The Seattle Police unleashed a new round of tear gas and was finally able to disperse the crowd after an all day standoff. As the crowd retreated, the Police aimlessly fired rubber bullets at the back of the running protesters. As there was clearly no danger to the Police or any bystanders, these cowardly acts constitute violations of human rights laws.
At 5:15 p.m. (PST), the Seattle Police Department ("SPD") released a huge barrage of tear gas into a crowd of nonviolent protesters. The crowd had taken over an intersection in the heart of the city which resulted in a stalemate throughout most of the day.
Teargas was dispersed intermittently during the day as the SPD stood in front of their armored vehicle. The crowd took no actions against the SPD.
Finally, in a desperate attempt to take control, the SPD released large amounts of tear gas and fired rubber bullets into the crowd of mostly young adults. As the protesters retreated, the SPD continued to fire at the backs of the harmless protesters. This cowardly act violates the spirit, if not specific provisions, of international human rights law. ------------- Camo-clad cops beat up protesters by Leslie Howes 2:32pm Tue Nov 30 '99 http://206.168.174.20/imc/display.php3?article_id=123
Undercover police beat up a man and a woman that had been "marked" for arrest by police minutes earlier. Janet Christensen-O'Brien of the Seattle Detective Bureau Legal Support Services saw three men dressed in camouflage and khaki knock down and pummel two protesters. The two were waiting for the light to change at the empty intersection of Third and Union when they were knocked down and beaten. The men, who later identified themselves as police, continued to punch and kick the young man and young woman as they lay on the ground.
When uniformed police arrived on the scene, they did not immediately stop the assault, but instead prevented the growing crowd from getting closer. Ms. Christensen-O'Brien said the young woman appeared to be in shock and was crying out "Don't hit me." The young man had been thrown to the ground so hard that his mouth was bleeding. O'Brien said the police told her it had been impossible to arrest the two earlier when they were part of a crowd and that they had been targeted and somehow physically tagged for later arrest.
Janet Christensen-O'Brien says she can be reached for interviews at (206)624-9624.