A Seattle police officer fires his weapon point blank into a group of demonstrators attempting to prohibit access to the WTO at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Union Street on Nov. 30, 1999, outside the Seattle Sheraton. Police first informed the demonstrators that they were in violation of an order to disperse. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A Seattle police officer shoves protester Jody Hutchinson as police march down Virginia Street on Dec. 1, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
People react to a cloud of tear gas while protesting the WTO on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester, who said she was from San Francisco and demanded a dialogue on environmental issues, is dragged out of the Paramount Theater where the WTO inaugural session was scheduled on Nov. 30, 1999. The chaos in the streets stopped the event from happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protester Bob Patrick of Ballard tries to save the U.S. flag from being desecrated by another protester on Dec. 2, 1999. The flag was taken from the flagpole outside the King County Jail. Patrick and other protesters lead a successful effort, after some scuffling, to return the flag to the pole. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Jenee Gregory of Seattle yells at Seattle police officers during a WTO protest march on Dec. 3, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
An inmate inside the King County Jail raises his hand in approval as hundreds of WTO protesters chant around the downtown building on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters march down Sixth Avenue from Marion Street on their way to the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 29, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protesters gather downtown on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A police officer encounters a message written by a protester on Nov. 30, 2009. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
After hours of waiting to get into the Washington State Convention Center, the press swarms around a Seattle Police Department spokesperson in the middle of the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Pike Street on Nov. 29, 1999. Members of the press from around the world gathered to cover the WTO conference and subsequent protests. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protester Seth Quackenbush releases a cloth protest sign before ascending his climbing ropes into the hands of waiting Seattle police officers atop the Old Navy store in downtown Seattle on Nov. 22, 1999. Quackenbus and a fellow protester hung from the building for about two hours before being arrested. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protester Douglas Mackar, right, with a copy of the U.S. Constitution in his hand, and Seattle Police Lt. Daniel Whelan deliver conflicting messages on their bullhorns during the WTO protest on Nov. 29, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester is treated for exposure to tear gas during the WTO protest on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
President Bill Clinton speaks to gathered ministers of the WTO on Dec. 1, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO delegate is mauled by protesters at Seventh Avenue and Union Street as they try to prevent his access to the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO delegate takes a nap as she waits for the inaugural session to begin at the Paramount Theater on Nov. 30, 1999. The event was canceled after three hours of waiting for other delegates to get through throngs of protesters in the streets of Seattle. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police officers and protesters face off in downtown Seattle on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bill Christison, president of the National Family Farm Coalition, and Jose Bove, a French farmer and anti-WTO activist, celebrate their protest against McDonald's with French wine, American and French cheese, and French bread. The demonstration shut down the intersection of Third Avenue and Pine Street in Seattle. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Journalists, delegates and dignitaries were denied access to the the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 29, 1999, delaying the Non-Governmental Organizers symposium. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester looks out over the sea of other demonstrators on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protesters gather on Pike Street on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle police try to disperse a crowd of WTO protesters as they light a bonfire at Fourth Avenue and University Street on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Erin O'Connell of Seattle stands in silent, nonviolent confrontation with a line of Seattle police officers at the corner of Second Avenue and Pine Street. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO ministers from Chad and Central Africa Republic listen to WTO Director General Mike Moore during the Plenary Session on Nov. 30, 1999. Moore welcomed the ministers at the gathering after the opening ceremony could not be held because of street protests. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A man who said he was a downtown office worker tries to convince police to allow him to pass on Dec. 3, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters are arrested en masse at Westlake Park on Dec. 1, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters flood Victor Steinbrueck Park near Seattle's Pike Place Market on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A lone WTO protester sits in front of a line of King County sheriff's deputies outside Benaroya Hall on Nov. 30, 1999, as police clear the downtown area. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Cheri Honkala is arrested by Seattle police after she tried to break through police lines outside the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 29, 1999. Honkala and others tried to serve arrest warrants on the G7 ministers. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester gets relief after getting hit by pepper spray and tear gas on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters crowd Pike Street on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Prostesters confront police through a cloud of tear gas at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Wil Depusoy attempts to shield his daughters Gabriela, 4, and Apolinario, 1, from the wind and rain while holding a sign protesting the WTO in front of the Seattle Municipal Building. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Director general of the WTO Michael Moore and President Bill Clinton participate in a luncheon for WTO delegates at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle on Dec. 2, 1999. Both Moore and Clinton spoke forcefully on behalf of free trade. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO protester is arrested and handcuffed by Seattle police officers on the paving stones of Westlake Park on Dec. 1, 1999, after protesters attempted a peaceful sit-down demonstration at the park. