November 30, 2008

What lessons can we learn from the shutdown of the 1999 WTO
Ministerial in Seattle 9 years ago today and from the last decade and
a half of global justice organizing as we face today's major crises
under an Obama Administration? This was the question a group of
organizers from different parts of the last decades of global justice
organizing responded to last week at a forum in New York City put
together by Deep Dish TV, an independent video/media pioneer. Here are
my thoughts.

Nine years ago today:

Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 22:53:26 -0500 (EST)
From: ****
Subject: Re: The end of the story from Seattle..

Warning -- this is possibly the longest email I have ever written.

I've been in Seattle since Friday before the big day, leaving tonight... Here are some more parts of the story. I haven't had much chance to follow the media outside Seattle and I would love to know what came across and what didn't. I'm going to get on the internet and check it all out soon.
lw

--

Hundreds of men and women from the villages in the Narmada valley took out a bullock cart rally as a mark of protest against the World Trade Organisation(WTO) and the globalisation. The rally, organised by the Youths of Narmada ( Rewa ke yuwa) in Anjad ( M.P.) on Tuesday ( Nov. 30) reasserted its resolve to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam in the valley, as a sign of the distorted development. The people particularly opposed the adverse impacts of the so called globalisation and WTO on agriculture, small industries and the rights of the people in India.

Over the course of the year leading up to the Seattle WTO Protests in November/December 1999, I was involved in five different groups, each of which had its own founding principles, strategic guidelines and organizational narratives assisting the writing of their respective members into the common story of the unfolding events: mine were the Industrial Workers of the World, Direct Action Network, Workers and Students For a Walkout Network, Seattle Tenant's Union and Seattle Anarchist Response.

One of my fondness of memories was when after a demonstration when police had blocked the roads for protesters my only option to make my plane back to the east coast in time was to get into a taxi cab that the police would allow through.

The Ethiopian driver was quick to identitify me as "a protester" and he rapidly recited his frustrations with police behavior. i was not sure if he was just telling his consumer what he thought i wanted to hear but when i got to the transporation center he refused to let me pay for my fare.