NewsVine_Mariyam
Platinum Member
I remember watching this from my apartment in Los Angeles, mere months before I traveled north to Seattle. I was horrified yet fascinated, especially by the man-on-the ground reports being made of keeping everyone up-to-date on everything that was going on (this was on AOL). By the time it was all over I believe the consensus was that the original protestors were not the trouble makers, instead a group of "anarchists" came up from Oregon and started the riot. 35,000 is a lot of people in terms of crowd control in downtown Seattle.
This week in history: WTO riots happen in Seattle
This week in history: WTO riots happen in Seattle
SEATTLE — Nineteen years ago this week, Seattle streets were shut down after protests over the World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting turned into riots.
Take a look of some KOMO News archival footage >>
From the archives: WTO riots{p}{/p}
Below are excerpts from essays from Historylink.org about the riots.
Mayor Schell advises Seattle business owners on October 29, 1999, of plans to handle protests during the upcoming WTO meeting
On Oct. 29, 1999, Seattle Mayor Paul Schell (1937-2014) wrote an eight-page letter to Seattle business owners explaining the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting planned to occur from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 1999. The letter describes the WTO, Seattle's role in hosting the meeting, and the impacts to downtown businesses of the event, which will be attended by more than 6,000 people from 135 countries.
At a briefing for police, Assistant Chief Ed Joiner told officers, "No, there's nothing to worry about. It won't be violent" (Post-Intelligencer). A police consultant recommended that $100,000 be spent to purchase tear gas and other crowd control agents, but this was cut to $20,000.
After protesters fill the streets and shut down the WTO opening session, Mayor Paul Schell declares a state of emergency and police use tear gas and rubber bullets to clear downtown
On Tuesday, November 30, 1999, thousands of direct action protesters achieve their well-publicized goal to "shut down the WTO" through nonviolent civil disobedience, forcing cancellation of the opening ceremonies of the WTO's Third Ministerial Conference in Seattle. Unprepared for the numbers of protesters, Seattle police used tear gas and pepper spray to clear some intersections. Tens of thousands more anti-WTO protesters rally at the Seattle Center, where environmentalists and students march to join a huge rally organized by the AFL-CIO. More than 35,000 march from the labor rally to downtown, where many join the crowds of protesters already in the streets. Roaming through the crowds, and taking advantage of the lack of police in most of downtown, a small group of black-clad, masked "anarchists" smashed windows, sprayed graffiti and vandalized police cars. Despite scattered confrontations, the atmosphere in much of downtown remained largely calm into the afternoon. However, with streets still occupied by protesters, delegates unable to move freely, and President Clinton due in town that night, Mayor Paul Schell declared a state of emergency and police began using massive amounts of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and other "less lethal munitions" to move protesters, and anyone else who happened to be there, out of downtown. By evening, police had pushed large groups of protesters into the Capitol Hill neighborhood to the east, where confrontations continued late into the night.
Long before it was scheduled to open, the WTO conference held in Seattle from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 1999, became a lightning rod for a growing number of critics, who condemned "free trade" for favoring corporate interests over social and environmental concerns. Protests began days before the conference started, but most groups focused on the opening day, Monday, Nov. 30.
Take a look of some KOMO News archival footage >>
From the archives: WTO riots{p}{/p}
Below are excerpts from essays from Historylink.org about the riots.
Mayor Schell advises Seattle business owners on October 29, 1999, of plans to handle protests during the upcoming WTO meeting
On Oct. 29, 1999, Seattle Mayor Paul Schell (1937-2014) wrote an eight-page letter to Seattle business owners explaining the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting planned to occur from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 1999. The letter describes the WTO, Seattle's role in hosting the meeting, and the impacts to downtown businesses of the event, which will be attended by more than 6,000 people from 135 countries.
At a briefing for police, Assistant Chief Ed Joiner told officers, "No, there's nothing to worry about. It won't be violent" (Post-Intelligencer). A police consultant recommended that $100,000 be spent to purchase tear gas and other crowd control agents, but this was cut to $20,000.
After protesters fill the streets and shut down the WTO opening session, Mayor Paul Schell declares a state of emergency and police use tear gas and rubber bullets to clear downtown
On Tuesday, November 30, 1999, thousands of direct action protesters achieve their well-publicized goal to "shut down the WTO" through nonviolent civil disobedience, forcing cancellation of the opening ceremonies of the WTO's Third Ministerial Conference in Seattle. Unprepared for the numbers of protesters, Seattle police used tear gas and pepper spray to clear some intersections. Tens of thousands more anti-WTO protesters rally at the Seattle Center, where environmentalists and students march to join a huge rally organized by the AFL-CIO. More than 35,000 march from the labor rally to downtown, where many join the crowds of protesters already in the streets. Roaming through the crowds, and taking advantage of the lack of police in most of downtown, a small group of black-clad, masked "anarchists" smashed windows, sprayed graffiti and vandalized police cars. Despite scattered confrontations, the atmosphere in much of downtown remained largely calm into the afternoon. However, with streets still occupied by protesters, delegates unable to move freely, and President Clinton due in town that night, Mayor Paul Schell declared a state of emergency and police began using massive amounts of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and other "less lethal munitions" to move protesters, and anyone else who happened to be there, out of downtown. By evening, police had pushed large groups of protesters into the Capitol Hill neighborhood to the east, where confrontations continued late into the night.
Long before it was scheduled to open, the WTO conference held in Seattle from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 1999, became a lightning rod for a growing number of critics, who condemned "free trade" for favoring corporate interests over social and environmental concerns. Protests began days before the conference started, but most groups focused on the opening day, Monday, Nov. 30.
