A protest march in response to police action during a Price weekend queer street “dance party” took to the streets Friday evening.
Hudson Williams-Eynon was released from jail Monday when a King County Court judge found no probable cause to continue holding him as possible assault charges are weighed. Protestors announced plans to get back on the streets Friday night to protest the police actions on Pride weekend.
The CHS Funtern Kelton Sears is on the scene. His updates below:
UPDATE:
10:20 p.m—The rally has largely quieted and dispersed.
What began as a quiet vigil at Cal Anderson in memory of the recently slain lesbian couple in Texas turned into a pink and black dance party. The rally marched up and down the length of Broadway from Pike to Thomas, backing traffic up both ways. The group stopped briefly for a more elaborate dance party at 11th and Pine where police had set up a barricade.
Each time the group stopped and blocked an intersection, a man dressed as a clown wearing a police constable hat directed traffic with a whistle as SPD looked on.
A large envoy of bike mounted SPD officers followed at a distance during the march. As night fell, the envoy eventually grew to an eight-car caravan, including two large SPD vans. The march remained peaceful, with no physical conflict between protestors and police. Protestors made clear their displeasure with SPD, shouting, “How do you spell Homophobia? SPD!” and repeatedly calling for the dropping of charges against the six people arrested in the dance party conflict last weekend at Pride.
The group grew as the night wore on, ending with a dramatic exchange between protestors and “Midnight Jack” of the Rain City Superhero group, who stood next to police lining Blick. Midnight Jack of Mayday pepper spray infamy stood holding a shield bearing the visage of Phoenix Jones alongside two other masked figures, stoically receiving a barrage of verbal taunts from protestors. “You’re worse than the police,” the crowd shouted, citing the squad’s track record of pepper spray use.
The protested ended shortly after 10, with protestors returning from their circuit back to Seattle Central Community College. From what CHS could make out, the protest ended peacefully without any outstanding arrests directly linked to the march.
More coverage:
“We’re here, we’re queer, we’re unicorns we’ll fuck you up” marching to SCCC
Rally parading down Broadway
Large bike cop unit poised at Broadway and Pike
Police standing at barricaded 11th and Pine intersection
9:25 PM: As the march moved north on Broadway, police reopened traffic near the 12th and Pine East Precinct. CHS Funtern has a short video clip of the march here.
9:31 PM: A protestor dressed as a clown with a police constable hat has been directing traffic with a whistle (video here).
9:45 PM: Police envoy has grown to bike squad, 6 cars and two vans. Seem to be keeping distance, no conflict thus far. Police estimate about 100 protesters now.
9:54 PM: Protestors have set up soap box style testimonials at SCCC:
Also, Phoenix Jones was reportedly seen rushing to the scene to stop them.
10:01 PM: Video of protesters yelling at “Midnight Jack” of the Rain City Superhero Squad here.
10:04 PM: Sounds like things are winding down.
Loved it.
thank you queers for making the night fabulous and unforgettable.
ps: FTP
At 9:30 the protest crossed Olive/John heading south on Broadway followed by SPD on bicycles.
If they’re so worried about police brutality why don’t they become policemen/women? WAAAA. And I’m tired of the constant protests on Capitol Hill. Pick on another neighborhood once in a while.
In my youth in the UK the P of FTP stood for Pope and the F and T stood for what they presumably still do.
I presume that the P now stands for Police.
Fell free to e-mail your 2 page essay describing the evolution of the phrase and compare and contrast the two uses of the final P.
translation: “now that i live in the neighborhood you must change the entire cultural dynamic that has existed since before i was a sperm and egg. CHANGE IT ALL FOR MEEE!!”
i’m too smart to be a cop… literally, and figuratively. SPD has IQ limits in its hiring standards set at 100. any higher and your deemed too smart to be a cop. and i would never be foolish enough to become a cop and think i’m doing something for the community by being a cop… that’s a self absorbed viewpoint already.
I wonder if they gave you the wrong IQ score…
notatreehugger wrote: translation: “now that i live in the neighborhood you must change the entire cultural dynamic that has existed since before i was a sperm and egg. CHANGE IT ALL FOR MEEE!!”
Ironically you just described what happened when people moved from California to the greater Seattle area back in the 80’s. They liked it here so much they decided to get involved in how things were run to make it a little more like home.
File Transfer Protocol?
Well luckily, since this protest was so fabulously productive and successful, and has effected such monumental, groundbreaking change, there probably won’t need to be any more. Because parading around in the rain dressed in pink and black usually fixes pretty much everything.
To my younger brothers and sisters. The kids are alright.
