Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999 07:25:26 -0800
From: "David Grenier"
To: retrogression@eGroups.com

A bunch of you have expressed interest in what is going on with the
WTO. This is the only field report I have gotten from the Battle of
Seattle. YOu can read other field reports at http://www.zmag.org.

I'm probably going to take all the reports I can find on the web and
write an in depth article about them (including a backgrounder on the
WTO) this weekend, that is, unless I can convince FW Gaul to do it for
me.

Yours fo the OBU.
-Dave Grenier

>Hey, I'm hoping by now most of you have heard about the amazing acts of
>mass resistance going on in Seattle. On the off chance that any
>*Retrogression* readers are there right now and taking the time to
>check their email, I'd love to get a report. All the mainstream meadia
>is talking about are the acts of a few individuals out of tens of
>thousands, with no discussion of the real issues at stake or any of the
>amazing stuff I heard was being prepared.
>
>Much respect to the Anarchist Black Cross, Earth First!, IWW,
>indigenous rights activists and all others out there facing cold and
>rainy weather and risking arrest to help us protect ourselves from
>complete Corporate global domination (it's too bad such a
>science-fictiony sounding premise is so frighteningly real).

dave,
  i'm exausted after today, so i kinda want to go to sleep, so i can't
give a blow by blow.
  i work at left bank books at pike place market.  i got pepper sprayed
at 8th & senica at about 11:30 AM on N30.  there were some folks locked
down at about 7:30, then we got fences from freeway park and set them
up as a baracade against the WTO delegates.  i don't know how long the
intersection was held for. i got sprayed a bunch cos i was in a line of
folks sitting down with linked arms. motercycle helmets (the ones that
protect your whole face) work real good against getting pepper sprayed.
  i couldn't really see out of one eye for a while afterwards, but i
went down to left bank and we just started treating people who came by who
had been pepper sprayed, watching the news reports and helping people
regroup.
  there was less stuff today, but it was crazyer. the cops showed very
little restraint. they tear gassed and pepper sprayed everyone,
protestors and bystanders alike.  the protestors were mostly moving around
downtown, yelling 'our city, our streets'.  around 4:45 the cops drove some folks
north up first outside the store. they teargassed the intersection and
we tried to tape up the door to keep the gas from getting inside. we
closed up the store and headed outside. more people came down from pike street
& then some chanting started. the cops opened up with more tear gas and
drove people up north on 1st. when they left the intersection we went to
see what was going on and they turned around and charged us with pepper
spray. luckily we got out to the east and headed up to capitol hill.
there was another big march on broadway (the big street in CH) but then the
cops came out and were letting off tons of tear gas, concussion grenades and
pepper spray.  i managed to get home but there is a big standoff between
cops and people on broadway & pine. the cops are going after anyone. i
heard on the bus that they shot someone in the leg with a tear gas
canister and he was bleeding badly. there was a crippled man in an electric
wheelchair who was unable to get out of pike place market because his battery was
dead, and he got gassed.
  the mainstream news coverage is fucked. they totaly side with the cops
and always try to justify the cops violence/"patience".  everyone on the
bus was angry at the cops and want them out of our town. there is a 24
hour curfew in seattle now.
   there was going to be a rally at 7AM at seattle central community
college in support of the stealworkers. their parade got gassed today as

well. don't know if it is going to happen. i need to go to bed now, and
will try to write more when i can.

for the revolution
chris g


--
     I send books to prisoners - http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jargon/
      Support Independent Bookstores - http://www.leftbankbooks.com
Communications & Computer Workers Local 23 - http://www.iww.org/iu560/local23
    Washington Alliance of Technology Workers - http://www.washtech.org