I flash my press credentials and get past the police cordon surrounding the Convention Center. After a 15-minute wait on line, I pass through a metal detector, my bag is searched and I finally get into the center. There are police and military personnel everywhere. All the cops have an olive drab pouch hanging from their belts and strapped to their thighs. It contains a gas mask.
Several cops have combat-style automatic rifles slung across their backs.
I see a small group of police practicing their riot stick techniques in a courtyard. I end up covering a panel discussion about the trade and environmental impacts of fishing subsidies on global fish stocks. After buttonholing the Australian and Philippine fisheries ministers, I scurry back to my office to file my afternoon's reports. On the way, I see the police have beefed up their presence, pushing the secured perimeter back another block and bringing in reinforcements in riot gear, complete with helmets and flak jackets. After I file my reports, a co-worker asks if I want to go to the reception by the Seattle Host Organization, the local business group that is sponsoring the WTO conference.