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.

About 250 people protested dressed in homemade turtle costumes made of cardboard. The costumes were a response to the WTO's decision that banning the use of a particular style of shrimp net was a barrier to free trade. Some countries fished with nets that did not use a “turtle excluder device” and had been responsible for the deaths of a great number of sea turtles. The costumes became an iconic image of the protests. Here, a crowd of demonstrators wearing sea turtle costumes head to the protest. Many carry yellow sign reading "Don't Trade On Me."

This photo was taken by Ervin Schleufer, a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and retired member of the United Steelworkers of America Local 338. Schleufer was among the striking steelworkers locked out by the Kaiser Corporation in Spokane from 1998 to 2000. In 1999 he traveled the West Coast, with a group calling themselves “road warriors,” to connect with activists, get support for their strike, and raise interest in protesting the WTO conference in Seattle. Schleufer joined thousands of union members from across the country protesting at the WTO conference, and took photos documenting his participation in the street protests.

Caption information source: “WTO Chronicles: Nancy Pennington Talks About Turtles” by Cassandra Tate, HistoryLink.org Essay 2871