Seattle Times / By Jim Brunner, Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle officials have taken pains to insist the ongoing Asia Pacific Cities Summit is nothing like the 1999 World Trade Organization conference that filled the streets with anti-globalization protesters.
Not everyone believes them.
In a faint echo of WTO, about 100 protesters gathered at Westlake Center yesterday evening before marching to the Westin Hotel, where the three-day conference began with a reception and welcome by Mayor Paul Schell and Jim Soorley, lord mayor of Brisbane, Australia, which hosted the event in 1996 and 1999.
Schell and city officials say the summit isn't focusing on global trade but rather is a way for officials from cities around the world to gather and forge "sister-city" relationships. About 600 people from 90 cities are expected at the conference, called "Innovative Cities in a New Technology Era."
But protesters denounced the gathering as an excuse for corporate bigwigs to persuade public officials to privatize essential public services, such as schools, utilities and transit. They cite participation by corporations like Microsoft and Boeing to support their view.
"It's the same thing as the WTO; it's just smaller and quieter," said protester Joyce Glasgow. "We have to be constantly vigilant."
Dale Hodges, another protester, said he was there to raise awareness among police and downtown shoppers about global environmental issues. His message: "The status quo is not sustainable."
The summit was invited to Seattle by Schell and others who attended the one in 1999, just before the chaotic WTO ministerial meeting here. Boeing Chairman Phil Condit will be the keynote speaker at the farewell dinner tomorrow.
Seattle officials say they don't expect major problems but are prepared. Protesters yesterday were outnumbered by police on foot and on bikes who ringed the Westin.
A few dozen protesters held banners and meditated to draw attention to the plight of Falun Gong practitioners, whose spiritual practices have faced persecution from Chinese authorities.
A dozen Chinese cities are at the summit, including Chonquing, Seattle's sister city.
Mark Taylor-Canfield, a protest organizer, mocked city officials' portrayal of the conference as a cultural exchange.
"If this is a cultural exchange, where is the dancing? Where is the music? Where is the art?" he said.
"This is all about corporations, and to say it has nothing to do with international trade is false."
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