Posted by MickCollins. at wkstn4-85.lxr.georgetown.edu on December 02, 1999 at 19:15:12:
In Reply to: Here is a detailed description of what happened posted by netweasel on December 02, 1999 at 18:31:33:
When the hippies get rowdy,we don't shot rubber bullets. We throw some tear gas canisters,get our gasmaks on,grab a club and knock some fucking skulls in. Do-Gooders are usually the biggest hypocrites.
: At about 8:pm if you were on Broadway last night (the main drag in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. Just East of the no-protest zone), you were royally screwed. About 1000 protestors marched up Denny, crossed over to Pine, and made there way to Broadway and Harrison, about 1 diagonal block from my apartment. All through this they were being basically pushed out of the curfew zone by police and national guard. Now these protestors were not only WTO protestors, but also some Free Mumia bullshit propaganda people.
: I then went inside the small family-owned grocery store on the corner of Harrison & Broadway. The owners were overwhelmed and were trying to prevent shoplifting. This was happening because for about 30 minutes I was chasing tackling and shoplifters, and dragging them back inside with there stolen goods. I did find this hypocritical and ironic because these ANTI-CAPITALIST / ANTI-CORPORATE protestors were buying (and trying to steal) a ton of Budweiser beer and cigarettes.
: At this time I was in Broadway Bar & Grill with 2 friends waiting for my girlfriend to get back from work. Next thing you know the National Guard and riot police make their move. Now remember this is not a curfew zone, and the cops basically pushed these protestors (mostly out of towners) into our residential neighborhood.
: Within minutes Broadway is being tear gassed and concussion bombs and rubber bullets and rubber grenades are going off. This all at 8:pm on Broadway, when a lot of residents are out. Broadway Bar & Grill was getting filled with tear gas even though they locked the doors.
: Then it stops....or so we think. All is quiet for about a half-hour as they stand on the north side of Broadway (both protestors, cops, and majorly pissed of capitol hill residents). I meet my girlfriend (whose apartment building is right on Broadway). We go to her apartment, and then leave to go to mine. We walk outside, get about 5 feet out the door and the riot police launch a rubber grenade and fire rubber bullets and tear gas at us. I got hit in the back and my calf, my girlfriend got hit in the back. These were fired at pretty close range so they knocked us to the ground. So we both have huge welts from these things. We also were tear gassed which hurts like a bitch. You could not walk down Broadway (and up or down 2 blocks in each direction due to the wind) without getting hit with tear gas. There were parents outside with their kids looking at everything and they got hit, and the tear gas and rubber was fired without any warning. It was a mess. It was really like a war zone on capitol hill.
: I went to home (now remember this is only like 8:30). Later I turn on the news and see now the residents got pissed and had a stand off with the cops because they were bringing this into their neighborhood. This was at Pine and 11th by the KFC. So I walk down here to take some pictures.
: I leave at about 1:50am, then at 2:am all of a sudden all these explosions go off, and people start running down Broadway. The cops and national guard gassed and shot more rubber bullets and grenades at the residents, these were not protestors any more, just pissed off residents including parents, kids, senior citizens, even politicians. So much tear gas was used at just one intersection Pine & 11th, you could heavily feel it at my place several blocks away.
: The protestors & vandals suck, the cops over-reacted, and the citizens and residents of Capitol Hill payed for it.