The Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in Seattle from November 30 to December 3, 1999. Trade ministers and other officials from the WTO's 135 member nations met in an unsuccessful attempt to plan negotiations to further deregulate free trade. Tens of thousands of activists for many causes gathered to protest what they saw as the WTO's favoring of corporate interests over social and environmental concerns.

Protesters blocked 13 key intersections near the Convention Center. Police weren't prepared for protesters chaining themselves together in circles with their arms inside PVC pipe, as can be seen here. This made it impossible to arrest individuals. Another protester in this image has climbed up a rope ladder to stand on a tall tripod supported by 3 people on the ground, another tactic to prevent police from removing individuals and clearing the intersection.