Being a skeptical person, I doubt very much that the SPD does not accept anyone with an IQ above 100.
Please provide documentation of your claim.
Fight the POW-ahh.
Aww, hope you kids had fun…now can I get a croissant with my latte?
STFU. This is our neighborhood too. Expect us.
From Twitter:
OVER A HUNDRED BLACBLOC ANARIST ARE DOWNTOWN NOT GONNA LET THIS CRAP HAPPEN TO MY CITY AGAIN IM IN ROUTE
A) We ran him out.
B) We were in pink bloc, not black bloc.
C) Uh, not all of us are anarchists. Stop assigning people political ideologies that you have no understanding of.
D) What the fuck? His city? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
I think Mr. Fodor needs to be illuminated
What you like that with a rude comment in exchange or without?
Because personally I wouldn’t know. I’ve been fortunate and privileged enough in my life to never have to work in the ‘service industry’, but I absolutely respect and admire anyone who is capable of dealing with other peoples BS on a day-to-day basis.
You know, a blog that actually presents the news as it happens without any obvious bias? I am. A decent newspaper would also be nice, and I suggest calling that “the friend”. The good people at Real Change already do a bang-up job of presenting a street newspaper and web presence for many issues relating to the real people who live in this city (and I’ve lived on Capitol Hill since 1974) but I think the time is right for some new grassroots to grow. I’m easy to find online, and BTW, I would appreciate those of you who buy lattes and don’t ever tip or say a kind word to the person that hands you your coffee to stop throwing your coffee cups and other rubbish onto my street. I wonder how you’d like that if you saw that happening in YOUR neighborhood? No doubt you’d call the police. I just go out and pick it up. It’s part of living in the city. Oh, and sometimes I take pictures, too. HA ha ha…those of you that consider yourselves in the “privileged class” need to do a better job about picking up after your pedigreed dogs also.
Those who can do and they don’t bitch about it on a blog.
I wasn’t “bitching”, I was making a call to anyone and everyone interested in a collective partnership that actually serves the needs of the people living on Capitol Hill. But I know bitching when I see it, so quit bitching.
Agreed. It was an awesome couple of hours.
Agreed.
“RE: Idiots
I wonder if they gave you the wrong IQ score…
Comment by Duhm”
Were you responding to the initial comment? Because if you were that original comment mentioned nothing about IQ. That said, there are a handful of lesbian and gay SPD officers on the force. The problem (which you’ll never be able to comprehend…) is that the problems are institutional. That’s just one of many reasons US DoJ investigated SPD and found the institution itself to contain many serious flaws.
his city, lol.
Benjamin John Francis Fodor lives in Lynnwood and like the 93% of the SPD that do not live in Seattle, he represents the interests of Lynnwood and other suburbanites.
I live here. These are my streets. FTP.
Bitching about bitching isn’t any better.
Yes, everyone who wants to jump on the bitchy bandwagon should join up with you. They can call your newspaper the Capitol Hill Bitchy Times. It would represent the community with no bias. Just what we are missing.
I think that Justin’s “CHS Blog” is excellent in reporting a wide variety of issues and stories in our neighborhood. He has very high journalistic standards and bends over backwards to be objective and unbiased. If you can’t see this, then you are probably someone who want the blog to be biased in favor of lefty points of view.
Another Capitol Hill blog? Not needed.
Re: STFU. This is our neighborhood too. Expect us.
Comment by Ian Awesome
Ian, you don’t even live on the hill. Why don’t you go pick fights with police in the south precinct for once. Those of us who work would like to sleep. Good heavens.
We’re unicorns and we’ll fuck you up? Great. Threatening violence and making flags with unicorns on it. Real bright.
Hmmm… interesting. Maybe protesting doesn’t actually do much almost ever??? Maybe it’s time for something else??? Or would you prefer things to stay the same?
“Re i’m too smart to be a cop… literally, and figuratively. SPD has IQ limits in its hiring standards set at 100.”
Actually, there is no IQ test to enter SPD.
That’s what they said, again? Why so violent? Why is no one protesting peacefully? Why is no one showing EMPATHY?
Seriously this. Their chant was fucking stupid, and they knew it. Most of them couldn’t say it with a straight face. They were “protesting” just to make a scene and be part of something on Capitol Hill.
if this is bias… I’d hate to see what an actually hostile report on this event looked like.
dd:
What? come on, are you suggesting notatreehugger is lying?
do you think someone would do that?
just go on the internet and tell lies?
Geoff, I hope your comment is satirical. Of course people lie on internet comments all the time, in a dishonest attempt to make a point. But I would prefer to say that “notatreehugger” is just “misinformed.”