NewsLab

A 2007 film based on the World Trade Organization protest of 1999, titled "Battle in Seattle," was present by the Center for Just Living at The College of St. Scholastica’s on Thursday, Dec. 4 in the Burns Wellness Commons.

The Center for Just Living sponsored the film presentation as part of its efforts to spread the word about the World Trade Organization. These efforts included a panel discussion about the WTO with CSS professors on Wednesday, Dec. 3, which had to be cancelled. The cancellation made the movie presentation even more important to get the word out, according to committee members.

"The bottom line is, we need to create education," said Dylan Kesti, a member of the Center for Just Living. "People need to know about the WTO."

Kesti explained that the WTO consistently says that they are doing what is good for the public, and for humanity, when in reality, they are after more money. He said that the movie presented was a great way to express not only what the WTO is really doing, but that there are people willing to stand up for what is right.

Mollyann Dekich, a sophomore at St. Scholastica, attended the presentation, having no knowledge of the protest prior to the movie showing.

"After watching the movie, I now have very strong feelings," Dekich said. "It is so sad to see how money hungry the world has gotten."

Along with the movie, the committee handed out postcards to send straight to President Obama to ask him to make the WTO better.

"We know the world is in a devastating state," Kesti said. "All we are asking is that some improvement be made to help the good of the people."

With the presentation of "Battle in Seattle" and other events on campus related to the WTO, Kesti hopes that it opens eyes, and makes people aware of what is actually happening. "We’re not looking to make crazy activists out of everyone, but people need to know the world that ‘we’ have essentially created." Kesti said.