(Image: @local_maxima via Twitter)
Protesters targeted a Saturday night campaign kickoff and Sunday morning brunches around Capitol Hill in a series of actions inspired by the #blacklivesmatter movement.
Saturday, a small group drew a huge police response to 19th and Madison’s Mount Zion Baptist Church when the protest group attempted to disrupt the campaign launch party for King County Council member and noted Seattle black leader Larry Gossett. Gossett, whose district includes Capitol Hill and the Central District, joined the rest of the county council earlier this month in unanimously approving an ordinance to build a new youth detention center at 12th and Alder.
“If anybody were to go down there and look at [the existing] facility, I don’t know how they would rationalize that we need to continue to have youth in particular, their families, or staff in a facility that’s not really fit for the sheltering of anybody, much less human beings,” Gossett said about the $210 million project that protesters and critics say would be better spent on social programs.
Several cars arrived at the church after police were called when protesters entered the building but there were no arrests as the event continued inside. In 2011, Gossett ran unopposed. We’re not aware of any other candidate seeking the incumbent’s chair in 2015.
“@tevnpowers: Seattle PD officer observing #BlackBrunchSeattle pic.twitter.com/Gc0l9ukKWb”
— ☆€N3M¥0£$T@T€☆ (@An0nym0u5v3c7oR) February 23, 2015
Meanwhile, Sunday’s protests continued the #blackbrunchseattle effort to bring messages about inequality and police violence into one of the ultimate symbols of quiet comfort — Sunday morning brunch. Protesters entered restaurants and cafes across Capitol Hill with chants and songs. The actions continue to draw support and, of course, the predictable complaints from diners who didn’t expect to have their session of eggs benedict takes such a political bent. At Cafe Pettirosso, the protesters said management asked the group not to enter the 11th Ave diner:
This business owner told us she supports us but we’re being ineffective to our cause. We went in #blackbrunchseattle pic.twitter.com/85yEpgDDlO — Binary Killa (@NaQuelBby10o) February 22, 2015
Later via Twitter, the Cafe Pettirosso account said the business supports the cause: “I believe that #blacklivesmatter. I support the cause and next time let’s work together. I will make space for you.” Dave Meinert, owner of Lost Lake which was also targeted Sunday morning, said he also supported the protest, saying “People can use a little shaking up and need to keep this issue at the forefront.”
This is great RT”@LiberatedNegro: #BlackLivesMatter #Blackbrunchseattle #MikeBrown @deray pic.twitter.com/rhdg0ISRud”
— Blackie. (@_neemss) February 22, 2015
[…] Today, we went to the one that probably would have been my first choice, except that I know Carl wouldn’t be able to manage it – a black Baptist church a bit south of us. A friend wanted to go with us, and so we accompanied her and her family, having gone before, to show them the ropes, and this time around it was much longer than the last service we went to there because it was Diaconate Sunday, where they honored all the incoming deacons, and recognized all the outgoing and retiring deacons. It was kind of charming to see how much emphasis they placed on community there, and how much they honored the service of those who do so much work in a church body. The congregants were dressed up a lot more than they had been when I’d last went – which was not long after the horrific killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. I needed to go somewhere that would talk about that tragedy without glossing it over, and it was a good place to go. Interestingly, last night, the church was itself targeted during a #blacklivesmatter protest. […]
Ineffective.
Not only ineffective, but counterproductive when all they’re doing is pissing people off and driving them away from the cause……just like when anarchists do their violent thing.
Extremely INEFFECTIVE. More obnoxious and inconsiderate to the very community that they are trying to rally behind their cause. It’s like Occupy’s confused and annoying little cousin came out to say hi. At least they’re not junkies though, I guess…
Meh I don’t and wouldn’t go to those establishments anyway but not very brave of them to be doing this around of a bunch of like minded individuals. Why don’t you try this in Renton, Kent or Bothell? Oh that’s right they are racists and cowards themselves…
Lol is there really a video of them calling out names then saying “aww shite”
They should do that in Clyde Hill.
