Terror Dome 2.0: A Visual Guide to G20

SurvivaBall making the rounds at Pittsburgh G20 (Photo via Post-Gazette.com)

Turns out the G20 is equal parts media blitz, protesters’ wet dream, show of police force, and weird marketing opportunity. But I suppose all global economic summits are kinda like that. But what’s fascinating is seeing how an event like this can transform a city. Watching a local newscast last night, I was reminded of how a city’s visitors bureau can look on any opportunity — even one boasting threats of violence and destruction like the G20 — as a way to hustle its wares. The folks from Visit Pittsburgh were being interviewed, spouting banal quotes about how the 4,000+ media in attendance “now see that Pittsburgh is more than a smoky old steel town” and are impressed by its rivers. Huh? At last check, the national media was less than enthusiastic about Pittsburgh being host to the summit (see here). More than likely, the media is ‘Praying for broken windows’ as T/S contributor Matt Stroud pointed out in a post yesterday, because it makes for better content.

With that said, it seems fitting to take a look at the mountain of visuals being captured by a diverse range of observers at the G20 — both professional and amateur. Links to several photo galleries are at the end of this post.

Commonwealth Press in Pittsburgh's South Side.

Burmese monks marching toward downtown PittsburghPolice in downtown Pittsburgh, prepped in riot gear (Photo via Flickr).

Police in riot gear, prepped for G20 protestors.

Military Humvee near University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

Anarchists gather in Arsenal Park on Sept. 24, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Check out these galleries:
G20 photo gallery over at The Awl
Pittsburgh G20 on Flickr
Nate Boguszewski: G20 Pregame Walkabout
NTMTO: G20 Photo Thread