Images of past global summits are burned into the minds of fearful Savannahians: Tear gas in the streets of Seattle, broken windows in Geneva, Switzerland.
It's enough to prompt some Monterey Square residents to board up their Italianate mansions and head for high ground during the June 8-10 gathering of world leaders.
But on Tuesday, during the coming-out party of Savannah's G-8 protest movement, a small group hoping to organize the anticipated chaos painted a much calmer picture.
Think carnivals and parade and concerts, they said during a press conference in Wright Square.
"We want to provide a lowering of the concern level, a lowering of the decibels," said Margaret Betz, spokesperson for the G-8 activist coalition called G-8 Carnival. "There are alternatives. There is another way to approach the economic concerns of all of us so alternate modes are available for free expression."
The gathering of the world's economic powerhouses will center on Sea Island, but most of the protest activity will be centered in Savannah, where delegates will sleep and the media will be based.
G-8 Carnival, led by Savannah activist Kellie Gasink, includes a few dozen Georgia protest groups. Their mission: Create events that will allow protesters to express their First Amendment rights while giving would-be window-bashers distractions to reduce the risk of violence.
But whether the group can pull this party off, and whether it can even convince the expected thousands of protesters with divergent causes to cooperate, remains a huge unknown.
The group remains undaunted.
In late December, G-8 Carnival organizers met with city officials to talk logistics. Last week, they submitted a letter to the city stating their requirements. They include:
• Permission to stage a parade from the Civil Rights Museum, through downtown, and ending at Forsyth Park.
• Access to the Forsyth Park playing fields.
• Permits to set up vendor booths, a sound stage for speeches and concerts, and a "free speech wall," where protest statements and art could be posted.
The city is circulating the request to department heads for comment, and expects a reply by the end of the week. Then, the application process will begin.
The city has been receptive, but cautious.
"We'd rather there be an organization there rather than just people showing up trying to find stuff to do," said Savannah Management Services Coordinator Sean Brandon, who met with the group. "I don't expect it will be all love and happiness, but we do believe there is a happy medium."
There are significant obstacles to a Carnival success. Among them is the capacity of this group to pull off an event of this size – anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000 protestors are expected – with no previous experience.
The event also will be costly, and the city will require liability coverage. The nonprofit Savannah Waterfront Association, for instance, will provide a $5 million insurance policy for this year's St. Patrick's Day festival.
The G-8 Carnival would be responsible for supplying portable latrines and hiring security, as well as taking care of myriad details.
And with most of the hotel rooms already booked in town, nobody knows where the protesters will sleep. Officials have said they will not tolerate camping in city parks, and event organizers will be held liable if they do.
"A lot of things have to happen for this to work, and they still have a long way to go," said Police Capt. Gerry Long, G-8 coordinator for the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. "What we're not going to do is treat these people any different than any other group making an application to the city. They are going to have to abide by the laws that we have in place."
Organizers are hoping to pay for it all through donations, which can be made through their Web sites, www.freesavannah.com and www.g8carnival.com.
They are asking churches for help with housing , and are reaching out to groups like the Historic Savannah Foundation and Downtown Neighborhood Association to address other concerns.
"We want the answers to be part of the public discussion so that the people of Savannah are less fearful of the onset of this crowd," Betz said.
DNA President Stephanie Jackel said the issue would come before the association's board this week, and a decision will likely be made then on whether to open a dialogue with the protesters.
"I think what we all need to do is have more information," she said. "Protesters can protest, and that's fine. I don't want there to be property damage or an upset of people's lives."
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