I lived and worked in downtown Seattle during the WTO meeting and riots, and know the history quite well.
As I write this I’m watching the riot grow in Seattle. I can tell you what will happen for the next few days. They are starting in the same spot and breaking the same windows as they did in 1999.
Seattle took a lot of lessons from that experience. One was to not let the police try to win. They can’t, they are grossly outnumbered. So far tonight the cops are hanging back watching their cars burn up.
And the protestors are wearing masks and practicing social distancing (well, those two guys busting out the door to Nordstrom’s were kinda close), and carrying umbrellas because it’s wet right now. It’s Seattle.
It’s going to be long night…