The first of this weekend’s planned marches was rescheduled after a bout of freezing weather. There was no stopping Monday’s Seattle MLK Day march.

Hundreds of students and supporters stepped off from in front of Garfield High School only a little behind schedule Monday afternoon for the annual march to City Hall in honor of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in Seattle. “20/20 Vision reflects the clarity of Dr. King’s dream and the power YOU have in 2020 to reclaim & re-envision it,” the Seattle MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition wrote about this year’s march and day of reflection and workshops at the Central District high school.

"Free the youth, no new youth jail". Protest at King County Juvenile Detention Center as MLK march winds around the jail on 14th Ave and Alder. @jseattle #MLK2020 pic.twitter.com/BGSdF2O7Ld

— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) January 20, 2020

“20/20 Vision is whatever you will take ACTION on in 2020 to reclaim Dr. King’s legacy.”

For many marchers Monday afternoon, the action was centered on the site of the new youth jail. Marchers including No New Youth Jail activist and lawyer Nikkita Oliver stopped at the still busy construction site where the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center now rises.

In December, CHS reported on the quiet opening of the main detention, court, and services building despite ongoing protests and efforts to stop it. Construction of the full project still has a few years before it is complete. A county spokesperson characterized the project as “about two-thirds complete.” The next phases will bring demolition of the old facility, construction of a new parking garage, and creating the Alder Connection “with the associated outdoor public art, landscaping, and amenities.”

With the first phase of construction completed, No New Youth Jail Seattle joined a coalition of community groups that successfully pushed for millions of “restorative justice” spending to be added to the city’s 2020 budget.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s planned Womxn’s March on Seattle 2020 has been rescheduled to March, 8th after organizers said concerns about cold and icy conditions put their permits for the event at risk.

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