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A woman wears her disapproval of the WTO on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters congregate in front of a police line on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Susan Oseth of Bainbridge Island was one of nearly 250 "sea turtles" taking part in a march from the First Methodist Church to Eighth Avenue and Pine Street. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO ministers listen to a speaker from Switzerland during the WTO Plenary Session on Nov. 30, 1999. Ministers were welcomed at the gathering after the opening ceremony could not be held because of street protests. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle police officers take a break from WTO protests along Pike Street on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, left, joins his officers outside the Washington State Convention Center before the start of violence on Nov. 29, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO demonstrators are hit with pepper spray as police try to disperse the crowd on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protesters and police clash on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sea turtles were front and center during a march and demonstration against the WTO. Pictured, from left, are: A.J. Jimenez of Seattle, Sloane Whitaker of Seattle, Frankie Lind of New York, and Allison Barros of Eugene, Oregon. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Union workers march in a parade through downtown Seattle on Dec. 3, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Officers in riot gear help a WTO delegate get through the crowd of protesters on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police charge at WTO protesters on Nov. 30, 1999, as they regrouped on Capitol Hill after they were pushed east from the Paramount Theater. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO protester throws a tear gas canister back at King County sheriff's deputies on Third Avenue in downtown Seattle on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A union-led anti-WTO march makes its way through downtown Seattle on Dec. 3, 1999, as the WTO trade talks conclude. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police officers on motorcycles follow a parade of demonstrators along Denny Way on Dec. 2, 1999. The police escorted the group, accommodating them in whichever direction they chose to go. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle police officers enforce a "no protest" rule on Dec. 1, 1999, at Westlake Park in Seattle. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO attendees and guests gather in front of a large video screen displaying floating clouds at the Stadium Exhibition Center for the opening reception on Nov. 29, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Fran Swak of Seattle tries in frustration to get home from work along Denny Way as protesters shut down the street on their way to Victor Steinbrueck Park on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester holds up an inverted American flag during WTO street protests on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters comfort a fellow demonstrator as he recovers from tear gas on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters performed a peaceful sit-down demonstration in Westlake Park. A new "no protest" rule let police arrest these protesters even if they weren't blocking traffic. Here, a protester flashes the peace symbol to the crowd as officers carry him to a waiting Metro bus on Dec. 1, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO protester holds a sign during a rally at Victor Steinbrueck Park on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
An anti-WTO demonstrator is pulled to the ground after climbing onto a Seattle police armored personnel carrier as police clear demonstrators from the intersection of Sixth Avemue and Union Street in order to provide WTO delegates access from the Seattle Sheraton to the Washington State Convention Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Banana Republic is boarded up on Dec. 1, 1999, after the business was attacked by protesters during the WTO gathering in Seattle. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police officers videotape protesters on Nov. 30, 2009. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester videotapes police officers on Nov. 29, 2009. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A Bon Marche shopper gives a smile to a row of riot police lined up on Sixth Avenue on Dec. 1, 2009. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A Falun Gong follower meditates in Denny Park in protest of the WTO conference, Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tom White of Capitol Hill shows his identification in order to proceed down Pine Street to his office at a consulting firm on Dec. 2, 1999. "Reminds me of Belfast," he said. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle police officers on horseback push WTO protesters back near the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 29, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protesters attempted a peaceful sit-down demonstration in Westlake Park on Dec. 1, 1999, but were hauled away by police. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Members of labor unions march toward downtown Seattle on Nov. 30, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Ralph Nader addresses the crowd of demonstrators at Victor Steinbrueck Park on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protesters from Santa Cruz, California, sit in the middle of the street at Eighth Avenue and Lenora Street while protesting the WTO on Dec. 1, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bound by a wheelchair, protester Jane Jackson of Oakland, California, took her place among protesters choosing to be arrested on Dec. 2, 1999, during a sit-in at the door of the King County Jail. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
People were greeted with walls of plywood covering store windows on Sixth Avenue between Pike and Pine streets on Dec. 2, 1999. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Anti-WTO demonstrators Francesca Zamora and Carmela Lopriore leave the King County Jail. Both were arrested during the WTO protests. Supporters of those arrested camped out at the entrance to the jail, awaiting their release. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A WTO protester gives Seattle Police Officer Debbie Nicholson a flower and a peace sign on Dec. 2, 1999, after days of mass protest and unrest in downtown Seattle. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Glass workers remove plywood from storefronts on Fourth Avenue in Seattle on Dec. 3, 1999, as merchants start to let down their guard after the WTO protests smashed many storefronts and forced businesses to shut down. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Washington State Patrol Lt. Bruce Clark helps a woman across the street at Fifth Avenue and Pike Street on Dec. 3, 1999. Ttroopers from around the state joined Seattle police officers and King County sheffiff's deputies during the WTO riots. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Rainforest Action Network climbers hang from a construction crane near Interstate 5 to protest what they called WTO's anti-democratic policies. Five activists climbed the crane Nov. 29, 1999, to unfurl their protest banner. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protestor at the rally on South Plaza at Seattle Central Community College imitates what he said he saw at last year's protests. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Some residents of 21st Century Apartments watched the marchers from on high as they made their way down Pine Street downtown. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protestor at the rally at Seattle Central Community College let her sign do the talking. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protestors march down Pine Street after a rally and Seattle Central Community College. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
