My mother was tear-gassed in the streets of Seattle. She was one among 40,000 others who tried blocking the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference from meeting. It was my seventh birthday, December 1, 1999. I remember returning from school that day carrying a frosting-slathered cupcake container. The television was on and all I could hear was the sound of a window being smashed over and over and over again. Many remember the Battle of Seattle as a violent three-day protest. However, it was meant to be a peaceful demonstration comprised of rallies, street parties and teach-ins. Demonstrators took control of intersections, preventing WTO representatives from getting to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The protests did not become violent until anarchists from Eugene, Oregon, protestors who formed part of the “Black Bloc,” threw bricks through store windows. The Seattle Police Department was forced to respond. They fired pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets to stifle the dissent. But even after 600 people were arrested, the wrath of the Battle of Seattle could not be contained. The WTO meeting was prevented. In 2007, a federal jury found that the City of Seattle had violated protesters’ Fourth Amendment constitutional rights. The protestors had been arrested without credible cause or hard evidence. I want to take a step back from this mess. What does it all mean? Why is it significant? These protesters and black-clad anarchists had a point: that unregulated free-market capitalism should be seen as a crime considering the effect it has on the earth and its inhabitants. Occidental Petroleum and McDonald’s destroy the environment every day. Therefore, does destroying their corporate property have a certain tinge of justice attached to it? The City of Seattle didn’t seem to think so. Perhaps, instead of shooting those rubber bullets at the anarchists and innocent protestors, the police should have directed their weapons towards the CEOs who exploit workers and burn rainforests. I’m not saying that violence is ever justified in such a situation, but if the Seattle police were to point their weapons at anyone, it should have been the corporate leaders. Americans tend to pride themselves on free-market capitalism. After all, deregulation is a good thing, right? Actually, no. Corporations can do whatever they want if the government isn’t willing to step in. The actions taken by the Seattle police were starkly un-American. Peoples’ constitutional rights were suspended so that the corporations could benefit. Hence, free market capitalism and the rights of the people came into conflict. This situation begs the question: is free-market capitalism really beneficial for the people? Global warming has become a major issue in our lives today. However, without any regulation, corporations can pollute as much as they want to. The last thing that any corporate leader would want is restrictions on environmental impact. They would be forced to look for more sustainable ways of producing goods that would be more expensive. That would mean a loss in profit but less impact on the environment. Which is more important, profit or saving the planet? Globalization has taken its toll on the working population. Factory workers in China, who will work for much less than the American worker, are being treated quite poorly. People can argue that any work is better than no work. But is this small pay worth the exploitation of women and children? It would be more expensive to treat the workers fairly, creating safer working environments. Corporations can do what they want. It’s free market capitalism. Which is more important, profit or the treatment of women and children who produce our clothes and other goods? The Battle in Seattle was not a meeting of hippies, yearning for their 1960s glory days of protest. People of all ages gathered together to protest unregulated corporate power. We have the power to save this nation, and the world at large, if we combat the injustices of corporate America. Corporations rule this country. Most Chief Executive Officers do not have the common people’s interests in mind. This fact is quite apparent through the policies that they have promoted. We must never overlook the fact that corporate power is the biggest danger to our society right now. Ben Talarico is a three-year Upper from Suquamish, WA btalarico@andover.edu
