The riots in Seattle from November 30 to December 3, coinciding with the meeting of the World Trade Organization, were four days of shame for the international and national environmental movement. They dressed up like turtles and butterflies, marched topless, and climbed buildings.
Good drama can make bad history.
The riots should have been anything but a surprise to the leaders of environmental and public health groups that financed, planned, and participated in them. Sierra Club president Carl Pope was there, telling reporters that rioting and looting are legitimate expressions of anger over environmental destruction. The Direct Action Network and the Ruckus Society have taken credit for recruiting, training, and helping to transport and house thousands of the protesters. They may even have paid some of the protesters to show up. None of them could answer the question.