SEATTLE POLICE DENY PERMIT FOR ANTI-FTAA MARCH

CITY OF SEATTLE DENIES MARCH PERMIT TO ANTI -FTAA GROUPS FOR APRIL 20TH PROTEST

THE SEATTLE MARINERS VS. FREE SPEECH?

At the beginning of Mayor Paul Schell\'s re-election campaign, controversy in Seattle surrounding applications for protest march permits is heating up again. Last week the city refused to issue a permit to a coalition of fair trade, environmental, labor, immigration rights and faith-based activists. Because the permit application was not approved, the
\"Seattle Anti-FTAA Coalition\" has been forced to cancel it\'s scheduled march for April 20th because participants would be subject to mass arrests.

The coalition had planned to demonstrate against the opening of the
Free Trade of the Americas Agreement talks in Quebec, Canada in solidarity with international protests that will be taking place in over 100 cities across the Americas, with several large protests planned at locations along the US/Canadian border, including Peace Arch Park in Blaine, Washington.

A representative from the National Lawyers Guild stated this weekend that
they were willing to take the City of Seattle to court and file a restraining order in an attempt to stop the city from prohibiting the march. Many of the members of the coalition say that they will fight the decision on constitutional grounds, citing the First Amendment and the citizen\'s right to freedom of assembly and free speech. They claim that there isn\'t enough time to organize for another march to a different location now that the protests are less than two weeks away.

The city turned down the application for a permit for the April 20th event because of a Mariners game which will be taking place at the same time. In addition, another protest group demonstrating in solidarity with 118 cities world-wide for the medical use of marijuana will be holding a protest that day at the Jackson Federal Building.

Anti-FTAA protesters say that since the Federal Building is not an option for their group, and because their permit for a march to the INS - Immigration and Naturalization Service has been denied, they have no other appropriate place to march in the city. At a meeting this weekend, one of the Anti-FTAA coalition organizers told members of the group,

\"I\'m not aware aware of any special provisions in the US Constitution for baseball which would supercede the First Amendment.\"

The Seattle Anti-FTAA Coalition still plans to hold protests at a public park at Third and Yesler at 5 PM on April 20th despite the city\'s decision no to allow them a march permit.

Controversy regarding political protest permits has raged ever since the \"N30\", 2000 anniversary events celebrating the shut-down of the WTO conference one year earlier. After recent criticisms regarding the Seattle Police Department\'s crowd management policy during this year\'s
Mardis Gras riot, it\'s obvious that the city is nervous about any potential demonstrations which might attract large crowds.

Many local activists and several international civil and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, are still upset by police activity at the original WTO protests where people had protest material confiscated and at the N30, 2000 events where the Seattle Police Department made
140 arrests.

On April 4th the SPD reported to the City of Seattle Public Safety Committee on the 1999 WTO demonstrations. According to SPD spokesperson Clark Kimmer, police showed amazing \"professionsl restraint\" during those events despite hundreds of complaints which have been filed against the city and major civil and class action lawsuits alll stemming from alleged police abuse during the WTO conference. Recently the City of Seattle has settled on individual cases for up to $30,000 each.

It\'s clear that political opposition to high level trade agreements like
GATT, NAFTA and the FTAA will continue to result in protests by
groups opposed to what they see as undemocratic institutions which are threatening the labor movement, forcing the privatization of public services and education, and harming the environment. They see a link between these negotiations and the World Bank, WTO and IMF which were created by these kinds of trade agreements.

Upcoming protests against the APEC conference in Honolulu and the Asia Pacific Cities Summit in Seattle in May may include future legal tests for the city\'s policies toward demonstrations and marches.

For More Information Contact:

Mark Taylor-Canfield
Committee For Government Accountability
mtc2000_usa [at] yahoo.com