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City may drop minor WTO charges
Saturday, February 10, 2001
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Seattle city attorney said yesterday that he would move to dismiss misdemeanor charges against 77 people arrested during World Trade Organization anniversary protests Nov. 30.
Mark Sidran said there is insufficient evidence against the 77. They were charged with pedestrian interference and failure to disperse.
Another 23 cases will go forward, Sidran said. Seventeen cases have been resolved through guilty pleas, diversion or no charges being filed.
"There is little doubt that during N30 a large group of persons illegally blocked streets and refused to disperse despite repeated requests by the police," Sidran said. "Proving individual identifiable defendants guilty of those offenses beyond a reasonable doubt, however, is another matter."
Sidran credited police for maintaining public order to minimize injury to people and property.
In all, 142 people were arrested Nov. 30 during commemorations of the protests that shut down the WTO's 1999 meeting in Seattle.
Most were taken to jail; others, including some reporters and photographers, were detained briefly and released at the scene.
Most of those arrested were demonstrators pushed north from Westlake Center along Fourth Avenue to the 2200 block, where they were surrounded and taken into custody. Many complained that they weren't allowed to leave after police issued orders for them to disperse.
Police said the demonstrators were given plenty of time to leave the area.
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