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Covering the WTO

Just a quick opinion here on the ongoing subject of the WTO demonstrations. Last summer I was in a demonstration supporting Mumia in which police estimated at least 15,000 people attended. It was a very peaceful march and rally. There was no coverage of the event in the TV or newspapers except for one story in the paper that spent over half its space talking about Officer Faulkner's brother who was at the march passing out anti-Mumia literature. I suspect that had it not been for some minor property damage, the WTO demonstrations would have suffered the same fate. As it is, the whole world knows there is controversy around WTO, even if they don't know what it is. My hat off to those who fought in the streets of Seattle.

--Ed Mead, San Francisco

G.P. replies: With all respect, Ed, I disagree. The Mumia demo happened in a void; there was no news to report other than that people massed, speakers were heard, traffic was held up. There was no media present except whatever local media was assigned to cover it. At the WTO, there were over 5,000 international media in town, given nothing to report by the WTO itself. Moreover, the blockaders actually did something--they kept the WTO from meeting. We can debate endlessly about what the extent and type of coverage it would have been without the window breaking or the tear gas, but the fact remains that the DAN blockade of WTO delegates would have been an international news story on its own merits.

Ms. Benjamin

I'm a big fan of ETS, but could you please not refer to men by their last names and women by their first names? "Medea" (as in "Medea Replies") is the figure in Greek mythology. Medea Benjamin is a real-life adult woman. Referring to women by first names only is belittling and infantilizing, one of the many unconscious ways in which women are made to seem faintly ridiculous in the public realm. So please don't do it, unless you go totally informal and put EVERYONE on a first-name basis.

Best wishes for the new year,

--Katha Pollitt, New York

Civilian Review Board

In Geov Parrish's article "WE WON!!!!--Despite the Cops" (12/8/99), Geov calls for Mayor Schell's resignation, adding to the numerous demands that have been voiced for the resignation of the Mayor and other top officials. However, there has been too much focus on individual city officials. It is a waste of time and effort to seek their resignations. Replacing an authoritarian mayor with a less authoritarian mayor would do little to improve the democratic character of the city. Simply don't re-elect him to a second term. Afterall, we elected Schell in the first place. Who could foretell his response to the WTO protests. What's to prevent his replacement from responding the same way in the face of similar protests in the future. To curb the powers of the Mayor, amending the city charter may be more effective.

Furthermore, after the sensationalism of top-level resignations, some will believe the needed changes have been made and support to push for lasting change will be diminished. Instead, now is the time to push for establishment of a citizen's police review board, to be composed of locally elected individuals to provide direct civilian oversight of the Seattle Police Department. Input into city police planning and part of what the City Council is trying to do through its WTO Accountability Review Committee are natural functions of a civilian police review board. There is simply no substitute for a permanent, sanctioned watchdog group to curb police excesses, be they in response to future protests or in neighborhoods where allegations of police brutality are routine.

Already the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs and the Washington State Troopers Association have demanded the Mayor resign, stating that "Unless and until Schell resigns, Seattle residents, downtown business owners and law enforcement will continue to debate the reasons behind and results from the WTO debacle." (Seattle Times, 1/4/00). They would rather the debate end with the Mayor's resignation. This is not surprising considering that a not unlikely result of extended debate would be recommendations for substantive change in the state's police institutions. The Mayor's role in planning may well have contributed to the police violence, but this should not be allowed to draw attention away from systemic causes within the police force.

For those on the left, a more anti-authoritarian response would be to avoid focusing too narrowly on individual "leaders" and work to broaden the franchise of decision-making to include more people. The Mayor's role in suspending our First Amendment rights during the WTO conference is indefensible; but calling for his resignation perpetuates the notion that if we only elect the right candidate into office our problems will be solved, instead of seeking to democratize power by changing the office, or through other lasting institutional change. If the goal is to increase the degree to which local police serve and protect us--as opposed to elite interests--a civilian review board would be a significant step.

--Andrew Fung, Seattle

Been There Done That

in solidarity,

--Cathy Miller, via e-mail

The Situation in Ecuador

I thought you might find the article I have attached interesting. I found especially interesting the quote from Interior Minister Vladimiro Alvarez, "To prevent public disorder and security problems, last night the president decreed a state of emergency..." Also, Alvarez said he would "respect" the workers' right to protest but would not tolerate any threat to law and order. Who and/or what does this remind you of? Hmmm.

