driven
      around
      the
      other
     
     
      side
      of
      the
      building,
      out
      of
     
     
      view
      of
      supporters
      and
      the
     
     
      media.
      Police
      dressed
      in
     
     
      riot
      gear
      boarded
      the
      bus
     
     
      and
      forcibly
      removed
     
     
      people.
      As
      they
      got
     
     
      toward
      the
      rear
      of
      the
      bus,
     
     
      they
      started
      using
      pepper
     
     
      spray.
      While
      seated,
      I
      was
     
     
      sprayed
      in
      the
      face
      twice
     
     
      (long
      bursts
      at
      close
     
     
      range).
      They
      also
      held
     
     
      open
      some
      atrestees
      eyes
     
     
      while
      spraying
      into
      them.
     
     
      They
      then
      cuffed
      me
      and
     
     
      dragged
      me
      off
      by
      the
      hair.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Throughout
      our
      stay
     
     
      in
      jail,
      our
      rights
      were
     
     
      systematically
     
     
      removed
      in
     
     
      an
      effort
      to
     
     
      break
      our
     
     
      spirits
      and
     
     
      solidarity,
      and
      ©
     
     
      to
      punish
      us.
     
     
      For
      23+
     
     
      hours
      a
      day
     
     
      they
      kept
      us
     
     
      locked
      up
     
     
      alone,
      or
      with
     
     
      one
      other
      _
     
     
      prisoner.
      I
      was
      denied
      my
     
     
      right
      to
      see
      a
      lawyer
      (as
     
     
      +eswere
      many
      others).
      Other
     
     
      prisoners
      were
      subjected
     
     
      to
      extreme
      physical
      and
     
     
      ‘mental
      abuse.One
      _
     
     
      woman’s
      nose
      was
      broken
     
     
      when
      her
      face
      was
     
     
      smashed
      down
      into
      the
     
     
      floor,
      then
      she
      was
      refused
     
     
      was
      left
      handcuffed
      naked
     
     
      on
      the
      floor
      ofa
      jail
      cell.
     
     
      Others
      were
      pepper
     
     
      sprayed,
      beaten,
      and
     
     
      thrown
      into
      walls.
      Some
     
     
      prisoners
      were
      refused
     
     
      essential
      medication
      (for
     
     
      HIV,
      diabetes,
      etc.).
      The
     
     
      aforementioned
      violence
      is
     
     
      just
      the
      tip
      ofthe
      iceberg.
      _
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      the
      protesters
      were
     
     
      jailed,
      a
      protest
      camp
      was
     
     
      erected
      outside
      the
      jail.
     
     
      Most
      prisoners
      were
     
     
      released
      3-5
      days
      later,
     
     
      after
      the
      WTO
      conference
     
     
      was
      over.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      early
      January,
     
     
      City
      Attorney
      Mark
     
     
      Sidran
      announced
      that
     
     
      almost
      all
      of
      the
      remaining
     
     
      cases
      were
      to
      be
      dis-
     
     
      missed
      due
      to
      lack
      of
     
     
      evidence.
      This
      occured
     
     
      after
      many
      defendants
     
     
      had
      already
      invested
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      money
      to
     
     
      return
      to
     
     
      Seattle
      for
     
     
      arraignments
     
     
      and
      pre-trial
     
     
      hearings.
      These
     
     
      cl
     
    
   
   
    
     
      show
      that
      they
      have
      the
     
     
      power
      to
      arrest
      us,
      strip
      us
     
     
      of
      our
      rights,
      keep
      us
     
     
      locked
      up
      for
      four
      days,
     
     
      then
      just
      dismiss
      the
      case
     
     
      due
      to
      a
      lack
      of
      evidence.
     
     
      It
      is
      clear
      that
      protesters
     
     
      were
      arrested
      on
      trumped
     
     
      up
      charges
      to
      get
      us
      off
     
     
      the
      streets
      where
      we
      might
     
     
      embarass
      some
      rich
     
     
      dictators
      (politicians
      &
     
     
      CEOs).
      ACLU
      and
     
     
      Amnesty
      International
      are
     
     
      investigating
      police
      brutal-
     
     
      ity,
      and
      victims
      will
      be
     
     
      filing
      civil
      suits
      in
      order
      to
     
     
      show
      those
      in
      power
      that
     
     
      they
      can’t
      just
      take
      away
     
     
      our
      rights
      and
      get
      away
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      general
      ,
      the
     
     
      mainstream
      media
      cooper-
     
     
      ated
      with
      the
      police
      by
     
     
      focusing
      coverage
      on
      the
     
     
      relatively
      few
      acts
      of
     
     
      vandalism,
      and
     
     
      mischaracterizing
      protest-
     
     
      ers
      as
      violent
      and
      danger-
     
     
      ous,
      while
      labelling
      police
     
     
      actions
      as
      provoked,
     
     
      necessary,
      tolerant
      -
     
     
      anything
      but
     
     
      violent.
      When
     
     
      windows
      were
     
     
      broken,
      the
     
     
      media
      con-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      demned
      it
      as
      “violence”,
     
     
      but
      failed
      to
      tell
      us
      why
     
     
      these
      corporations
      (Gap,
     
     
      Starbucks,
      Macdonalds,
     
     
      Nike)
      were
      targetted,
     
     
      failed
      to
      tell
      us
      about
      the
     
     
      violence
      that
      these
      compa-
     
     
      nies
      perpetrate
      around
      the
     
     
      world.
      It
      didn’t
      seem
      to
     
     
      concern
      the
      media
      that
     
     
      non-violent
      protesters
     
     
      were
      arrested
      and
      as-
     
     
      saulted.
      They
      were
      more
     
     
      concemed
      with
      measuring
     
     
      the
      impact
      of
      the
      protests
     
     
      in
      “lost
      shopping
      days.”
     
