G20 Summit - Wednesday

Written By Justin Merriman
Lisa Fithian, 48, of Austin, Texas an activist with the Pagan Cluster, an earth based spirituality group, leads a protest through Downtown on Wednesday.
Kris Scofield, 25, of Manassas, VA, carries the anarchist flag as he leads a protest march originating from Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland down South Craig Street on Wednesday. The protesters demanded education as right. It was the first contingent of student protesters against the G20 Summit.
Caitlin Boyle, 19, a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University helps her fellow classmate, Liz Rudnick, 19, (not shown) put up signs at the campus on Wednesday morning. Rudnick is trying to illustrate how she explains, "CMU's campus is a sleeping community politically 99%of the time and with the g20 we find ourselves suddenly activated," she said.
A man who identified himself as Bird protests in front of the PNC Bank Downtown on Wednesday.
Pennsylvania State Police keep a watch on protesters, Downtown on Wednesday.

Here are a few of my photos from my coverage of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, September 23, 2009.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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