I got my first "taste" of tear gas since Navy basic training tonight (gasp! cough!cough!). Traffic is all fouled up. Roving bands of protestors playing gotcha! with the police. Lots of flashbang grenades. Several groups of protestors working up to test the barriers and lines of police around the Westin (where the Prez is staying). Curfew is on again for tonight. Arrest total about 4-500 so far. National Guard UH-60 and local police AB-206 helo's overhead. A lot of idiot looky-loo's gawking (hey mom! look-a protestor!). My fav neighborhood-lower Queen Anne is shutting down for the festivities tomorrow-including the grocery stores. No QFC,Safeway or Larry's 24 HR. Gawd, this is tiresome. 6:05PM PST

-- Greg Lawrence (greg@speakeasy.org), December 01, 1999

Answers

Thanks for the update Greg.

I'm interested, as are a WHOLE LOT OF OTHERS, in how this party turns out...

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 01, 1999.

Greg:

" Traffic is all fouled up." I just returned from 10 days in the traffic jam by the sound. It is always all fouled up.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 01, 1999.

It almost makes me cry watching them because I know their parents and schools failed to teach them even the slightest clue about economics. All they are is the ignorant, and all they're doing is swinging back and forth clutching vines, screeching, "Argh," and not even noticing the poop falling from themselves.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), December 02, 1999.

We've lost something. Yesterday was nothing short of chilling. The police and the City administration have managed to set back police/civilian relations back 50 years. It was completely unacceptable behaviour bordering on the criminal. No one was safe. Officers were indescriminately spraying anybody with pepper gas-office workers, protestors, shopkeepers-you name it. Not to mention indescriminate use of fists, boots, tear gas and flashbang grenades. A group of young teenage and college age protestors were quietly sitting down singing when several SPD vehicles rushed forward at a high rate of speed screeching to a halt just BARELY in time. According to the news reporter, they actually ended up "pressing flesh" against two of the protestors. A TOTALLY unacceptable move and the police, in fact moved their vehicles back a few feet. If even one of those kids had been hit and I happen to draw jury duty-I'd have voted negligent homicide at the very least. Now to be fair, the demonstrators were in a major intersection-3rd and Pine, but that's no excuse. I am, ordinarily, vocal and extreme in my support of local law enforcement, but now, I am wondering: who are these people? Are these really my friends and neighbors? Call it naivity, but I have to say it-the trust is gone. I'm deeply disturbed by this whole business. It is suggestive of something very ominous for our future.

As for traffic being all fouled up, yes, it is bad, but nothing like what it was at 1st and Denny last night.

-- Greg Lawrence (greg@speakeasy.org), December 02, 1999.