Frightened by a rambunctious crowd of protesters on Capitol Hill at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the driver of Metro bus 3109 got out and thumbed a ride home, abandoning his bus. Drunken kids in the crowd seized the opportunity and tried, unsuccessfully, to push the #11 bus into the intersection of Pike and Broadway. Eventually, they just smashed the windows, drawing jeers from a local who said, "Buses are cool."
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The Direct Action Network (DAN) is planning a class-action lawsuit against the city for police brutality. They're collecting stories from people who were abused by cops last week. They've heard some awful tales so far. One man claims that he was denied his AIDS medication for more than 50 hours. Another said he was beaten by at least four cops because he wouldn't tell them his name. A woman said she was hog-tied and strip-searched by prison guards, according to DAN. King County Jail spokesperson Jim Harms says jail officials are investigating all complaints.
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While protesters took over the outside of the King County Jail on Thursday, Mayor Paul Schell watched helplessly from the top-floor balcony of city hall. According to one eavesdropper, the following exchange between two of Schell's aides ensued: "He shouldn't be out there. He looks too imperial," said the first. "He is imperial," said the second. "He looks like Eva PerĂłn," said the first. "He is Eva PerĂłn," replied the second.
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Incensed that police outlawed the use of their product during the civil emergency last week, Gas Masks Inc., of Maine -- is pursuing legal action. They contacted local lawyer David Osgood on Thursday.
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Apparently doing some research on labor laws on Wednesday afternoon, four WTO delegates -- with WTO packets in hand -- paid a visit to Seattle's famous strip joint, the Lusty Lady. "They came in and looked at some naked ladies," said employee Rob.
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Capitol Hill residents are not only appalled by the actions of the Seattle Police Department on Wednesday night, they're also peeved at local TV news. The only station that ran uninterrupted coverage of the SPD-National Guard Capitol Hill conquest was Northwest Cable News, an affiliate of KING 5.
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Borrowing some attention from the WTO, Bellingham residents held a "WTA protest" on Thursday. They were mad at the Whatcom Transit Authority for bus-fare increases.
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One ill-informed Capitol Hill resident tried to inspire revolution by blasting a song from Les Miserables off his Broadway balcony as WTO protesters marched by on Thursday night. Evidently the cheerleader thought Les Miserables was a revolutionary tract. Any theater fag knows that Les Mis has nothing to do with the French Revolution. He might as well have been playing Guys and Dolls.
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WTO Lesson #145: It doesn't pay to be a concerned citizen anymore. Pine Street businessman James Murray suffered a broken ankle from a rubber bullet as he was walking away from a police line. Before cops shot him, Murray and his friend helped prevent damage to the windows of a Kentucky Fried Chicken.
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While the mayor and police chief were begging "outside agitators" to go home last week, one former-cab-driver-turned-activist was inspired by the out-of-towner activism. On Friday night, he stood up amid about 100 protesters gathered in front of the Westin Hotel and addressed them: "All you people who came from out of town -- you are the best thing that's ever happened to Seattle, and I'm inviting you to move here."
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On Wednesday evening at the 6:30 protest march down Broadway, a short guy with glasses and a megaphone called for a group hug. Only about 50 people joined in. But when Megaphone Man instructed everyone to say "Ohm," hundreds joined in. They ohmmed for about five minutes.
