JIM PUGEL
Seattle Police
It was beautiful planning on the protesters’ part. They said to each group, “Your cause is your cause. Now you take the intersection at Pine and….” Everyone had a part.
But there were times we anticipated their moves and were able to thwart them, only because we’d read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, about ways to throw a wrench in the system. I made all my lieutenants read it.
I remember meeting with John Sellers and another fellow at about three o’clock. Their eyes were as big as gold ounce coins and they were going, “We could never have imagined….” I was glad I wasn’t the only one who had that reaction.
LAURIE BROWN
Mayor’s Office
I was on the phone to my husband and son, who were both in the labor march because they both worked for unions. I said, I just got word this thing is getting out of control, they’re going to be using tear gas in half an hour. I want you both to go home now. They listened to me.
JOHN SELLERS
Ruckus Society
When I was getting processed in jail Monday night, I noticed this African American sergeant kept looking at us. He took a couple of the guys who were booking us aside and said, “I want you to treat these guys with respect. These guys are marching in the footsteps of the civil rights movement.” I thought, Wow, man, he’s placing us in history, maybe where we don’t even deserve to be, but he’s giving us respect, a real historical context.
It broke my heart the next day. I got a report that they were gearing up to break the human wall we had put up, so I went to that intersection, right in front of the Sheraton. Anita Roddick was there, the founder of the Body Shop. And I saw that sergeant there again, coordinating the police response.
Before they put their face shields down I said, Sarge, hey Sergeant, these are the people you were talking about last night, this is still us, it’s us, we’re the American people, we want a better future for our children! And he was looking at me and then he broke eye contact and wouldn’t look. You know how the storm-trooper look comes over everybody when they get the riot suit on?
He was the sergeant who finally gave the order when the tear gas first got used. I never saw him again. Really cool guy, though.
CHIEF NORM STAMPER
Seattle Police
The decision to clear that intersection was utterly defensible. They would not allow even a porter to get through. Picture someone in a cardiac arrest on the 25th floor of the Sheraton or giving birth in one of those office high-rises—there was no way we could get aid to someone in need. We’d talked about this with the demonstrators.
They were given warning after warning that if they did not clear the intersection we would use tear gas. I worked my way around to the other side of the crowd—I wanted to satisfy myself that no one could say they did not hear the warning. And then the chemical agents were used.
The cop in me supported that decision, but the police chief in me should have vetoed it. We should have done whatever we could to deal with the advancing contingent but left the body of protesters in the street—ceded the intersection. Eventually they would get up and move away.
That was a pivotal point. I believe we lost the goodwill of a number of demonstrators.
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Published: November 2009
Lots of insight in this entertaining story. Good job Eric and team!
You captured the inside story better than most other story I’ve seen. Pretty good ten years after the fact!
Maybe readers will be moved to learn more about how corporate dominated globalism is negatively affecting all of our lives. The corporate dominated WTO is still promoting its agenda of profits over people. These policies are largely responsible for the current global economic crisis that is still unfolding.
Fortunately, a growing world-wide grassroots movement is still at work promoting sustainable economics, democracy, and justice. That movement expressed itself in Seattle ten years ago, however imperfectly. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all in debt to a relatively small group of people who worked together to change the trajectory of history.
Great work, thanks.
600 people were arrested and jailed during WTO; how many were convicted?
zbz
“we are all in debt to a relatively small group of people”
yes, yes you are — to the same globalist financiers who funded the protestors through foundations only so they could be hung out to dry afterwards as the globalization juggernaut became further insulated. See Soros, George: Open Society.
Good reporting!
I was in the streets that entire week, and the only violence I personally witnessed was from the police. I encourage everyone who cares about what really happened in Seattle that week to read David and Rebecca Solnit’s book which is just days from being released: “The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle”. David was one of many early visionaries in making this event such a huge success.
I’m also thrilled that the ex-police-chief ended up working for the reform of marijuana laws. The existing laws are a disgrace in this so-called democratic society.
Thanks again, Eric Scigliano!
I was in the streets that entire week, and the only violence I personally witnessed was from the police. I encourage everyone who cares about what really happened in Seattle that week to read David and Rebecca Solnit’s book which is just days from being released: “The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle”. David was one of many early visionaries in making this event such a huge success.
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Got some great information here. I think that if more people thought about it that way, theyd have a better time understanding the issue. Your view is definitely something Id like to see more of. Thanks for this blog. Its fantastic and so is what youve got to say.You make a great point.
More than 20 years and we are in the same point, maybe worst in term of unequality of tradings between reach & poors. The crisis haven’t changed the rules…
I’ve seen. Pretty good ten years after the fact!