- SAVANNAH, Ga. - Get ready,
Boston, New York and Washington, for surface-to-air missiles in public
parks, severe restrictions on travel and soldiers and police on downtown
streets.
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- The unprecedented display of law enforcement power during
the Group of Eight economic summit is about to go on the road.
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- Organizers say their success at squelching potential
terrorism and violent protests has convinced federal, state and local agencies
across the country to make this a blueprint for "National Security
Special Events," such as the national political conventions this summer
and today's state funeral for President Reagan in Washington.
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- "We provided a template," said Bill Hitchens,
Georgia's director of Homeland Security. "Much of our planning will
be helpful for the upcoming national political conventions. The information
we gathered and the way we planned for this event is transferable."
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- Eric Tannenblatt, Georgia coordinator for the G-8 summit,
said other cities that host major events will adopt many of the same measures.
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- "What we did here is absolutely exportable,"
Tannenblatt said. "The things we did here are going to become a model
for future events of this magnitude."
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- Next year's G-8 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, follows
the Sea Island pattern in its luxurious island location, highly defensible
terrain, limited public access and isolation from major population centers.
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- One British expert on G-8 said he does not expect British
officials to copy everything their observers saw here.
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- "The security presence here in Savannah has been
very obtrusive," said Sir Nicholas Bayne, a former British diplomat
and professor at the London School of Economics. "I'm sure the British
will try and make it less obtrusive."
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- While previous international economic gatherings in more
urban areas, Seattle in 1999 and Genoa, Italy, in 2001, evoked riots and
Miami was marred by a heavy-handed police crackdown, coastal Georgia's
G-8 was notable for careful planning and a law enforcement blanket.
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- Not only did Sea Island avoid terrorism and violent protests,
but petty crimes, burglaries and car thefts fell 85 miles north in Savannah,
the largest nearby city, which was the center of media coverage and the
home of much of the support staff for world leaders.
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- Sea Island's security formula includes a division-strength
military and police team numbering about 20,000, NASA-styled control rooms
where linked computers monitor every downtown park and intersection, and
a rapid but measured police response at the first hint of trouble. It's
already being replicated for Boston, New York and other American cities
scheduled to host major events, law enforcement officials said.
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- Much of the military hardware has been present in Washington
since the Sept. 11 attacks, but street closings around the National Cathedral
today and a heavier law enforcement presence are traits that grow out of
the G-8 plan, officials said.
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- Police from Boston, New York and Jacksonville, Fla, which
has the next Super Bowl, were among those in Savannah to watch.
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- Boston will be host for the Democratic National Convention
in July; the Republican convention is in August in New York City. Neither
city has the isolation of the wealthy Sea Island, but police observers
were on hand to see how Savannah handled its part of the summit.
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- "I liken this to sports - if you're a pro team and
you're going to play a big game, you want to look at the game film,'' said
Robert O'Toole, commander of the Boston Police Department's special operations
division.
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- Said Massachusetts State Police Capt. Daniel Grabowski:
"Savannah's deployments were very similar to what we're planning on
doing. I was very impressed with what I saw."
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- The Secret Service is the lead agency at national security
events, including the political conventions, and it, too, will refine its
plans based on experiences here.
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- "We learn from every event, and we adapt,"
said Malcolm Wiley, an Atlanta-based Secret Service agent. "Lessons
learned here will definitely be useful going forward."
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- Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue took the highly unusual steps
of declaring a state of emergency in six coastal counties before the G-8
began, giving police broader powers to arrest people and disperse crowds;
and placing Georgia Army National Guard Brigadier Gen. Terry Nesbitt on
active duty for the summit, where he commanded a joint task force of national
guard and active-duty soldiers.
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- "In military circles, that's pretty revolutionary,"
said Lt. Col. Jim Driscoll, a Georgia National Guard spokesman.
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- Avenger surface-to-air missile batteries were scattered
throughout the salt marshes and tony estates on St. Simons, Sea Island
and nearby Jekyll Island, and uniformed soldiers were everywhere.
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- Seeing soldiers and their desert-colored Humvees deployed
throughout this quiet and nearly vacant city's historic district was jarring
to American sensibilities, Perdue said.
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- "If we had to err, we were going to err on the side
of safety," Perdue said. "When you host the leaders of the free
world, there's no room for mistakes. A show of force can be a deterrent."
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- Georgia was prepared to spend up to $37 million on security,
but the final costs won't be clear for a few weeks.
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- The burden of being host had its price, mostly for merchants,
some residents and demonstrators.
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- Savannah tourism suffered through a dramatic drop in
demand beginning last weekend. Restaurants on Savannah's River Street closed
early throughout the week and threw away stocks of unsold food, taxi drivers
saw business plummet, and parking spaces throughout the city's historic
district were uncharacteristically plentiful all week.
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- Politicians were sympathetic but unapologetic.
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- "Right now the merchants are crying," said
Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson. "They endured a short-term loss for a
long-term gain. We had a safe and peaceful summit. Had protesters been
allowed to tear up our city, it would have hurt us in the short term and
the long term."
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- Richard Ray, president of the Georgia chapter of the
AFL-CIO, said the lavish show of force was meant to deter dissent.
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- "I don't know if they can afford it at every event,"
Ray said. "It's a waste of their money, of our money."
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- While the summit was a major disruption for many, organizers
say it accomplished President Bush's goal of creating a casual, open ambiance
for invited guests. They never encountered the barricades, checkpoints,
re-routed roads and eerily vacant streets.
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- "We wanted to provide a hospitable atmosphere for
all who attended," Tannenblatt said. "We wanted people to feel
welcome - and I think we've done that."
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- Protesters were vastly outnumbered.
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- Law enforcement officials have not provided specific
numbers of troops and officers deployed, saying it was between 10,000 and
20,000. At the most, there were 300 protesters in Savannah and Brunswick.
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- They met police officers and soldiers on U.S. 17 at the
F.J. Torras Causeway in Brunswick, and a huge contingent of police shadowed
marchers in downtown Savannah.
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- Police were never far from the beat of the homemade drums
the protesters used during their walks.
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- "We're surrounded by guys with guns," said
William Pleasant, a Savannah protest planner.
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- Protesters grudgingly admitted that G-8 planners had
outmaneuvered them.
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- "They were smart to hold the G-8 here," said
Jason Marks, communications director for Global Exchange, a human rights
group. "It's a politically conservative state. It's out of the way.
They did a very successful job of creating an atmosphere of fear. They've
succeeded in intimidating us."
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- David Hirschman writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
E-mail: dhirschman@ajc.com. Staff writers Ron Martz, Don Melvin, Don Plummer.
Bill Torpy, Christie Van Dusen and David Wahlberg contributed to this report.
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