The Seattle Police Department has referred one case to prosecutors out of the 23 people arrested in the Saturday, May 24th counter-demonstration against an anti-trans and reproductive rights Christian rally in Cal Anderson Park while city officials have been loud and clear that another rally planned for August won’t take place on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, a vigil is being planned for Sunday outside one of the Seattle churches behind the provocative events.
The King County Prosecutor says its office has received details of one case SPD is recommending to be prosecuted for assault from the more than 20 arrests made as officers moved on crowds of queer and pro-life demonstrators protesting the fundamentalist Christian event targeting trans and abortion rights.
The prosecutor’s office says it has not yet made a decision on pursuing the case — but not because it is weighing the merits of the assault allegation. In a statement to media, the office says it has requested additional evidence from the detective who submitted the case.
“A deputy prosecutor who reviewed the case explained to the lead detective that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office strives to review all available video evidence from law enforcement and any other known sources prior to making a charging decision – video that by law must be sent to prosecutors by police under the penalty of perjury,” the representative for County Prosecutor Leesa Manion said in the statement. “The lead detective was understanding and is now working to get all available video.”
There have also been no charging decisions on the cases from arrests during demonstrations outside City Hall on Tuesday, the office said.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, meanwhile, has threatened an investigation into “allegations of targeted violence against religious groups at the Seattle concert.”
Those threats haven’t stopped the city from sorting out a better plan for a scheduled rally for church groups that had been lined up for a return to Cal Anderson Park in August. CHS reported here on the claims from organizers that they had a permit for another Cal Anderson rally late this summer. Parks officials responded, saying the August permit “has not been granted” and going on to say that officials are working with organizers on finding a new location for the event. “[The organizers] recently requested to move their event to a different park, and we are discussing options with them,” the spokesperson said.
Organizers from On Fire Ministries appear to be central to both Saturday’s rally and the event planned for August. The church has grown in Spokane under Christian fundamentalist pastor and former state representative Matt Shea and is supported by the likes of anti-LGBTQ religious activist Sean Feucht. Feucht has been at the middle of a nearly identical controversy before making waves during the height of the pandemic in the summer of 2020 by holding a “Let Us Worship” concert in Cal Anderson that was part evangelical revival and part provocative protest of the state’s mask mandate and safety precautions in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. The event included communal baptism and plenty of anti-queer rhetoric in the middle of the still-closed park in the wake of the CHOP protests. Hundreds of demonstrators protested the event.
Sunday, groups are planning to bring their efforts directly to one of the Seattle churches involved in the campaign. The Unite for Human Rights Gathering is planned to take place on the sidewalk outside The Pursuit NW, a charismatic Christian church based in the Seattle area that has been a promoter of the anti-trans and anti-abortion rights events. Protesters are planning a “mostly silent gathering” outside the 17th Ave NE location where the church holds its Sunday services.
“We will line up single file so as to not block the sidewalk as we do not have a permit for this event,” organizers write. “Bring your posters, abortion signs and pride flags in the spirit of promoting a more peaceful and united world.”
Follow @gatheringforhumanrights for updates.
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The successful trolling by right wing extremists of Seattle antifa – trans activists continues.
I remain impressed with how quickly Seattle’s activist community lost control of a narrative from which they assumed they held the moral and legal high ground.
As others have observed since 2020, Seattle’s activism community is really not that good. They know one thing – staged performative violence for an audience of social Marxists worldwide.
They do well if that’s the only crowd they are trying to reach. But when the audience includes others, like say, a national audience of First Amendment supporters, or neutrals who nominally would support trans causes, but who understand perhaps it’s not a good look to violently riot against a church group full of children and families …
Will our Antifa – Tranfifa ever learn? If they want to actually positively influence the national dialog, they had better.
I live and work in D3. I am your neighbor, Activists. I probably agree with you on 80, 90% of your views. But your tactics are ridiculously bad. Progressives need to eject *and police* any violent little leftist rioters that show up at Progressive / Activist events. Or else …
You let the right wing have the high ground, and you look like pathetic losers to a neutral national audience.. yet again.
Holy shit that was a hilariously bad take.
I love the familiar “right winger pretending to be moderate to criticize the left” framing that just never grows tiring.
Yeah, I’m sure there’s tons of ignorant dumbshits out there who are going to be upset by THIS while being completely unaware of 50 years of genocidal language aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, the passing of hundreds of laws discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community, and the encouragement of violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
I’m totally sure there’s all these fake moderate “fence sitters” (you know, like you) who totally were going to support rights for the queers but now because of these darned rowdy protestors, they’re going to just have to support the hate-filled white nationalist party and all their angry small penis energy–apparently completely unaware of anything those completely bigoted leaky sacks of rancid goat piss have ever said or done. Gee whiz. lol God, that was a dumb take even for you. Serious question: do you ever get tired of getting burned by everyone in this comments section or are you into that sort of thing? Let me guess, you’ve convinced yourself it’s some kind of badge of honor to be attacked by the left for all your bad takes? I guess it probably helps you rationalize siding with evil.
Dude, there was no “violent riot against a church group full of children and families.” You’re telling yourself a story and thinking the rest of us will believe it because you do.
23 out of 24 of the people charged had charges dropped because there wasn’t enough of a case for those charges to even make it to court (and that doesn’t mean the one person who was charged will have their charges upheld, just that they’re moving forward!) Because they weren’t rioting. If you look through any of the photography or footage from the protest (on this blog, even!) you’ll quickly find the cops were mostly, maybe entirely, targeting kids in sundresses and middle-aged activists who were literally just standing around. Yet you don’t seem to have any opprobrium for that, just “antifa”.
The information is readily available to you: you just have to lose interest in your transphobic portmanteau long enough to find it.
“Parks says nope to August,”
Chyaaaaa…And who got fired for the Cal Anderson stunt?
Sea Parks/Rec had the 1st Amendment in mind, prior to “the enlightenment”.
Wonder where Daddy Bruce will stand should Big Orange Daddy dominate ?
No one. Whose gonna get fired when Seattle is successfully sued?
why? for what?
“I wholly disapprove of what you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it.”
And anywhere they want say it?
Pretty much. Capitol Hill doesn’t get a carve out for free speech just because residents don’t like what is being said. You defeat these kind of people by putting your own message into the public forum, not by preventing them from speaking themselves.
Really nope. As I’m sure you know over the last nany years, many groups are allowed to protest but assigned to designated areas. Not that I think that’s great but seems to be the law. Try protesting in the Rose Garden or something and see how that goes. And now hateful protests by “Christians ” in the heart of Capitol Hill and oh well just syck it up? Seriously?
The Parks Department should force them to move it to Judkins Park. I bet you that group will be too racist and scared of interacting with the local Black community to even dare hold that event in the CD.
I wonder how the Cap Hill activists would react if a Muslim religious group were to hold a “family values” event at the park while also speaking against the actions in Gaza?
Here’s the spin…The dude does nothing but lie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D00TsypZp9c