1999 WTO Riots in Seattle, WA (90s, Washington, years, United States)

[seattlefanatic]

Unfortunately, many peopel here in Seattle don't seem to think that the WTO Riots were that big of a deal, but they truly were in my opinion. My question is: What do people outside of the United States think of them, like were they a bigger deal than most Seattleites think?

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by seattlefanatic

Unfortunately, many peopel here in Seattle don't seem to think that the WTO Riots were that big of a deal, but they truly were in my opinion. My question is: What do people outside of the United States think of them, like were they a bigger deal than most Seattleites think?

You are grossly misinformed, or only talk to Seattleites who weren't here when it happened.

You have to remember that in the late 90s, Seattle was at the top of the world. Microsoft (suburban Redmond) revolutionized the PC industry and ruled dominant, and invested in Apple to prevent it from going under. Grunge music saw its climax. The city was experiencing a rennaissance in investment from newly-rich software engineers and speculators. Many in the international community even mulled a 2008 Olympics bid, and if it had run, it would have been a serious contender to Beijing. May not have won, but the picturesque backdrop of Mt. Rainier on beautiful Lake Washington with Seattle, Bellevue, and Mercer Island as hubs for the Games would have been the jewel in the crown. And movies based in Seattle (notably "Sleepless in Seattle") were becoming Americana. Boeing was recovering from a early 90s recession. It seemed nothing could stop the city.

The city had been working feverishly to make Seattle into an international city, and attracted the WTO to host the world in what was widely considered a litmus test of how "ready" Seattle was to host an international event. Then came the protests. And the riots. And the botched police attempts, and mass arrests. International dignitaries couldn't make it to the opening ceremony. Many were pelted with eggs and garbage. Entire blocks of businesses used plywood to protect their windows and simply shut down for an entire week.

The protests - and the police and national guard response - were a black eye that to this day has caused many international venues to rethink coming to Seattle. The convention center is under-utilized. Then after the incidents, the majority of Seattleites didn't trust the local governments to watch over creating the Games, and thus voted by referendum to abandon the effort. Then came the dot-com bubble bursting a couple years later, and 9/11 basically killing any recovery Boeing would have had, and that was that.

So no, saying Seattleites think the WTO protests were insignificant is incorrect. Many see it as the very violent and sudden fall from grace that some argue has never really returned.

[lifelongMOgal]

My 1/2 sister worked (volunteered) at the 1999 WTO via a U.S. based NYC "Foriegn Affairs" oganization. She was walking to the conference one day, downwind from protestors, and got tear gassed! I LMAO! She is such the liberal and she was "shocked" that such a thing could happen to her. Nothing like a reality check.

She grew up in Seattle; I did not. However, from what I had seen of Seattle and its catering to counter-culture, the violence at the 1999 WTO, I thought, was very predictable. I guess sometimes a liberal city in denial cannot see itself clearly through the looking glass. I always found there to be a certain "elitism" and snobbery of entitlement and infallability among the social upcomers in 1990's Seattle. But, that could also just be that side of the family there.