing up for, he said. The Buffalo rally, scheduled for a Sunday, also could attract protesters returning from the Quebec demonstrations.
Canadian immigration officials have said they will turn U.S. citizens away at the border if they are deemed likely to try to disrupt the summit.
Several activists from New York City were turned back at the Champlain border station April 1 after they arrived in costumes portraying dollar bills, a tomato and President Bush.
A Canada Customs spokeswoman said those who intend to protest peacefully in Quebec City will not be turned away simply because an inspector spots a banner in their vehicle.
But protesters with criminal records or without proof of citizenship will be turned away at the border.
Canada Customs will have extra employees on duty at border crossings in the days leading up to the summit to ensure "this goes as smoothly as possible," said Colette Gentes-Hawn, a spokeswoman.
"The goal is not to delay passage for those who have a right to be here," she said. "At the same time, the health and safety of the public and our employees is always paramount."
As a security measure in Quebec City, officials are building a barricade to surround the Quebec neighborhoods where meetings discussing the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas will take place. As many as 5,000 police officers will be stationed in Quebec to stem the kind of violence that broke out in Seattle when that city hosted international trade talks in November 1999.
Huge crowds of activists opposed to free trade and globalization thwarted opening ceremonies of a World Trade Organization conference in Seattle.
Some confrontations there turned violent as black-clad riot police used tear gas, pepper spray and concussion grenades to disperse small, unruly groups of people who defied the mayor's curfew, hurled newspaper boxes through storefront windows and threatened bystanders.
Another Seattle?
Police in Quebec are now worried about a repeat of what happened in Seattle.
"The main event will be in Quebec City" - not Buffalo, said Litwin.
But local police still are not taking any chances. The riot and crowd-control training has begun.
"We're doing some training along those lines right now," Litwin said. "We've done it in the past, but we need a refresher."
Peace Bridge officials are working with law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border. http://www.a22buffalo.org
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