Police responsible for riots
This letter is in response to Kerry Bromberg's
opinion letter about the protests in Seattle, which appeared in Monday's
Daily Forty-Niner.
I wanted to give a different point of view
about the violence and property destruction that occurred during the protests.
Bromberg did a great job explaining the
protest and describing what issues are at stake in the World Trade Organization.
What I had a problem with is his opinion
that the violence that occurred was "opportunistic" and that protesters
engaging in violence had "no connection to the issues being brought forth
by the protests."
I also disagree with his statement that
the violent protesters the reason the riot police and National Guard came
in and tried to end the protests.
First off, Seattle police had been building
a stockpile of tear gas before the protests even started, and planned on
using it.
The police began to fire tear gas and rubber
bullets at protesters on Tuesday, before the violence happened. It was
the police who instigated the violence, not the protesters!
Second, much of the property damage was
inflicted upon corporations that abuse the environment, use child labor,
and show a general disregard for the well being of humanity.
The property damage protesters inflicted
upon these corporations was a form of protest meant to show these corporations
that their disregard for humanity and the environment will be met with
militant resistance!
Peaceful protest alone will not stop these
corporations from destroying the planet, and I commend the militant protesters
for showing that corporate domination will no longer be tolerated.
The corporations that destroy our people
and our planet, and the police that protect them, are the real enemies
and source of violence in our world!
-- Jeff Hendricks,
history major, CSULB |
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