With most pandemic era restrictions lifted and turnout buoyed by recent labor victories in the city, hundreds marched from the Central District Sunday to mark May Day 2022 in Seattle.
The annual event organized by civil rights group El Comite grew closer to past proportions after COVID-19 concerns reduced attendance at the 2021 rally and march for workers rights.
2021 also saw arrests during May Day protests away from the workers march including on Capitol Hill where a “black bloc” group marched on Broadway and became embroiled with law enforcement after a large contingent of police responded and moved on the crowd outside the E Olive Way Starbucks following reports of property damage.
While 2022’s march was larger, the protests and clashes with police that have brewed on May 1st in Seattle’s past did not materialize. There were reports of minor squabbles and assaults along the route involving small groups mixed with protesters, media, and bystanders attracted by the crowds but Seattle Police tells CHS there were “zero arrests” related to its First Amendment safety and traffic work at the rally and along the march route to downtown.
A large showing of police and Seattle Fire medics called to Capitol Hill later in the day outside the boarded-up Starbucks Roastery was unrelated to any protests and involved a television news cameraperson who reportedly collapsed and was taken to the hospital after working in the area.
For those who celebrate https://t.co/q7EfatBs8b
— jseattle (@jseattle) May 1, 2022
Sunday, Starbucks once again covered the windows of its $30 million plus roastery with plywood, one of the few structures on Capitol Hill to get the treatment this year.
The roastery was the focus of another labor march last weekend after it became the second Starbucks shop in the company’s home city — and second on Capitol Hill — to unionize. Organizers of the labor effort targeting Starbucks here and across the country including District 3 Councilmember Kshama Sawant said they plan to expand the fight for a dual push for unionization at both Starbucks and Amazon at a rally and march starting at Cal Anderson last weekend. The groups have said they plan to organize a National Day of Action for Starbucks and Amazon workers later this year.
Workers march organizers at El Comite, meanwhile, continued their call for union support, but also support for all workers and immigrants as Seattle’s May Day march returned to closer to full strength with a few hundred marching from the Central District’s Judkins Park, a new start point away from the uncertain future surrounding the neighborhood’s St. Mary’s parish. Many participants carried signs and wore shirts displaying their union and community group affiliations. Some brought their families and friends along for the march. There were others promoting adjacent causes. And others, still, having their own say about their own May Day issues.
Workers and immigrants rights march moves across Rainer at Jackson pic.twitter.com/qQzj71ET6L
— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) May 1, 2022
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Thank you to the socialists and communists in our now defunct rioter group Every Night Demonstration for having a schism and disbanding, so that there are no more riots in Seattle.
Hopefully they’ll do the same down in Portland.
I see the antifa mothers showed up to support Marxism. We are all heart broken that the revolution failed. In other news, the rats are angry about the lack of scraps at Cal Anderson park.