Seattle Parks and the city’s Office of Economic Development have issued last-minute denials of permits for an event in Cal Anderson on the one-year anniversary of the formation of the occupied protest on Capitol Hill.
CHS reported on the June 11th to June 13th celebration planned for months by a CHOP Art group amid a call from the city for proposals for events and activities to activate the park and help the area recover from a year of protests, encampments, and pandemic.
In denying the permit, Seattle Parks and Recreation said it is holding Cal Anderson area events to “higher-than-usual safety and security standards” due to the protests and two homicides around the occupied zone last summer:
SPR is committed to creating spaces for community members to gather while also preserving the public safety and public health of the area. However, because of the extensive protest activity and the lacts (sic) of violence that occurred at the park and the surrounding area last summer and fall, as well as the significant restoration and cleanup efforts that were needed to restore the park, SPR is using higher-than-usual safety and security standards to evaluate all permit requests at Cal Anderson and Bobby Morris Playfield.
The parks department also said community backlash shaped its decisions. Continue reading →
Juneteenth celebrations this year in the Central District will include one of the week’s biggest events in Seattle at Jimi Hendrix Park. The celebrations marking the holiday have been underway including Sunday’s Revival Juneteenth Pop-up Market at the Midtown Square development at 23rd and Union.