The people are protesting the president's "austerity measures," which were required by the IMF for a loan. I wish this Reuters article had explained exactly what "austerity measures" are. I myself have heard this phrase countless times in the media, and have no idea what it actually means. I was wondering, could someone over there explain what "austerity measures" are, since so many countries seem to be forced to take these (very unpopular) measures?

Also, it's scary that an organization like the IMF can dictate so closely a country's domestic policy, to the very apparent detriment of that country's own citizens. I guess that's what globalization's all about, though. Is it true that the IMF and World Bank are meeting in Washington D.C. in spring? If so, I want to go there and do what we did here in Seattle against the WTO.

Yours truly,

--Mild-mannered terrorist Jenny Arfman, Seattle, WA

G.P. comments: Yes, the IMF and World Bank are meeting in D.C. in April. Protests are planned...

Rick Replies

A brief reply to Todd Tollefson's letter in reply to my article that appeared in a previous issue in ETS!: I never argued that students are the vanguard of the movement against the WTO. I simply argued what Tollefson confirms in his letter. Namely, that it was mostly young students who shut down the open ceremonies of the WTO meeting. Tollefson wrote in his letter that about one percent of the labor marchers broke ranks and joined the direct action activists, which makes my point. Why not compare the tactics used and the outcome in Seattle with past protests, like, say Chicago in 1968? I for one hope that tomorrow's student activists are more sophisticated than today's. Hopefully, people my age won't write their children off as a bunch of apolitical slackers. I was merely commenting in my article on the commentary during the WTO protests that moved me the most, which was Juan Gonzalez's reading of his December 1 New York Daily News column on Democracy Now! Perhaps he would disagree with my comparing the protests in Seattle with past protests. I never wrote that the labor marchers were being forcefully prevented from joining the blockade of the Paramount Theater. I summarized the argument made by Alexander Cockburn on the labor leadership, not the march peacekeepers, "failure to lead" the labor marchers in the direction of the direct action protests. That is far different from arguing that the labor marchers were being forcefully prevented from joining the direct action protest. Since it is not my opinion, but the opinion of the editors of Counter Punch, I would suggest that Tollefson take exception to their arguments by writing Counter Punch, not ETS! I don't see the point because, again, I don't think anybody has argued that the labor marchers were being prevented from joining the direct action protest. Why not attack Jesse Jackson for his no-show in Seattle and his support of Clinton's trade policies? Jackson supports the badly misnamed Africa Growth And Opportunity Act. I thought that's what the WTO protests were all about. If this makes my commentary divisive, then I guess the November Labor Notes article arguing that AFL-CIO President John Sweeney had recently endorsed Clinton's trade policies on the eve of the Seattle protests is to. Whoever is on the wrong side of these issues should be pointed out, whether it is Jesse Jackson or the Heritage Foundation.

--Rick Giombetti, Fort Collins CO

Josh, You're A Little Late

Why is it? Why can a city like Seattle get away with building two major Stadiums? And what is the purpose of tearing down a stadium that has no problems to build a new stadium that probably won't last as long as the Kingdome did? Why is it a roofless stadium? This is Seattle, all it does is rain. I can't remember the last game that it didn't rain on. I'm sorry, But I feel like the Puget Sound area has been ripped off. The dome is in great shape. It may need repair. But if the city wouldn't have slacked on maintaining the Kingdome, this wouldn't be a Problem.

Why should a ASSHOLE like Paul Allen get his way up here? Furthermore what are they gonna name the new building? (BANK OF AMERICA) or (POLITICIANS WHO RIP OFF THE PUVLIC FOR PERSONAL GAIN) After all you know somebody other than Paul Allen has gained tremendusly on this adventure. The Kingdome offers a wide range of sports and shows that can be held in it. Now there is no monster trucks in Seattle. Yeah I could drive to Tacoma. But the show sucks there.

The people of Seattle need to say NO WE WONT STAND FOR THIS. After all, It is our life, not the SHITTY polititions who think they have control of us. Or maybe they do. After all they have won the game this time. I enjoyed watching the games in the kingdome. I have yut to see a Mariner Game in Safeco Field, Because of the wrongdoing. But I will probably give in to that. And the Seahawks have a Danm Nice football field too. So if they want to be stingy then I won't go to their games. The '99 season was the last season for this season ticket holder.

Thank you for letting me speak my opinion. Good luck to Seattle taxpayers, we are gonna need it.

--Josh, via e-mail