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Black Lives Matter marches to Capitol Hill to protest police killings

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As the nation reacted to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s speech in Cleveland, a large protest marched through downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill Thursday to speak out against police violence toward the black community.

“I’m sick of white supremacy,” said one 19-year-old woman as the group of hundreds of marchers circled up for a session of statements at 12th and Pine in front of the East Precinct headquarters. “I’m mourning children I haven’t even conceived yet.”

“They see our skin as a weapon,” said another.

Thursday’s march had been organized for weeks by local Black Lives Matter activists following the killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling — two black men shot to death in two days by police — earlier this month. It started with a rally in Westlake and quickly was accompanied by a significant contingent of Seattle Police as the marchers took to the streets and intersections of downtown, blocking traffic and chanting. Law enforcement was staged at I-5 onramps during the protest but the streets around 12th and Pine were not blocked off by police near the precinct headquarters as they are for some protests and marches.

Protestors standing across the street from SPD’s East Precinct held a sign that read “No ‘good’ cops in a racist system.” CHS reported here on a Seattle proposal for a new bias-free policing law that would hold SPD officers to requirements laid out by a federal monitor as part of federal consent decree over excessive use of force practices against the department and make it easier for victims to report biased policing.

Thursday, the protesters arrived on Capitol Hill around 9 PM after hours of marching downtown. For around 30 minutes, marchers took turns at the bullhorn or called out what they had to say in the call and response style popularized during Occupy actions. Organizers urged people to come to the mic to tell their experiences, and speak out. The most enthusiastic applause of the night? When a young black child had a turn at the bullhorn and shouted, “Black lives matter!”

A block away, groups filled Cal Anderson on the hunt for Pokemon. Meanwhile on 12th Ave — because this is Capitol Hill 2016 — some of the cast of the Real World stood in the street away from the protest to watch and record video.

The 12th and Pine circle ended with a call for support for Block the Bunker, a campaign to stop construction of a new $160 million headquarters for Seattle’s North Precinct. Then the marchers headed back through the streets to downtown where the protest continued.

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kewlwip
7 years ago

Awesome!!!

Besian White
Besian White
7 years ago

The one banner is calling for ‘Justice for Mike Brown’? People of the earth: focus on is what you’re going to do prevent Mike Brown from happening again, not what you’re going to do to avenge his death or bring someone to justice for doing what you would have done in that situation.

DAMIAN G MILLER
DAMIAN G MILLER
7 years ago
Reply to  Besian White

But why shouldn’t cops be held accountable for their deadly mistakes and deliberate crimes the same as the rest of us citizens?

That’s justice.

bff
bff
7 years ago
Reply to  Besian White

I agree with Damian’s comment: cops need to be held accountable same as the rest of us.

One small, but concrete step in that direction is Initiative 873. It’s an initiative to the legislature (meaning it won’t go on the ballot unless the legislature fails to act) that makes it easier for prosecutors to prosecute police who use unwarranted deadly force. Right now, WA has the most regressive law in the nation on this front (according to Amnesty Int’l), making it next to impossible to deliver justice in cases like these.

Dan Satterberg, the KC Prosecutor, and Ed Murray both support this initiative. I hope you do too. Please sign on when you see someone asking for signatures. Thanks.

Privelege
Privelege
7 years ago
Reply to  Besian White

It’s a good thing you’re here to explain protesting to people who, clearly, are more interested in opinions on their signs and banners, not so much on the messages contained therein.

Del
Del
7 years ago
Reply to  Besian White

Bff- Thank you for that info. Is there a timeline you can share about this initiative? Like what will happen when?

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

All lives matter LUL.

RWK
RWK
7 years ago

This group paints with a very broad brush. There are indeed plenty of “good cops”….in fact, they are the majority. That’s not to say that bad cops shouldn’t be held accountable when they step over the line, and I fully support both the anti-bias policing proposal and Initiative 873.