OK, so here is my WTO story. I was working for [REDACTED] at the time and they put us up in a sketchy place not far from where we were working. It was not far from the Space Needle, on Denny street? way? Anyway, there was a very very sketchy dive bar across the alley from the hotel. Kids in mowhawks, tats in places that should have probably not had tattoos, Everything pierced, Jukebox full of Punk (real punk on vinyl) and cheap drinks. The food there was not bad, and they were open late at night, well they were always open and I was working second shift.

So it is me, pasty straight-laced white guy, a 60's burnout ex hippie, and three people who lived their whole lives in a gated community who had never in a million years known that a place like this existed outside of a movie. I knew the bands they played (Bad Religion and Dead Kennedey's were about the most mainstream they played, and they cranked up Cyprus Hill every time a Cop showed up, which was often.) I'm certain at this point that the bar was a front for drugs. One of the groups of regulars were planning WTO protests and I overheard them talk about marches and disobedience actions but did not think anything else about it. Meanwhile I talk to the bartender and cook, share some laughs, ask them what to do and see in town that is not normal tourist crap etc.

Then, shit goes down. And my dumb ass is spending his time in a fucking anarchist bar.

So we get off work at about 3AM the day of, walk down the street and the whole city is just fucking dead. No people at all, but sirens everywhere and red and blue lights in every direction. We walk up to the bar and there are all the cops there. All of them. Bartender and cook are screaming "DOWN WITH PIGS!" and "FIGHT THE POWER" and shit, so I assume that they got caught with drugs. I walk past the bar to get a look and for one of the few times in my life, guns are pointed at me. Now, I'm in khakis and a collared polo with about a dozen security badges dangling about my neck. This is also pre-smartphone, pre-internet, and I have no fucking clue what is going on. Hands up, people yelling, and one of the three walks up to the cop and in his "rich northern preppie" accent says to the cops "hey sorry for interrupting, but here are our badges, we were just coming in for dinner, sorry ol' chaps."

I'm expecting to get the shit beat out of me, having flashbacks to my youth, while the hippie is shaking, and the other three have an air of 'Oh thank god the cops are here' about them. After about 20 minutes of them explaining what is going on we get to the hotel, and I freak the fuck out for about an hour before going to sleep.

We got locked in place for a few days and then [REDACTED] told up to collect our gear and bail. Good times, man.