WTO protestors make their way down Pine Street toward downtown Seattle after rallying at Seattle Central Community College. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Marchers move down Fourth Avenue en route to Westlake Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protestor waves his flag as fellow protestors gather outside Westlake Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Commuters wait at a bus stop as protestors pass by on Fourth Avenue downtown. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sign-waving protestors move toward Westlake Center from Capitol Hill. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protestors prepare to deal with police by donning gas masks and covering their faces. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Members of a group calling themselves "Lesbian Avengers" march to Westlake Center. One said she went topless to show how important it was to desexualize the female body. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A couple in a car find themselves stuck in a parade of protestors making its way to Westlake Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A festive atmosphere prevailed at Westlake Center as protestors danced on the pavement. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police stand off against camera-carrying protestors. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Protestors and police talk about everything under the weather, and do so in a friendly manner. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Even a man dressed as Santa Claus made an appearance as protestors moved along Fourth Avenue. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A motorist waits patiently for a break in the crowd at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A protester is taken into custody by Seattle police after he allegedly jumped into a news van. Police and WTO demonstrators clashed for the second year in a row last night last night. Mark Sobhani/Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Police in riot gear move in on protesters on Fourth Avenue between Pine and Stewart after giving them three warnings to disperse. Police used pepper spray on the crowd and then advanced; most of the demonstrators moved on. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle police using riot gear move in to arrest several protestors who refused to leave the area around Westlake Center. Several people were arrested peacefully a couple of hours later as police moved the protestors several blocks north of the Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
One of several peaceful arrests at the Westlake Center after police ordered protestors to disperse from the area. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
After a protestor went to the police line to help a friend, police fired several shots of pepper spray into the crowd to disperse them. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Some of the protestors attending the rally at Seattle Central Community College dance to recorded music played between speeches. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Marchers bearing sea-turtle costumes prepare to march from Fourth Avenue and Jackson Street to Westlake Center. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
On Nov. 30, 1999, Seattle exploded.
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It was definitely not the first time -- violent labor disputes have a long history in the city, not to mention the original "Battle of Seattle" in 1856 when settlers and Salish warriors attacked the village and were repelled by artillery -- but it became the most pronounced. Coming off of a decade of grungy fame, with all its middle finger to authority, this seemed to alter Seattle from just "punk city on the rise" to something more.
The Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization was held in Seattle from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3, 1999, and while representatives from 135 WTO member countries attempted to agree on issues and agenda for a new round of negotiations around further deregulating international trade, tens of thousands of protesters came through the city's streets.
Seattle was already a unique place to have this meeting. In addition to the cultural idea of Seattle (mixed with the "Frasier" or "Sleepless in Seattle" portrayals), both Seattle and Washington were more dependent on international trade than almost any other part of the country.
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As soon as they announced Seattle's selection, activists began planning a counter-protest. Organizers across various factions and interests coordinated efforts to block access to the buildings themselves. Civil disobedience was the name of the game, complete with time-honored Northwest protest tactics (devices to fasten people together to make them harder to remove) and performance art.
And despite plenty of advertisement about the protests themselves, it's safe to say that Seattle wasn't ready for the result.
Ultimately, the protesters did succeed in shutting down the WTO, temporarily. Hotels where the delegates were staying, the Convention Center, the Paramount Theater were swamped with demonstrations (police also assumed things wouldn't start before 8 a.m., and did not plan to deploy large numbers of officers until later in the day); police began using tear gas and pepper spray to force demonstrators out of intersections, reportedly making no attempt to escort delegates or arrest those blocking the venues.
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By 3:30 p.m. on that fateful Tuesday, then-Mayor Paul Schell had declared a state of emergency. It would be the first of many, especially after then-President Bill Clinton touched down in Seattle on Dec. 1, not to mention a "limited curfew" and a "no protest zone."
It would be an issue much dissected, most immediately by city council hearings starting the week after. And the issue continues to color how the rest of the world sees Seattle's brand of liberalism, and how Seattle itself steels the city for demonstrations like May Day.
But it also changed the way WTO meetings happened. Though the WTO has attempted to revisit the issue over various future meetings, they would often find themselves interrupted by protests akin to Seattle's. Ten years after the WTO met, it still hadn't reached a substantive agreement on the issues that divided delegates.
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Click through the slideshow above to see some snapshots of the WTO riots in Seattle in 1999.