by Jeremy Brant
COLUMBIA – MU English professor Karen Piper is suing the city of Pittsburgh for damages in an incident with a Long Range Acoustic Device.
Piper visited in 2009 in the midst of writing her book about the IMF and the World Bank, and she came across the G20 Economic Summit protests. As she observed the protesters, she says police hit her with the LRAD.
Piper is seeking damages for more than $1,500 in medical expenses and for lost income. She’s finishing her book now, but says she would likely have finished it much earlier if she hadn’t had the medical problems.
Dr. Piper claims she was trying to get out of the way when the police said they would begin to use tear gas on the protesters.
After a few months of dealing with the pain and hearing about other incidents at the protest, Piper says she finally contacted the ACLU and issued a formal complaint against the city.
The Pittsburgh Police Department could not be reached for comment.
