Tag Archives: protests

‘Revive in 25’ — Christian groups reportedly set for return to Cal Anderson for August 30th rally

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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office is relying on technicalities as it explains the status of city permits for an August 30th anti-LGBTQ fundamentalist Christian rally in Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park.

“Park Use Permits aren’t issued for about two weeks (~15-30 days) prior to an event. See full permit process here. So at this time, a permit has not been issued for this event,” the mayor’s press secretary Callie Craighead told CHS Wednesday.

CHS asked Craighead what the Harrell administration is doing to protect the neighborhood and prevent the issues that occurred in May as Seattle Police moved on crowds of counter-demonstrators gathered in the park.

The mayor’s office has not responded.

Now, another concert and rally from the church groups is planned to return to the Capitol Hill park despite previous vows from city officials. Continue reading →

‘Your Voice Matters’ — Police Commission seeks ‘community members impacted’ by Seattle Police crackdown on Cal Anderson May 24 protest

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The Seattle Community Police Commission is seeking accounts of the experiences of demonstrators and park-goers caught up in the SPD response to protests against an anti-trans and reproductive rights Christian rally in Cal Anderson in May.

“Your experience can help inform our work and ensure community perspectives are part of upcoming reviews and policy recommendations,” the flyer being sent to LGBTQ community groups reads.

The Saturday, May 24th Christian rally ended with police moving on demonstrators protesting the event from On Fire Ministries, a Spokane-based religious group that has grown under Christian fundamentalist pastor and former state representative Matt Shea and is supported by anti-LGBTQ religious activist Sean Feucht. There were multiple arrests but no significant charges made against demonstrators. Continue reading →

Dodgeball DJ — How music and community helped Dan Gregory heal

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Five years ago, Dan Gregory’s life changed forever when he was shot by the brother of an SPD officer during the 2020 protests on Capitol Hill. The trauma left deep scars, both physically and mentally, but through music, DJing, and an unexpected Capitol Hill community on the dodgeball court, he found a lifeline.

“Music Saved My Life”
For Gregory, DJing is survival.

“If it wasn’t for music and having an outlet, I probably would have offed myself,” he admits. “That was a lot to go through, and I’d still do it all over again if I had to, but music is how I process my emotions.”

Under the moniker DJ Danny G (formerly DJ oohchillem), Gregory has turned his pain into a magnetic force, curating sets that bring people together at everything from bus stop pop-up jams, homeless camps, or local taco stands.

Today, he brings music to the busy courts of Cal Anderson just blocks away from 11th and Pine and the center of where CHOP formed five years ago this month.

“I love how music can change an environment,” he says. “People come in stressed, and then the right song comes on, and suddenly everyone’s singing along. That energy is everything.” Continue reading →

No Kings, no arrests as 70,000 march from Cal Anderson Park

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With reporting by Alex Garland

Crowds were measured by the mile Saturday as demonstrators marched from Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s contribution to a weekend of “No Kings” protests across the nation.

Officials estimated more than 70,000 here stretched across one and a half miles of city streets Saturday afternoon as the demonstration flooded out of Cal Anderson onto E Pine and into the city headed for the Seattle Center.

it was one of the largest gatherings in the state since a sea of people stretched miles from Cal Anderson for the Women’s March in 2018.

Seattle officials were ecstatic to announce there had been no arrests.

The protest comes five years after the Black Lives Matter protests and the formation of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone that filled the area around Cal Anderson in June 2020.

Meanwhile, twelve miles away in Tukwila, police and “an ICE Special Response Team” fired painful pepper spray balls at demonstrators seeking to disrupt an “Intensive Supervision Appearance Program” check-in. Continue reading →

‘No Kings’ protests planned for Seattle include rally in Cal Anderson Park amid heated clashes over federal immigration enforcement — UPDATE: Wednesday night bulletin

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UPDATE: Hundreds filled Cal Anderson Wednesday night in a protest against ICE and the Trump administration. The demonstrators marched to the downtown federal building where the protest continued into the night (Image: Alex Garland/CHS)

Cal Anderson’s place as a gathering space for free speech and defiance against the Trump administration in Seattle will be on display this weekend as “No Kings” protests are planned across the country Saturday.

Crowds and energy will be split in the city. Many groups and organizations are planning a Saturday noontime rally in the Capitol Hill park before a march to the Seattle Center. Other groups have centered on the University of Washington for their demonstrations.

UPDATE 5:00 PM: SPD’s East Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator has issued a bulletin to businesses and community groups about protest activities expected in the area Wednesday night. “It is likely unaffiliated small groups intent on committing violence and/or property damage will attempt to embed themselves un this rally,” the SPD bulletin reads. We have posted the full statement at the end of this report. UPDATE x2: East Precinct Captain Jung Trinh has clarified that the bulletin was issued by the city’s Office of Economic Development, not the precinct.

Continue reading →

Cal Anderson protest: No charges (yet), Parks says nope to August, FBI threat, and ‘mostly silent’ vigil planned outside Seattle church

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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. Continue reading →

Church groups say holding another Cal Anderson Park rally in August — UPDATE: ‘Not granted’

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Saturday’s counter-protest crowd faced a line of Seattle Police officers in riot gear

As the Seattle Police Department says it made eight new arrests as protesters squared off with fundamentalist Christian groups calling for the mayor’s resignation outside City Hall Tuesday night, organizers are crowing about another evangelical event they say is planned for Cal Anderson Park in August.

Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle officials, it seems, have a scheduling problem.

Anti-LGBTQ Christian groups said Tuesday they have a permit to hold a “Revive in 25” rally on Saturday, August 30th in the popular Capitol Hill park.

UPDATE 5/28/2025 3:20 PM: A parks spokesperson said Wednesday afternoon that the August permit “has not been granted” but went 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.

Continue reading →

Seattle Police make multiple arrests during counter-protest of fundamentalist church group’s rally in Cal Anderson Park — UPDATES

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(Image: Alex Garland/CHS)

With reporting by Hannah Saunders

Seattle Police moved on counter-protesters at a fundamentalist Christian group’s rally Saturday afternoon in Cal Anderson Park. Multiple arrests and injuries were reported.

Groups were in the park to protest against a provocative rally organized by a Spokane fundamentalist church. CHS reported here on the planned “#DontMessWithOurKids” rally.

The clash with police came hours into the gathering as a phalanx of bicycle police moved into position near the front of a large crowd of counter-protesters near the rally stage and suddenly advanced on the crowd using their bikes and batons. Continue reading →

Protests planned as fundamentalist church bringing #DontMessWithOurKids rally to Cal Anderson next week

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A sign at Seattle’s May Day rally in Cal Anderson Park

May 2025 will be a busy month for First Amendment activities in Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park. Counterprotests are being planned as one of the state’s largest “charismatic” churches is bringing a “#DontMessWithOurKids” rally to the popular neighborhood park next week.

“May 24th at Cal Anderson Park, we’re standing for truth, justice, and life,” the promotion from On Fire Ministries reads. “We are raising our voices against the evils of sex trafficking and the tragedy of abortion — and we are defending the sanctity of the nuclear family.” Continue reading →