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Dear friends,
Shut down the WTO! Greetings from Seattle, especially to those who were not able to make it to Seattle. Those of us who are here feel privileged to be on the scene of this historic moment. . .
Some of us agree that today, November 30, 1999, was the best or one of the best days of our lives. The power of the people is truly awesome when set in motion! The day began with thousands of demonstrators blocking the streets around the convention center, and delaying the opening of the WTO ministerial meeting for hours.
There was tremendous creativity, with protestors taking the portable wire fence that the police had put up as barricades against us, and moving/transforming it into barricades against the WTO! Some protestors locked themselves down in the intersection, others sat down, linked arms. Still others would dance out of the intersection when forced to by the police, and then dance back in. So far the news coverage I've seen has failed to convey the extraordinary festival atmosphere that prevailed during most of the day.
When we chanted "Whose Streets? Our Streets!" it was not just a slogan. There was an anti-fascist marching band, there were hundreds dancing to amplified techno music, there were the two hundred people dressed as sea turtles, there were people on stilts, in all kinds of costumes, there were tons of contingent marches--the environmentalists, the IWW, the people's assembly's march against imperialist globalization and more, each with their distinct character. There were steelworkers engaging in direct action alongside anarchists.
This all lasted from about 7:30 a.m. until nightfall, when the state of emergency and curfew was declared, and the police stepped up their level of aggression. Nevertheless, at about 9 p.m. we saw a crowd of college students still demonstrating at Seattle University and raising clenched fists of defiance to the helicopter overhead.
Quite a few people, including many from L.A., who were in the thick of the action, got tear gassed. Apparently, the independent media center, for which I was in the field most of the day, was attacked by the police in the evening. To my knowledge, none of the 22 arrests were from our group--if anyone hears otherwise, please let me know. By the way, there seems to be many people here from Southern California. I hope we'll be able to figure out approximately how many.
And then, the AFL-CIO march! I walked from the front to the back--it took an incredibly long time-- I think the news estimates of 50,000 are low. One reason I think that, is that Monday night the Jubilee 2000 debt relief human chain (in raging wind and rain!) was estimated by police at 14,000, and this was clearly many times more.
Speaking of Monday, the demonstrations also lasted all day, beginning with thousands joining in an environmental march which included many labor unions, especially the Steelworkers, UFW. After the official rally ended, the demonstration continued for many hours taking on a life of its own, snaking its way around the city. There was an especially great rally outside McDonalds, where Jose Bove, the French farmer, alongside Canadian and Indian farmers, spoke from the roof of a van.
Some of you know and make fun of my preference for action, but I must also mention that there have been dozens and dozens of panel discussions by a tremendous variety of speakers on every possible topic connected to the WTO, and that this event is producing an army of thousands of incredibly well informed activists. These presentations have been distinguished by their internationalism. . . .
Tomorrow afternoon the steelworkers union is sponsoring a march to the harbor for a kind of Boston Tea Party -- hopefully this won't be prevented by the presence of the National Guard! . . .
Solidarity, Leone