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Battle Stories

roboaction — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:23:14 CDT

I wasn't a participant, just a bystander working while the event brewed below my office window over the first two days. I worked for Amazon.com in their building on 6th Street, between Pike and Pine, across from Old Navy, Planet Hollywood and Nike. We were excited about the planned parades and went down to street level during our breaks and lunch to mingle among the sea turtles, butterflies and drum circles milling about. I remember getting off the bus going to work and walking past suited,briefcased International faces purposefully walking in and out of the Sheraton and convention area. The first day it was less protesting and more standing in line with a sea turtle at Starbucks, very festival-like.

Then we started seeing a change. We preferred to stay on our fifth floor, looking out of the window. it was the height of the holiday online ordering rush and Amazon preferred we keep attending ot business.

I remember the noise of the chanting and the police whistles and the sound of helicopters. I remember when the thick of it started on the second day: Cops, bandana’d rioters, bricks, tear gas on the Pike Street below my window. I watched as a guy threw a brick through Old Navy’s window. Saw another guy urinate in a cup and throw it on a cop. I shook my head, disappointed at the youthful damage.

Word spread quickly that Amazon was asking all employees pack up and leave. No cars or buses were on the streets and the management were concerned for us, so a sheep-shepherd plan unfolded. We formed groups of twenty and walked the few miles to the Seattle Kingdome (in the last few months of its life), leaving the riots - and those more engaged in change - behind.

I hope to dig up my pictures taken from the Amazon window above 6th Steet at some point for the Flickr project. -- Dana G.

Seattle Vs. the WTO

roboaction — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:19:43 CDT

The brave protesters working with Rainforest Action Network to hang the now famous banner. Photo by David Ngo.

This page is dedicated to the more than 50,000 people than organized and took to the streets to protest the WTO. This was the first protest organized using two technological innovations -- the internet and cell phones. The advent of cell phones had given people for the first time the capability to communicate freely while in the streets. This was of great concern to law enforcement officers. In fact, when marshall law was imposed, anyone caught carrying a cell phone outside was sibject to arrrest.

Were you there? Add your own personal stories.

A new movie is coming out that takes place during the protests called Battle in Seattle. It's been receiving standing ovations at all the film festivals. You can see the trailer here:

This page is dedicated to the more than 50,000 who organized and took to the streets to protest the

The Activist Wiki

karlbach — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:29:47 CDT

Join the Wiki and start editing this group project!

Welcome to the Activist Wiki. This is a community-generated hub for sharing information about activism happening around the world. Join the community and contribute your stories, photos and videos of protests and other actions. Add causes that you think are important.

Note: we adhere to the nonviolent principles of Dr. Martin Luther King. Please do not post information that promotes violence of any kind.

Great Nonprofits for Change

karlbach — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:28:18 CDT

	Rainforest Action Network Dubbed “some of the most savvy environmental agitators in the business” by the Wall Street Journal, RAN uses hard-hitting market campaigns to align the policies of multinational corporations with widespread public support for environmental protection. We believe that logging ancient forests for copy paper or destroying an endangered ecosystem for a week’s worth of oil is not just destructive, but outdated and unnecessary. Click here to find out about their summer 2008 campaigns
	CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, andinstead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. Click here to find out about their summer 2008 campaigns
	The International Day of Peace, established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, was first inaugurated on the third Tuesday of September, 1982. Beginning on the 20th anniversary in 2002, the UN General Assembly set 21 September as the now permanent date for the International Day of Peace. Click here to find out about their summer 2008 campaigns
	The Green World Campaign Our goal to plant one billion trees worldwide is gaining momentum. Planting 10 million trees in Ethiopia this season begins a five-year, 100 million trees program there. Now proven, on-the-ground nonprofits in Mexico, India, and Senegal have joined our movement to "green the world" in their own countries! It's amazing what one seed can grow!

Sign in and add your favorite nonprofit organization

The Civil Rights Movement

karlbach — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:06:21 CDT

The War in Iraq

karlbach — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:05:47 CDT

"Mhmmm... Mhmmm... Mhmmm... No."

-- Sen. McCain, when asked if
the US can win the war in Iraq

by 2013 (May 2008)).................

The Labour Movement

karlbach — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:54:50 CDT

Immigration Rights

karlbach — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:01:03 CDT

Karl Burkart

The Problem with Nuclear

karlbach — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:59:55 CDT

from Wired Magazine

The NEI is “...the propaganda wing and trade group for the American nuclear industry [which] spends millions of dollars annually to engineer public opinion.”

-- Dr. Helen Caldicott

Check out these great blogs for more details:

Nuclear Spin

Protesters in the 70's stopped the proliferation of nuclear power plants in the US. Now, with the looming global warming crisis, nuclear is back in fashion. The narrow focus on CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions as the only real environmental impact to be concerned about has made them look appealing to some.

But what about the other enormous environmental impacts they might have? How do you justify a power source that leaves behind a waste product so toxic that even 500 generations from now (much longer than recorded human history) this waste will be around to haunt the inhabitants of our planet? Not to mention that when they fail, they fail big. Remember Chernobyl.

Post information you have on nuclear energy

RMI (The Rocky Mountain Institute) has done some good research on the cost benefits of various sources of energy. Nuclear ends up being the loser in the study. Why? Because this is one of the few reports that actually factors in the storage and processing of the waste, costs that are conveniently left out by the NEI (the Nuclear Energy Institute) and Bechtel corporation, who is primed to receive billions of dllars in federally-funded contracts to build the plants. Here's the report by RMI:

Beijing Olympics

karlbach — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:58:08 CDT

Fight Oxy Oil

karlbach — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:47:33 CDT

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Occidental Oil has been targeted as one of the worst environmental offenders on the planet. Read about a recent protest in Los Angeles in which activists dressed up in Haz Mat suits attempted to "clean up" Oxy Oil's act.