With recent tensions between anti-police marchers and SPD, Tuesday’s annual International Day Against Police Brutality protest planned for Westlake Center bears watching. Pugetsoundanarchists.org is gearing up for the nighttime rally:
March 15 has been a day of international action against police brutality around the globe since 1997. The specific date is significant because in Switzerland, on March 15, two children, ages 11 and 12, were beaten by police. M15 originated from the Black Flag group in Switzerland and from the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality in Montreal. People in countries across the world come out to the streets in March to express their rage against the police. In Montreal specifically, there has been fierce annual riots erupting from the depths of the dispossessed. This March 15, Seattle will be joining the rest of the world in the streets and the timing couldn’t be more appropriate.
Last week, we reported that SPD was prepared for more violence after a month of weekend incidents of vandalism and rioting in downtown and on Capitol Hill. Last weekend’s activities stayed mostly off Hill.
“It’s fair to say, we’re very well aware of the problem,” SPD spokesperson Sean Whitcomb told CHS last week. “We will relentlessly pursue anybody who breaks the law.”
The previous weekend, a group of around 30 anarchists marched on Broadway, attempting to break windows, throw flares at SPD cruisers and vandalize walls and windows in a 10-minute melee. Three people were arrested and booked for rioting after the late-night disturbance. The City Attorney had not decided whether to press charges against the three last week. We’ll check in to see if that status has changed.
It doesn’t appear the Puget Sound anarchist group participated in the March 15th protests in 2010 but they were active for an annual protest in October and drew a sizable contingent last April for a rally and march on Capitol Hill in which five people were arrested.
UPDATE: There’s also a rally planned for Westlake tonight that you might want to be part of.
Seattle is a Union town: Rally in Solidarity with Wisconsin
Stand in solidarity with unions and working people of Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Republicans just forced through a vote to end the right to collective bargaining for public sector workers.
People around the country will be holding solidarity rallies in support of the protests in Madison, WI. Let’s turn out and show our support here in Seattle.
Let’s show the country that Seattle is a union town.
Bring your signs, voices, and anger, and show we support workers rights.
Sponsored by Social Equality Educators (SEE, a progressive caucus of the Seattle Education Association), Jesse Hagopian (teacher at Garfield H.S.),
Endorsed by: SEATTLE BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL, Congressman Jim McDermott (WA-7),
There will be a peaceful rally tonight in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin. The Republican Senate just voted yesterday to take away collective bargaining rights from public sector workers. Their fight is our fight. Check out the Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=197642840259886&index=!/event.php?eid=197642840259886&index=1
Our comments chunked your link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=197642840259886&index=!/event.php?eid=197642840259886&index=1
And good point — I’ll add this up top too
Is there anyway to add this to the front page? Your help is appreciated.
This makes it obvious that these guys aren’t planning to protest. Protestors want to be seen. These people want to cause property damage. I say neighbors form an actual protest against these folks looking for an excuse to cause problems in our neighborhood.
If you are going to continue to write about pugetsoundanarchists.org, even when there’s nothing newsworthy to report, can we clear something up?
THERE IS NO “PUGET SOUND ANARCHISTS” GROUP!
http://www.pugetsoundanarchists.org is a news site for anarchists in the puget sound. There is no organized group around it. There is no physical manifestation of it. It’s a website. Many different groups and individuals use it to read news or to post news. Most of them are anarchists.
Continuing to allege that the “group” has participated in any demonstrations is something like saying that, if CHS reported that an event was happening, and some folks from Capitol Hill read about it online and showed up, that the “Capitol Hill Seattle Group” organized and attended the event. Which is just silly.
Furthermore, the pugetsoundanarchists.org site didn’t even exist last April, and I don’t think in October, either. So, beyond the absurdity of a blog organizing a protest, we now have the issue of a non-existent blog turning up for a protest….
how do i join the puget sound anarchist group
I assume…and hope..that the SPD will be out in force for this “protest” (aka excuse for lawbreaking) and that any criminal behavior will result in arrest/prosecution. It’s about time these angry miscreants were held accountable.
“how do i join the puget sound anarchist group”
Apparently you avoid affecting the cops, don’t organize the community, and sit around trashing the place while striking fear into the heart of citizens. Success!
“It’s about time these angry miscreants were held accountable.”
Yeah, I sympathize with the supposed causes they’re centered around, but they do a shit job at solving anything but their raging boners (and ladyboners.)
Which part do I get to be solidarity with? The part where I get to pay for public employee health care that’s much better than mine? Or the part where I get to pay for their mandatory annual raises, which I don’t get? Or the part where I get to pay for some 50 year old teacher’s pension that’s probably going to last for thirty five years, when I’ll be working until well into my 60’s and have to fund my own retirement? Oh, so much to be in solidarity with! As one of those non-privelidged non-government workers, I’m just so excited to pay for all of it!
Correction – Seattle is a PRIVATE union town. PUBLIC unions are a relatively recent creation and should be illegal.
Are they stupid?