This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BF3692.CED73A40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Look! It's a riot!I, being a citizen of fair Seattle, was present all Tuesday on the streets, even when the situation was worst. As always, don't believe everything the news has to say to you. The protests were originally very peaceful, until about 20 self-proclaimed anarchists from Eugene came into downtown, opportunists came with them and the some of the protestors, very tired of being physically abused by the literal army of police on the streets, joined them. Very sad. But, on the bright side, for 12 hours, you had conservatives and liberals, radicals and fundamentalists, gays and straights, blacks and whites, muslims and christians, environmentalists and steel-workers all out on the street together, fighting for a common cause. That's pretty potent stuff, and it's too bad the news only shows the reactionary efforts of the police, the trouble point of the entire thing (the intersection at 6th and Union) and the efforts of a few punks. Seeing people of every variety dancing in the streets, united, fighting for, at least nominally, a good cause... it was worth getting tear gassed time and time again. Now, there is martial law on the streets of Seattle. It is a felony crime to own or wear a gas mask in city limits. Police has chased down and BEAT ordinary workers, thinking them to be protestors. It's very sad how quickly a 'democracy' becomes a police state when corporate and political interests are threatened. Peace, Nicholas Jarrett njarrett@oz.net -----Original Message----- From: owner-bananafish@lists.nyu.edu [mailto:owner-bananafish@lists.nyu.edu]On Behalf Of Sean Draine (Exchange) Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 5:57 PM To: 'bananafish@lists.nyu.edu' Subject: Look! It's a riot! "...and speaking of Chicago, does anybody else have an irresistible urge to start chanting "The whole world's watching!" whenever the TV coughs up images of Seattle? I feel I've failed in my responsibilities as a human being--let alone as a journalist--because I'm not there myself." Indeed, you should have been here. Riots are really meant to be experienced firsthand. Only then do you get a true sense of the players: The short drunken guy boasting to his friends about running through the streets while taking a piss. (I mean, it's not everyday you can get away with that sort of thing). The hooded teenagers who, hoping to see some real violence tonight instead of that televised crap, lob M80s and beer bottles over the protestors and into a phalanx of unresponsive riot police. The couple poised with signs in the middle of the street, glowing with bright Green righteousness, smiling in the face of a police tank and 50 faceless riot police in black armour. The voice on the megaphone (kind of sounds like someone's dad) who politely introduces himself as Sargent Anderson of the Seattle Police Department and calmly asks the crowd to disperse. I like downtown Seattle, and was sad to see it trashed and looted. There was nothing political about that - just the greedy opportunistic mentality of a mob. Sadder still, the only reason "the whole world's watching" is to gawk at the violence and mayhem. -Sean ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BF3692.CED73A40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
"...and speaking of Chicago, does anybody else have =
an=20
irresistible urge to
start chanting "The =
whole world's=20
watching!" whenever the TV coughs up
images =
of=20
Seattle? I feel I've failed in my responsibilities as a =
human=20
being--let alone as a journalist--because I'm not =
there=20
myself."
Indeed, you should have been here. Riots are really = meant to=20 be experienced firsthand. Only then do you get a true sense of the = players:=20
The short drunken guy boasting to his friends about = running=20 through the streets while taking a piss. (I mean, it's not everyday = you can=20 get away with that sort of thing).
The hooded teenagers who, hoping to see some real = violence=20 tonight instead of that televised crap, lob M80s and beer bottles over = the=20 protestors and into a phalanx of unresponsive riot police.
The couple poised with signs in the middle of the = street,=20 glowing with bright Green righteousness, smiling in the face of a = police tank=20 and 50 faceless riot police in black armour.
The voice on the megaphone (kind of sounds like = someone's dad)=20 who politely introduces himself as Sargent Anderson of the Seattle = Police=20 Department and calmly asks the crowd to disperse.
I like downtown Seattle, and was sad to see it = trashed and=20 looted. There was nothing political about that - just the greedy = opportunistic=20 mentality of a mob. Sadder still, the only reason "the whole world's = watching"=20 is to gawk at the violence and mayhem.
-Sean