Or in from of the city and county leaders and local state repersenatives homes, but guilting and harassing hipsters easier.
Everyone needs to research intersectionality. Disrupting the people who support you is preaching to the choir. Let’s all work together and vote to put people in office who will work for the same goals as us: ALL lives mattering. That is where change will happen…not at the breakfast table.
http://chainsawsuit.com/comic/2014/12/08/all-things-considered/
So continue to insult and attack your allies? Interesting strategy their…
Trespass into my business and try that shit.
I wish someone would point out that this group has made repeated threats to electeds, their staff, and basically anyone with a differing viewpoint. These people are trash. Go to the 3:20:30 second of the video clip the link below and watch for yourself. It’s only a fraction of the stuff they pulled. They tried their best to disrupt this meeting on the vote to sign a contract to begin construction of the voter approved Family Justice Center just a few weeks ago, called the council every name they could think of, threatened them and staff, and promised to show up at their homes to protest, which they did this past weekend.
http://king.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=5161
It’s hard to sympathize with groups that do this sort of thing.
I was at Lost Lake when these people came through. I felt bad for tuning them out after a few minutes (they were there yelling for 10-15 mins), but my thinking was that Lost Lake is the wrong venue. I appreciated it for a couple minutes, and then I didn’t. I support the message, I think most of the other people eating near me did, too, and clearly the restaurant supports it. We aren’t the hearts and minds that need to be changed. Maybe this would have made more sense in Kirkland or Bellevue, or on Mercer Island. Others have mentioned Renton, Kent, etc. and I agree.
Someone above compared this group to Occupy. I don’t know about any threats or issues beyond what is reported here, but considering alternatives, I prefer to have a group running around and being annoying during hipster yuppie amazombie brunch and interrupting politics they disagree with in classic civilly disobedient style. The Occupy alternative: setting up a huge homeless camp down the block, destroying property at every chance, leaving truckloads of garbage everywhere, graffiti, stealing from every business for blocks from the camp, shutting down a daycare, regular street fighting, weekly street shut downs, trespassing, selling/doing drugs and actually turning people away from what should have been a cause to rally around. I am not 1%, but I want nothing to do with Occupy. #Blacklivesmatter #BabiesbacktoBellevue
Hats with the above commentators sexist telling women to get out of his hood why was tho not deleted yet the critical commentary about it was?
Doesn’t brunch matter??
THIS THIS ENERGY IN OPPOSITION TO GENTRIFICATION / ETHNIC CLEANSING, MASS INCARCERATION ($210 MILLION DOLLARS FOR YOUTH JAIL / PRISON AND ARMED GOVERNMENT AGENTS WITH BADGES “TERRORISM” IS NOT GOING AWAY. IT IS GOING TO INTENSIFY BECAUSE ENOUGH IS ENOUGH??? JUST ASK NATIVE AMERICAN “INDIANS” ABOUT THE ONGOING RESULTS OF EUROPEAN COLONIAL SETTLER “JUDEO-CHRISTIAN” TERRORISM IN THE AMERICAS??? EUROPEAN COLONIAL SETTLER TERRORISM IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE IN THE AMERICAS OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD??? IT IS TIME TO MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES AND START RESPECTING NATIVE AMERICAN “INDIANS” HOMELAND AND SOVEREIGNTY.???
YES, “BLACK LIVES MATTER” AND IT IS TIME TO PAY REPAIRATIONS (REPARATIONS) TO THE “AFRICAN AMERICAN” REFUGEES FROM EUROPEAN SETTLER COLONIAL “JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TERRORISM MIS-NAMED
“THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE”??? “AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP”??? TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BAIL OUT “BANKSTERS”??? Omari Tahir-Garrett, VIETNAM VETERAN, WORLD TRAVELER, HISTORY TEACHER AND CANDIDATE FOR SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 9 (WEB SITE: OMARIFORCITYCOUNCIL).