Seattle Forward

May Day, Anarchists and a Woman from China

Yesterday was quite the day.

The weather forecast called for rain throughout the day, yet the sun popped out and I was confident I could make it to and from City Hall on my scooter without getting drenched.

Then, on a day to celebrate the effective and necessary role of labor unions, along with a separate march celebrating the importance of immigrants and the need for immigration reform, chaotic violence and property destruction occurred downtown.

Self-described anarchists mingled with peaceful May Day demonstrators at Westlake Park, covered their faces with masks or bandanas and engaged in destructive acts of vandalism and violence.  It stopped almost as quickly as it started; the anarchists pulled off their black clothing and melted away into the larger crowd once again, though not before some were arrested. (The Seattle Times has extensive coverage of all this in today’s newspaper.)

The Police, Occupy Protesters and Civil Order

Twelve years ago this week Seattle was rocked by the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference civil disorder.  It was ugly.

Legitimate WTO demonstrators saw their protests disrupted—and their message overshadowed—by individuals who wanted to wage violence against the police, WTO delegates and local businesses.  And because police commanders were not adequately prepared they responded with rapidly escalating interventions, including chemical irritants and rubber bullets.  Chaos reigned in our streets.

In early 2000, the City Council appointed three citizen review panels to determine what happened at the WTO meetings.  I chaired the panel that examined the police response.  Our report to the Council in September of that year included 11 major findings and recommendations, including very specific recommendations on police tactics to maintain order and the use of chemical irritants (see “Finding 3: Large-scale arrests rather than chemical irritants or other less-lethal force should be the tactic of choice in dealing with unlawful assemblies”).

After re-reading that 2000 report, I'm reminded of the vital importance of consistent clarity and boundary setting by the Mayor, the City Council and the Chief of Police. In

Occupy for Reform

No wonder the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, including Occupy Seattle, has captured the support of the American people. 

Just watch this segment from last night’s 60 Minutes on CBS regarding members of Congress using insider information to make millions. Or this segment from November 6 where felon Jack Abramoff tells all about buying our elected officials in Washington, D.C. 

I watched both of these 60 Minutes’ reports last night; my blood was boiling!

Occupy Wall Street has tapped into a deep, strong and explosive undercurrent of thought running through America.  It’s a core belief that something is seriously wrong with our country economically, politically and ethically.  60 Minutes has confirmed the worst with their two reports.