     
      The
      day
      after
      the
      WTO
     
     
      conference,
      free
      busses
     
     
      and
      parking
      were
      an-
     
     
      nouriced,
      in
      an
      effort
      to
     
     
      spur
      people
      to
      make
      up
     
     
      for
      the
      “lost
      shopping
     
     
      days.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      following
      week,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      the
      police
      organized.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Police
      Appreciation
     
     
      Day,”
      at
      Westlake
      Park,
     
     
      to
      congratulate
      themselves
     
     
      for
      ajob
      well
      done.
     
     
      Police
      gave
      out
      pizza
      and
     
     
      sold
      t-shirts
      that
      said
      “The
     
     
      Battle
      of
      Seattle.”
      Family
     
     
      and
      other
      brainwashed
     
     
      public
      were
      there
      to
     
     
      support
      the
      police,
      but
      we
     
     
      outnumbered
      them
      and
      we
     
     
      played
      music,
      sang,
     
     
      chanted,
      and
      argued
      with
     
     
      police
      supporters.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      have
      said
      that
     
     
      Seattle
      was
      just
      the
      begin-
     
     
      ning.
      People
      active
      in
      the
     
     
      anti-war
      movement
      since
     
     
      the
      60’s
      (or
      before)
     
     
      commented
      that
      they’
      ve
     
     
      never
      seen
      or
      felt
      anything
     
     
      like
      it.
      The
      diversity
      and
     
     
      numbers,
      coupled
      with
     
     
      autonomous
      organizing,
     
     
      direct
      action,
      determina-
     
     
      tion,
      and
      solidarity,
      pro-
     
     
      vided
      hope
      that
      there
      is
      a
     
     
      future
      for
      our
      species
      and
     
     
      the
      planet.
     
    

    
     
      Tens
      of
      thousands
     
     
      of
      people
      joined
      together
     
     
      in
      solidarity
      for
      justice.
      We
     
     
      used
      our
      power
      of
      num-
     
     
      bers
      -
      people
      power
      -
      to
     
     
      make
      a
      difference.
      There
     
     
      were
      labour
      groups,
     
     
      environmentalists,
      social
     
     
      justice
      and
      human
      rights
     
     
      activists,
      womens
      groups,
     
     
      students,
      farmers,
      anar-
     
     
      chists,
      church
      groups,
     
     
      many
      other
      groups,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      many
      regular
      people
      who
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      had
      never
      protested
     
     
      anything
      in
      their
      life.
     
     
      Seattle
      radicalized
      thou-
     
     
      sands
      of
      people
      -
      showed
     
     
      people
      that
      we
      have
      the
     
     
      power,
      allowed
      them
      to
     
     
      feel
      the
      strength
      of
     
     
      resistance,
      and
      awakened
     
     
      people
      to
      the
      fact
      that
      our
     
     
      rights
      are
      far
      from
      guaran-
     
     
      teed.
      It
      showed
      millions
      of
     
     
      people,
      not
      only
      what
      the
     
     
      WTO
      is
      and
      what
      lengths
     
     
      the
      state
      will
      go
      to
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      protect
      it,
      but
     
     
      also
      that
      resistance
     
     
      against
      corporate
      rule
      is
     
     
      alive
      and
      well
      -
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      growing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      mid-April
      there
      is
     
     
      a
      World
      Bank
      /
      IMF
     
     
      (International
      Monetary
     
     
      Fund)
      conference
      in
     
     
      Washington,
      DC.
      Since
     
     
      these
      institutions
      are
      the
     
     
      other
      two
      pillars
      of
      the
     
     
      global
      economy
      (besides
     
     
      the
      WTO),
      many
      activists
     
     
      are
      planning
      to
      crash
      the
     
     
      party
      and
      shut
      it
      down
      like
     
     
      we
      did
      in
      Seattle.
      This
      sort
     
     
      of
      Direct
      Action
      will
      be
      a
     
     
      continuing
      tactic
      for
     
     
      stopping
      injustice.
      Follow-
     
     
      ing
      that
      is
      Mayday
      (May
     
     
      1),
      billed
      as
      an
      interna-
     
     
      tional
      day
      of
      resistance,
     
     
      strikes,
      and
      street
     
     
      parties
      -
      a
      carnival
      against
     
    

    
     
      The
      future
      is
      ours
      to
     
     
      create.
      Let’s
      make
      it
      a
     
     
      future
      of
      solidarity,
      resis-
     
     
      tance,
      and
      celebration.
     
     
      Just
      remember:
      we’
      re
     
     
      fighting
      for
      freedom
      and
     
     
      love.
      The
      cops
      (and
      the
     
     
      rich)
      are
      only
      fighting
      for
     
     
      pay.
      Besides,
      there’s
     
     
      more
      of
      us
      than
      them!
     
     
      Most
      people
      just
     
    
   
   
    
     
      haven’
      t
      figured
      that
      off].
     
    
   
   
    
     
      YET!