Gandhista Holds City of Seattle Accountable

Injury lawsuit makes progress in wake of WTO crackdown

personal account by Swaneagle Harijan

In late November of 1999 my dear friend, Life has Meaning, (who is alongtime Gandhian scholar and practitioner) and i traveled from theremote regions of the mountains of northeastern Washington toparticipate in shutting down the WTO secret ministerial meeting inSeattle.

Late in the day on November 30, globocops appeared on the scene inmilitaristic formation. They suddenly attacked peaceful protesters whohad been keeping WTO delegates out of the Convention Place. Theviolence was so extreme and highly organized that we were all caughtoff guard.

The next day, we participated in the Steelworker's rally at Pier 62 onthe waterfront below downtown. Once the speakers were done, thousandsof us headed for downtown. Before we even reached the "no protestzone", we were assaulted by tear gas and concussion grenades with nowarning. Panicked people stampeded in a frenzied backswell. NationalGuardsmen holding an intersection along with police began clubbingprotesters and shoppers as they fled from the noxious gas. I calledout, "They won't hurt you. They are leaving." A guardsman yelled back,"Get the hell out of here!" I replied, "I am a human rights observer.Those are your friends, relatives and neighbors. They won't hurt you."Strangely, they all stepped back to holding the line across theintersection. I then sang "Lay down your guns and join your people"until the chemical gas was too much.

I soon discovered that Life has Meaning had run back to get me and wasshot in the eye by a globocop marksman who stood off behind the darthvaders. Within minutes all seven people in our affinity group cametogether helping Life has Meaning and others who were suffering fromthe gases. As we fled, we were pursued through the streets by theplatoons and the humvee firing gas, rubber bullets and concussiongrenades. A state of terror infused streets which were decoratedbizarrely with Christmas lights. I drove Life Has Meaning to theemergency room of the Harborview Hospital where the seriousness of herinjury was confirmed.

An amended complaint was served on the City of Seattle February 2,2001, and filed in Federal District Court. It states that a squadronof police officers utilized tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets andbilly clubs to attack peaceful demonstrators near Third and Pike whichwas an area outside the city's so-called "no protest zone". (Aninitial complaint was filed last November.)

A week after the amended complaint was served, Life has Meaningreceived a threatening letter at her work that stated in part, "it isto bad they didnt blow your fucking head off." (spelled as in letter)It was signed by a man giving a Burlington, Washington address.Needless to say, it created a further state of terror for Life HasMeaning.

In March, i was able to participate in a deposition hearing withformer police chief Norm Stamper. His only admission was that thepolice were indeed not wearing badges and were anonymous in their riotgear. He blamed it on the newness of the armor and difficulty pinningbadges on.

I showed him pictures of Life has Meaning being beaten and right aftershe was shot in they eye. I pointed to the marksman in the photo andsaid i was looking for him. Stamper said "You'll never find him." Ifnothing else, i hope the encounter put a human face on the receiversof the outlandish violence utilized by police who will never be viewedthe same by many of Seattle's residents.

In April, i was able to look through the discovery granted to us bythe City of Seattle. The names of the attackers were all there withtheir badge numbers, commanders, guns and ammunition used, the driverof the humvee and the fact that they were a Chemical Agent ResponseTeam, an elite element of SWAT. So it looks like we have our men. Onehas quit the SPD and left the state. How this unfolds will be veryinteresting.

As we see the blueprint for dealing with anti-globalization protestersescalating, it is critical to not let these brutal police activitiesgo unchecked. Already many police in this country are militarized.Recently three demonstrators in Sweden were shot and one died. Liveammunition was present at the WTO, according to the "use of forcereports". It is only a matter of time before live ammunition is usedon those of us who have been relatively safe due to white skinprivilege or class.

The trial for Life has Meaning's case is slated for February 4, 2002.It is not too late for anyone who was subjected to the terrorism ofthe police to participate in class action lawsuits. Any way we haveavailable must be utilized in putting a stop to the growing fascisminfecting the globe. May the spirit and strength of human conscienceprevail.

For further information, contact the author at frontlinemom@yahoo.com,and see www.copwatch.com ("Anatomy of a Police Riot"), or call JohnScannell 206-624-3685.