Law enforcement has a big mission during the Free Trade Area of the Americas Ministerial Conference in Miami this week. Local, state and federal authorities must ensure:
• The security of the dignitaries coming from 34 countries.
• The free-speech rights of thousands of local residents and visitors who wish to voice alternate visions of free trade.
• The safety of people who work in downtown Miami as well as the property of businesses there.
Those are tall orders, but that is the responsibility that local authorities took on when they lobbied to bring this high-profile event here. Some 40 law-enforcement agencies -- from the Miami Police Department to the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI -- have met and trained for months to meet the challenge.
Peaceful demonstrations
While the ministers meet at the Inter-Continental Hotel, police expect as many as 20,000 people to march and protest outside the conference security perimeter. Other business and civil-society groups will be discussing the same issues inside the perimeter, and both will have a chance to talk to the trade ministers directly. Though big-business groups traditionally have enjoyed such access, it is noteworthy that the U.S. trade representative supported including the civil-society groups -- from the University of Miami's North-South Center to Transparency International and the Carnegie Endowment -- in the process.
The vast majority of people involved clearly intend to debate and demonstrate peacefully. That bodes well for free speech in Miami and for better-informed trade policy. There is one catch, though. A small group of agitators, some of them self-described anarchists, comes to events such as these to wreak havoc. These folks do nothing for their cause -- whatever that might be -- besides to destroy property and hurt others. Worse, they tend to drown out legitimate voices that contribute to the real substance of the trade debate.
It is in the interest of organized labor and other respected groups participating in events surrounding the FTAA meeting to insist on peaceful means of expression, to press any violence-prone group to behave and to inform police of any potential for trouble. We hope, too, that police will stop the troublemakers without muffling legitimate free speech and effectively protect downtown businesses from property losses.
Many stores will close
During the World Trade Organization's 1999 meeting in downtown Seattle, protesters caused about $2 million in property damage, and their actions cost at least five times as much in sales losses. Many downtown Miami businesses plan to close offices and stores. Those firms that haven't already done so should check with their insurers to see what coverage they have for property damage and business interruption. The catch: If a firm shuts down and no violence erupts, most business-interruption insurance will not pay settlement. All the more reason for local authorities to keep in mind the risks and sacrifices inherent for businesses during such events.
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