Starbucks stores vandalized as Seattle braces for WTO anniversary protests

A number of Starbucks coffee shops around Seattle were damaged by vandals

In this story: Authorities try to prevent repeat of last year Some groups to skip Thursday's protest RELATED STORIES, SITES

SEATTLE, Washington -- Even before demonstrations set for Thursday could get under way, vandals attacked nine Starbucks Coffee Co. stores in actions reminiscent of last year's violent World Trade Organization protests.

The vandals struck late Tuesday or early Wednesday and caused minor damage by breaking windows, putting glue in locks and spray-painting walls with an encircled "A," a graffiti tag used by anarchists during protests against a WTO meeting held in the city.

"No one has claimed or disclaimed credit," said Dave Olsen, senior vice president for corporate social responsibility at the Seattle-based coffee sellers.

Starbucks has beefed up security at its 90 Seattle area stores, but Olsen declined to outline specifics. None of the damaged shops were in downtown Seattle, and all area Starbucks outlets were open for business Wednesday, Olsen said.

Olsen told Reuters that the vandalism "by no means impedes our commitment to continue to try to make our business count for something relative to people's lives and the environment where our coffee is grown."

Authorities try to prevent repeat of last year

Activists plan to mark the first anniversary of the meeting on Thursday with additional protests, although there are no WTO meetings in the city this year.

Authorities have been anxious to avoid a repeat of last year, when 50,000 protesters crammed into downtown and shut down some sessions of the WTO meeting. Police have asked demonstrators not to protest on the anniversary of the 1999 talks because they may disrupt shoppers.

Mayor Paul Schell urged television news stations to broadcast as little of last year's events as possible. "We believe the constant repetition of those images simply builds up any tension that might arise this year," said Schell spokesman Dick Lilly.

Some who plan to protest on Thursday disapproved of this week's Starbucks attacks. Jean Buskin, a 52-year-old Seattle biochemist who is coordinating anniversary protests, said the vandalism was a shame because Starbucks has been receptive to activists' arguments. She said she expected no violence during demonstrations Thursday.

An unidentified Starbucks customer in Seattle reads next to a window damaged by vandals

Starbucks has undertaken programs to buy "shade-grown" coffee from Mexican farms that preserve local forests and reduce pesticide use and has worked with labor rights groups that ensure farmers earn living wages.

Some groups to skip Thursday's protest

During last year's demonstrations, overwhelmed Seattle police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters and closed off much of downtown. The riots resulted in 600 arrests, $3 million in property damage, numerous civil-rights lawsuits and the police chief's sudden early retirement. Several Starbucks stores downtown suffered heavy damage.

The WTO, a trade alliance of about 140 countries, has become a target for a wide range of activists who believe it represents corporate globalization and short shrift for the environment and workers.

Some environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, the Seattle Audubon Society and the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, said they don't plan to protest this year.

Helen Ross, conservation coordinator for Seattle Audubon, said her group is focusing instead on working with individual companies to persuade them to offer environmentally friendly goods.

"WTO is certainly still a threat to conservation efforts," Ross said. "But our focus has shifted because a lot of their discussions have stalled."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Starbucks
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Seattle Police Department

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