Court Overturns Part of WTO Protest Ruling

Seattle had a right to block off part of downtown when World Trade Organization protests turned violent in 1999, a federal appeals court panel ruled, but the city might have gone too far in targeting only anti-WTO protesters within the restricted zone.

The ruling partially overturned a 2001 decision by U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein, and it means that some demonstrators can pursue a class-action claim that the city violated their constitutional rights.

In November 1999, about 50,000 people swarmed downtown Seattle in protest of a WTO meeting. A relatively small number of protesters smashed storefronts and overwhelmed police, who responded with tear gas and mass arrests. Part of the city’s response was to impose a “no protest” zone.