Hello from Broadway and Pine, where hundreds have gathered in solidarity with the protesters in Portland. Diverse crowd. We’ve got demands to defund SPD and reinvest in Black communities, free all protesters, and No New Youth Jail.

After a christening speech from Christina (?) of Wall of Moms Seattle, who said,” We’re here to put ourselves on the line for you,” we’re on the march. Sort of. Crowd stalled at the intersection.

A few private cars lead the crowd to block off streets / protect the area. Bike brigade securing permiters, too. Speaker is pointing out landmarks along the way, including Rove.

The crowd is at least a couple blocks long as it rounds 12th Ave and now West on Pike. Protesters block cameras with their umbrellas along the way. “Please stop recording, thank you,” one just said.

The person who blocked my camera said “We’re trying not to get the faces filmed” because protesters “start disappearing a month to two months after” photos of demos go up. Says feet/background photo okay. Some other relavent background: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/judge-rules-seattle-media-companies-must-hand-over-protest-images-to-police/

Snack report: Protesters passing around ice cream and holding up big gay umbrellas to beat the heat. Others are handing out water.

Julian and Carl say they’re trailing the crowd in an ambulance to assist in case of medical emergency. They say they’ll join as medics on the ground when they get off their shift.

Speaker says the crowd will stop to rest outside the youth jail on 12th Ave, describing it as the destination for now. @kcexec committed to turning the place into a community center within five years.

Some people have lit off fireworks inside (construction?) trailers near the youth jail. No fires that I can see. They just tipped one over.

Edit:

Crowd reports that they do not see shit, not do they know shit. Snack break is over, and we’re marching north on 12th.

Somewhat of a meaningful blaze here

As the crowd moves along, some remained to bust windows and tag the jail. Random cars in the parking lot were tagged, tires slashed. Some had king county employee tags.

Fire, medics, cops now here to extinguish the blaze.

Looks like three construction trailers on fire.

Starbucks on Columbia and 12th got ousted up. Fire alarm going off in Rianna Apartments, which is attached to the Starbucks. Some were reporting a possible gas leak, but a cop said he didn’t know about that. The building is being evacuated, per resident.

Windows smashed at Canon, Rhein Haus.

Armed security guard outside Ferrari dealership tells protesters “It’s not worth it.” Protesters are de-escalating.

Police have emerged from east precinct firing blast balls.

The canisters thrown by police is stinging eyes

Protesters are calling for a line to form on 12th and Pike, where a police line has formed. Majority of group is ignoring this call and heading west on Pike. I’m still hearing explosions coming from Pine.

Feels like old times. Police donning gas masks, protesters forming a line on 11th and Pine.

Police arresting protesters. Police are holding a line on 11th Ave, and appear to have pushed back the other group at least to Broadway.

From a few mins ago, police pushing back crowd with pepper spray. Here to say that stuff carries on the wind.

As police arrest more protesters, small crowd chants “Let them go!”

Got an urgent package delivery in the middle of all this.

Line of police with batons emerge to replace bike cops at 11th and Pine. Crowd chants “I don’t see no riot here, take off your riot gear.”

Another line of baton cops form at Pine to block 11th from both sides.

Some video of the arrest from earlier.

Group from Broadway is pushing back to 11th and Pine.

Large blast ball vs fire work fight just a few moments ago on Pine. Cops have since pushed crowd back to Broadway, and the crowd on 11th has dispersed.

The kind of police is here now. Can’t read their badges.

Green cop headed toward Broadway in a swat car

More from the clash from about 20 mins ago. As an update, im still hearing blast balls / fireworks in the neighborhood near E Denny and also near Broadway.

Sorry for the angle, but here’s the middle of the conflict from earlier. Here you can see a police officer reload a rubber bullet rifle.

Squad of bike cops moving north on 11th.

Police are donning gas masks and helmets, looks like they’re headed to Broadway.

More blue and green police headed to Broadway.

One group of cops pushing protesters north on Harvard. After holding the line with rubber bullet rifles (what am i supposed to call them?) they retreated, leaving a truck and a small guard. More explosions behind them.

Smaller crowd now on Pine and Harvard. Police have split this crowd from another one farther north on Pine.

Police are falling back from their position on Harvard. Protesters are following with hands up, chanting “Quit your job!”

Police continue to fall back, drive back, as we all are, by the mighty wind and clamor of this leaf blower

And now we’ve returned to 11th and Pine. A phalanx of officers in riot gear is heading down to reinforce.

Little selection of the litter found on Pine.

“Abolition Now” banner placed on the street as police tuck in for a standoff. Protester numbers are fewer than before. My hunch is this will eventually get broken up again and we’ll replay the last couple hours until the crowd is eventually totally dispersed.

Protesters now encouraging an officer to put on a mask, as we are in the middle of a resurgent and deadly pandemic. Officer is apparently refusing.

That officer was just replaced with another wearing a gas mask.

Here we go again. Bike police are donning gas masks, increasing numbers.

Police launch blast balls, pepper spray, push crowd back to Broadway. One min ago.

Freaky little blast ball in the Rancho Bravo parking lot

Handful of arrests being bad at Cal Anderson Park. Here’s one.

“She said my crime was protesting,” this person said, before police carried them off.

The crowd seems pretty much dispersed for the moment, doesn’t seem to be reforming at 11th and Pine. People are skating (and still not really landing tricks @williefitz) in the park.

I spoke too soon.

Aaaaand we’re back. Police keep doing the same thing to tire out the protesters: kettle at 11th and Pine, push back violently, make some arrests, reconvene at the intersection. Crowd diminishes a little each time.

Missed the initial inicidnet, but police suddenly pushed protesters back.

Sorry, here was the previous push.

Another push. Heard one explosion.

Still a pretty significant group here. A couple people in scrubs at the back of the crowd, plus medics. Legal observers still observin. Crowd now chanting “No justice, No peace”

Police push crowd back without warning, leading with batons.

Protesters are lighting candles at the George Floyd memorial. The banner bears the names of those killed at protests.

Police made an arrest. Some members of the crowd ran away and then came back. In the meantime, the BLM van is out and grilling up some food.

Signing off for the night to do a blog. Let me know if anything gets weird.