May Day in Seattle: Damage in the 'thousands and thousands'

[sgreger1]

Agreed. I fully support the right of peaceful protests, but what happened today was plain ugly. Today was supposed to be a day of worker solidarity; not smashing windows and wreaking havoc in my city.

Yah May Day is supposed to be about Labor and workers rights, not about getting wild and trashing the place or going out assaulting innocent bystanders, taking baseball bats to the windows of people as they drive by etc.

This is the reason why OWS isn't really seen as a powerfull movement even though I think it's ideals resonate with most people if you polled them on the specific issues. The tea party NEVER had this kind of shit and people flipped out just because they would lawfully bring unloaded guns etc. Could you imagine if the tea party was out throwing explosives and taking bats to people's windshields? Oh my God we would never hear the end of it.

I think the main difference is that the tea party was mainly older folks, so it makes sense that this movement (being comprised primarily of the youth) would act this way. I imagine if the Tea Party were all college students than you would see similar behavior. It's just guys in their 20's being stupid, and hopefully not indicative of the movement as a whole. I'm sure most of the people who came there today were just looking to be peaceful I would imagine.

[Crow]

Come on now, that's a little out of control if you ask me. not exactly rallying for the 99% if you ask me.

Agreed. I fully support the right of peaceful protests, but what happened today was plain ugly. Today was supposed to be a day of worker solidarity; not smashing windows and wreaking havoc in my city.

[sgreger1]

Yeah and wheres all the Violence ? i didnt see one issue of someone getting hurt ?

and if "all hell breaking loose" is a few broken windows and misc vandalism they realy gunna get a shock with the real thing ?

Umm...

"Protesters using sticks and bats smashed stores and automobile windows during May Day demonstrations that turned violent in Seattle, and police recovered homemade incendiary devices made from toilet paper rolls and fruit juice boxes."

"Police seized the crude incendiary devices after some protesters hurled smoke bombs and other items."

"Dozens of protesters used long sticks, which looked like flagpoles, as weapons"

"the most violent protesters — those who had caused damage with rocks, hammers and tire irons — tried to hide in the larger crowd early Tuesday afternoon by shedding their all-black clothes.At the federal appeals court building, an FBI evidence team arrived after protesters shattered glass doors with rocks and threw or shot a smoke bomb toward the lobby. The device hit the only door that didn't break, spun off into some nearby bushes and started a small blaze that quickly burned itself out.

The entrance to the Niketown store was completely smashed in, with chunks of broken glass littering the sidewalk. Vandals splattered paint across the store and a neighboring business."

"He started hitting the window with his baseball bat...I was here when WTO happened, this is really scary," Mayfield said.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/articl...#ixzz1tgB2W1I5

Come on now, that's a little out of control if you ask me. not exactly rallying for the 99% if you ask me.

[Crow]

It looks like things have calmed down. Thankfully, no one was injured and the damage was kept under control.

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UPDATE: 6:55 p.m. | Seattle police say they have made two more arrests, making a total of eight for the day so far. This evening, officers arrested a 20-year-old man for investigation of vandalism and a 30-year-old man for investigation of pedestrian interference, according to a Police Department spokesman.

At Westlake Park this evening, the spot where hundreds of protesters had gathered just hours earlier, there was little to report said Seattle police Capt. Joe Kessler, who heads the department’s West Precinct. Kessler said things are peaceful at the moment.

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UPDATE: 7:18 p.m. | The manager of an American Apparel store downtown recalled his staff being shaken up after anarchists smashed store windows. Asked about the motivation of the protesters, the manager said “I don’t know what to say. It sucks.” Read more of the manager’s account from Seattle Times reporter Erik Lacitis.

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UPDATE: 7:36 p.m. | Because of the protests, a small sandwich shop on Third Avenue had to throw away 160 sandwiches after a corporate customer canceled an event because of the traffic disruptions.

“They’re hurting the little guy,” said the shop’s manager.

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UPDATE: 7:53 p.m. | Winding down? Only about 50 or so Occupy Seattle protesters remain at Westlake Park, according to Seattle Times reporter Emily Heffter.

[Premium Parrots]

its May already?

[sirloot]

How do anarchists ORGANIZE a protest..............isn't that like the Vegans throwing a BBQ

Yeah and wheres all the Violence ? i didnt see one issue of someone getting hurt ?

and if "all hell breaking loose" is a few broken windows and misc vandalism they realy gunna get a shock with the real thing ?

[Snusdog]

How do anarchists ORGANIZE a protest..............isn't that like the Vegans throwing a BBQ

[sgreger1]

Really?? I've been downtown all day and haven't heard shit. I was also planning to go to the Wells Fargo main branch to cash my paycheck but I guess that's not happening. This better not fsck up my bus schedule getting home, goddamn freeloaders.

