| Washington A16, 2000 | |
|---|---|
| Part of theanti-globalization movement | |
| Date | April 15–16, 2000 |
| Location | |
| Casualties | |
| Arrested | More than 678 |
Washington A16, 2000 was a series of protests inWashington, D.C. against theInternational Monetary Fund and theWorld Bank, that occurred in April 2000.[1][2] The annual IMF and World Bank meetings were the scene for follow-on protests of the1999 WTO protests. In April 2000, between 10,000 and 15,000[3] protesters demonstrated at the IMF, and World Bank meeting (official numbers are not tallied).[4][5]
TheInternational Forum on Globalization heldnon-violentcivil disobedience training atFoundry United Methodist Church.[6] TheConvergence Center at 1328 Florida Avenue was an activists’ meeting hall where the nonviolence training and prop making occurred (such as signs and puppets).[7] The protests were planned for April 16 and 17, concurrent dates as the planned meetings between the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.[8] Many of the protesters wanted to see accountability put in place for the globalization process.[9]
TheUnited Steelworkers of America presidentGeorge Becker was a participant at the protest, alongside environmental activistsJulia Butterfly Hill andMike Roselle.[10]
On April 15 theWashington D.C. Police preemptively raided (without a search warrant) the Convergence Center, citing fire safety. This police action was cited as an 'unconstitutional raid' during the subsequent class action lawsuit.[7]
The day before the larger protest scheduled on April 16, a smaller group of protesters demonstrated against the Prison-Industrial Complex in the District of Columbia.[7] Mass arrests were conducted; 678 people were arrested,[11] including bystanders, journalists and tourists when the police did a sweep of the block.[7] Majority of the arrests on April 15 occurred at 20th Street NW between I and K streets.[12] Three-timePulitzer Prize winning,Washington Post photographerCarol Guzy was detained by police and arrested on April 15, and two journalists for theAssociated Press also reported being struck by police with batons.[13]
These arrests on April 15 were accused of being false and later spurred a class action lawsuit called 'Becker, et al. v. District of Columbia, et al..'.[7]
On April 16 and 17 the demonstrations and street actions around the IMF that followed, the number of those arrested grew to 1,300 people.[11] Between April 15 and April 16th, more than 600 people had been arrested.[9]
In June 2010, theclass-action lawsuit for the April 15th events calledBecker, et al. v. District of Columbia, et al were settled, with $13.7 million damages awarded.[14][15]
Other, similar lawsuits have stemmed from mass arrests in the District of Columbia in recent years.[15] In 2009, the city agreed to pay $8.25 million to almost 400 protesters and bystanders to end a class-action lawsuit over mass arrests inPershing Park during 2002 World Bank protests, according to thePartnership for Civil Justice Fund, which also represented those plaintiffs.[15]