Fallout Begins Over WTO Protests

Published Monday, December 6, 1999
By LUIS CABRERA / Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE (AP) -- City residents and officials on Monday demanded accountability for the mayhem last week from the World Trade Organization protests that cost merchants nearly $20 million and left many furious at police.

" If you don' t have a police force that can handle an emergency situation rationally, then you have a serious problem, " said City Councilwoman-elect Judy Nicastro, who was tear-gassed along with demonstrators and residents of the Capitol Hill neighborhood at the height of a police crackdown last Wednesday.

On Monday, the City Council agreed to wait until next week to formally create a task force to determine what went wrong, though it appointed three members to the panel.

Seattle was still recovering Monday from WTO protests that included widespread vandalism and looting by a few dozen people among the tens of thousands that crowded downtown streets.

The violence resulted in deployment of the National Guard, a curfew and more than 500 arrests.

Downtown stores suffered as much as $2.5 million in property damage and lost some $17 million in sales, said Lucinda Payne of the Downtown Seattle Association.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but protesters have alleged mistreatment at the hands of police officers and jailers.

Police Chief Norm Stamper has said his officers used appropriate force to clear streets and maintain order.

City Councilman Richard McIver, who is black, said he was pulled from his car by police on his way to a WTO reception and had his arms put behind his back before being ordered to leave the area. He said that occurred even after he had identified himself and given officers his gold-crested council business card.

The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People demanded an investigation of police conduct.

Stamper should resign, said Nicastro, who does not join the council until January.

Meanwhile, all but nine protesters had been released from the King County Jail in Seattle Monday. More than 500 others were released on personal recognizance over the weekend.