Tell me about it. OWS was planning to shut down the bay bridge (the one everyone in the bay are must take to get anywhere), but the labor unions who are also on strike today urged them not to and luckily OWS decided it was a bad idea and called it off. The ferries for anyone trying to get to SF are closed today though as part of a strike however.

The thing is that disrupting the 99% from getting to work on time or going out and smashing statues and tagging on luxury cars isn't going to accomplish anything other than making public opinion of your group become negative.

They wanted everyone in the bay area to not show up to work today. I work in a pretty republican office, do you know what would happen to me if I didn't show up today because I was at an OWS protest? I would be fired.

[sgreger1]

Wow, spraypainting anarchy symbols on porsches, smashing property, breaking windows? I don't understand why people think this will accomplish anything but marginalising this group.

[lxskllr]

A friend mentioned this Seattle stuff earlier to me..I had no idea that all of this was going on..she asked me a question that I was unable to answer...I guess in different parts of the country, May Day is a day of 'paying it forward' with neighbors and strangers. For example, some may mow their neighbor's yard or give out baked goods, etc...anyone else heard of this type of May Day celebration??

See this...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...Workers%27_Day

[Roo]

Really?? I've been downtown all day and haven't heard shit. I was also planning to go to the Wells Fargo main branch to cash my paycheck but I guess that's not happening. This better not fsck up my bus schedule getting home, goddamn freeloaders.

[desirexe]

A friend mentioned this Seattle stuff earlier to me..I had no idea that all of this was going on..she asked me a question that I was unable to answer...I guess in different parts of the country, May Day is a day of 'paying it forward' with neighbors and strangers. For example, some may mow their neighbor's yard or give out baked goods, etc...anyone else heard of this type of May Day celebration??

[Crow]

May Day in Seattle: “All hell broke loose” at U.S. Court of Appeals; police expect more violence



(Source: The Seattle Times)

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10:45 a.m. | Concerned that anarchists and possible violence may disrupt of May Day protests converging on downtown Seattle today, the Young Composer Workshop concert at Benaroya Hall has been canceled.

Traffic congestion also was an issue, according to the letter sent to participants of the event Monday.

According to the letter from Thomasina Adams, school programs manager with the Seattle Symphony:

All evening our Executive Director and senior managers have been discussing whether or not we should continue with the scheduled concert. In the end our executive team felt that the safety and well being of the students and families should be the number priority and so they made the decision to postpone the Young Composers Workshop concert.

Authorities say the protests and marches are likely to cause traffic disruptions and warn that there’s a possibility peaceful demonstrations will be disrupted by people wanting to incite mayhem.

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UPDATE: 12:20 p.m. | A group of about 50 demonstrators, several carrying small red and black flags, just before noon from Seattle Central Community College on their way to Westlake Park, to meet what they expect to be a larger crowd of May Day protesters.

An advertised “bike swarm” hardly materialized, as only 10 cyclists participated here.

The walkers passed through the college’s main building twice, then headed north on Broadway, in the northbound road lane.

Liam Wright, a student leader of the march, led a chant: “When the people of the world are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Earlier, he called the event an “anti-capitalist” march.

While this and larger rallies throughout the world are meant to raise awareness of plutocracy, demonstrators have their own diverse causes.

Lisa Marcus, carrying a bucket of tulips and lilacs on her bicycle, handed out leaflets opposing oil extraction from the Alberta tar sands. A woman named Alex, in the bike escort group, said she simply enjoys being on a ride with other people — and opposes a new juvenile detention center on 12th Avenue.

Before the march, Wright said basic classes at the college are too crowded, and he perceives a shift toward making it merely of a “trade school” for job training. He said the college has a tradition of including progressive, even radical activism.

Michael Pham, vice president for administrative services, said the rally didn’t disrupt any classes. The marchers were a mix of students and others.

At the last big Occupy rally in Seattle, some people in a breakaway group threw wood and metal at police, as officers and horses advanced toward a small crowd on Harbor Island. Traffic disruptions are expected this afternoon downtown, and Mayor Mike McGinn has warned of potential violence.

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UPDATE: 12:40 p.m. | Protesters are starting to do damage. They stopped briefly at the U.S. Court of Appeals, broke a window and set a small fire in front of the door. They also shot paintballs at the building. A large swarm of people dressed in black and carrying polls with flags on them were moving through the streets.

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UPDATE: 1: p.m. | Protesters have broken windows in several places downtown and police were using tear gas and force to stop them. Police had chased the group dressed in black — the ones who vandalized the federal courthouse — down Sixth Avenue, then on Olive, then back up Fifth.

Meanwhile, many protesters returned to Westlake Park and are giving speeches and rallying.

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UPDATE: 1:10 p.m. | Those bent on doing damage, who call themselves Black Blockers, broke out the front windows of Niketown and several windows of American Apparel next door. Graffiti was put on Fidelity Investments at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pike Street. Police have blocked Pine Street and were moving along Sixth toward Westlake Park.

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UPDATE: 1:20 p.m. | The group dressed in black appears to have dispersed for the most part by now, some folks saying they have mingled with the now 500 or so protesters gathered at Westlake Park. People there are listening to a rap concert.

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UPDATE: 1:45 p.m. | Cops say damage to stores and vehicles downtown amounts to “thousands and thousands ” of dollars as vandals struck store windows, cars, just about everything in their path. Officers followed them to Westlake Park where many of the vandals were reportedly changing out of the black clothes they wore while smashing windows.

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UPDATE: 1:50 p.m. | More about damage: At the Washington Athletic Club building at 6th and Union, protesters smashed a large plate-glass window that was part of the HSBC branch.

Across the street at the 2 Union Square building, in vacant office space, there was a 6-inch hole in a window. A security guard pointed to a rock inside that had been thrown through it.

Half a block away, the owner of a silver Porche Cayenne would be greeted with a spray-painted green anarchy symbol on the hood when they returned.

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UPDATE: 2:05 p.m. | Seattle Times photographers on the scene have sent many photos from the streets.

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UPDATE: 2:08 p.m. | Seattle police say they have made arrests, but they aren’t giving up any numbers yet.

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UPDATE: 2:30 p.m. | Details on the damage to the U.S. Court of Appeals: A group of protesters marched up Madison Avenue and as they turned onto the Sixth Avenue side, “all hell broke loose,” said David Madden, public information officer for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Glass doors at the entrance were shattered and lower-level windows broken. Multi-colored stains were left on the ceramic tiles on the exterior of the building.

Someone tried to ignite an incendiary device, but it apparently it didn’t go off, Madden said.

The courthouse is used by Court of Appeals judges and at least one judge, Richard Tallman, was in the building at the time, Madden said. The FBI and other agencies also have offices in the building, he said.

Guards locked the doors and no one got inside, Madden said. No one was injured.

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UPDATE: 2:35 p.m. | Police say they expect more violence.

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UPDATE: 2:44 p.m. | Mayor McGinn says two arrests confirmed. May be others.

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UPDATE: 2:53 p.m. | Mayor McGinn has authorized the seizure of potential weapons. After vandals used handheld flag poles to break window, the mayor says he will sign an emergency order authorizing police to confiscate items that can be used as weapons. He also said police have been using tactics developed in response to the 1999 WTO riots.

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UPDATE: 3:05 p.m. | All five downtown Wells Fargo Bank branches, including one at Fourth Avenue and Seneca Street where windows were broken, have been closed for the rest of the day, said Lara Underhill, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman.

“We didn’t know what to expect and wanted to ensure the safety of our team members and customers,” Underhill said. The main downtown branch at Third Avenue and Marion Street typically closes at 5 p.m., and the other four branches normally close at 6 p.m.

Protesters shattered a door window at Nordstrom’s corporate offices on Sixth Avenue, said spokeswoman Tara Darrow. She disputed some posts on Twitter that said Nordstrom’s flagship store had gone on lockdown, though it did temporarily close one entrance at a time based on the protesters’ movements.

“As the group moved by, we would lock the door and just encourage customers to use another exit or entrance. We’d then reopen it when we confirmed that everything was safe,” Darrow said. “From what I understand, it was not a scary situation. It was more about being proactive in making sure our customers and employees felt safe.”

No injuries were reported at Nordstrom’s headquarters or either of its downtown stores, including the Nordstrom Rack at Westlake Center, she said.

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UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. | Citing student safety, Seattle Schools officials say their buses will be running up to 90 minutes late due to the May Day protest.

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UPDATE: 5:05 p.m. | Police and some protesters skirmished near Pike Place Market this afternoon after a man was arrested for struggling when officers confiscated a pole he was carrying.

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UPDATE: 5:52 p.m. | The annual May Day immigration rights march is underway from Judkins Park to downtown Seattle. Even before the march started, organizers had to resolve the matter of the lead vehicle – a horse-drawn wagon in Wells Fargo red and yellow colors, on a flat bed drawn by a pick up truck. Police told organizers they were worried about marchers being hit or run over bt the truck. But Wells Fargo’s main downtown branch is the terminus for this march and organizers worked out a compromise where participants will march behind the truck only.

This years march — which took up less than one city block — appears to have attracted far fewer people than in years past. There also appears to be fewer immigrants, as folks from other movements — labor, Occupy, and a host of social justice organizations also joined in. The protesters are calling on Wells Fargo to withdraw investments in private companies that run immigration detention centers. (Information from Seattle Times reporter Lornet Turnbull, who is following the march.)