Sunday, December 14th 2014

Seattle Seahawks fans witnessed hundreds of demonstrators marching, sitting, and doing a “die in” in the street in front of Century Link Field while they made their way inside the stadium as the Seahawks prepared to face the 49ers. Sidewalks were left open for fans as police on bicycles and horseback kept the mostly peaceful demonstrators (unless you call tossing kumquats at the more drunk Seahawks fans, violent) to the center of the street. Plenty of spittle flew as drunken Seahawks fans could be heard yelling “The police are here to protect you from me!” and “We don’t give a shit, get the fuck out of the way!”. Protestors could be heard chanting “Black lives matter and not just on the field” and “If you love Richard Sherman, and you don’t care that he was called a thug, you are a hypocrite and you are not the 12th man… If you are wearing a black mans jersey and you are mad that we are saying “black lives matter” than you need to take it off and burn it, because you are a hypocrite”. One Seahawks fan found his way to the mic with words of encouragement to the protestors “I didn’t know it was taking place, and I saw this and I was inspired….Black Lives Matter guys, take care”.

From the Seahawks Shutdown: Black Lives Matter Facebook event page…

“fe must be made inconvenient for the privileged until equal rights and justice for all are made real.-Shaun King

We Demand Justice for Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and other victims of police brutality. WE SAY NO MORE Injustice. NO BUSINESS AS USUAL. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.

Seahawks Game,10AM @ Century Link Field.
Bring your Seahawks gear if you have it and prepare to shake shit up a bit.

INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW. #IfNotUsThenWho #CivilRightsMindset #MakeThemListen

Remember, the nation is expecting this movement to die down after a few weeks. Let’s not let Seattle give anyone that satisfaction.

See you Sunday.“

Demonstrators at the University of Washington gathered in Red Square at 11am to stand in solidarity with protests happening around the country in response to lack of police indictment for the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner. Approximately 200 activists marched through the UW campus before blocking streets around the university. At 1pm, a separate group of protestors met at Garfield H.S. for a rally and march led by Garfield students and organized by the NAACP and United Black Clergy. The approximately 200 demonstrators then marched through the Central District as they made their way to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park for more speakers.

UW

From the University of Washington event Facebook page…

“We the people of Seattle will be coming together in solidarity to stand up against this injustice, systemic racism, and police brutality. Bring your voice let it be heard! We will be having a peaceful protest in the U-District marching to downtown Seattle.We will be having a pre-march rally on December 13 at 11:00 am at red square on the University of Washington campus. We are taking it to the streets! Bring your friends. Bring signs. Wear T shirts. Make the public aware that this ends now! We are protesting to make sure incidents like Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner don’t GO UNPUNISHED AGAIN! Stay safe. Stay together, and spread the word! SHUT IT DOWN!!

We will be having speakers at the beginning of the rally!

“After this I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could number. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language.”

# BLACKLIVESMATTER # MIKEBROWN # ERICGARNER # TAMIRRICE # NYC # SEATTLE # FERGUSON # CLEVELAND

A more in depth list of the many lives taken by police.

http://gawker.com/unarmed-people-of-color-killed-by-police-1999-2014-1666672349

FOR QUESTIONS, LOCATION UPDATES AND MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT

TODD PERALTA- 808-498-6702 toddp223@gmail.com
ISAAC ROBINSON- 425-894-1717 robinsoni@spu.edu”

Garfield High School

From the Garfield High School event Facebook page…

“March from Garfield High School and Rally at Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park and join in Solidarity with the Black Community for the FAMILY FRIENDLY event to end police brutality, to demand Justice, Economic Development of the Black Community, Education that ends the School to Prison Pipeline.

We, the youth, the next generation of this country join with our Elders, unifying old and young to stop history from repeating itself. We are the future. If we want to live in a world where people are not afraid of the police we have to fight for change, for accountability, for an equal say in our destiny. People are angry now. We have to use our anger to fuel this movement, to affect change, to DEMAND JUSTICE. We can not stop until we see the change that we want.

As a people, we need to stand up and voice our opinions peacefully. Please come and show your support. Create signs and invite everyone you know. We cannot stay silent. We need to get loud and be heard. Voice your opinions and don’t stop until a proper change comes. Old and young, Black and white, red, yellow and brown-an injustice to one is an injustice to all. Black Lives Matter!!

The march will start at Garfield High School and proceed to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park. There, we will rally, we will organize, this is just the beginning. We will make sure the police know that we will not stand for their violence. Have your voice be heard. You are not alone.

Mission Statement: We are here on behalf of the Black Community, because We Can’t Breathe, We Can’t Breathe, We Can’t Breathe…

Through nonviolence we fight to end the crisis of police brutality towards the Black Community and for a restructuring of our criminal justice system, of our unfair educational system, of inequitable economic opportunities, we fight for the Black Community. Justice for all. We fight.

In order to make sure the mission of this protest is accurately portrayed we have come up with some guidelines. They are as follows:

• No violence-be respectful even in the face of disrespect
• Do NOT touch the police officers
• Do NOT agitate the police officers
• Do NOT deface/destroy city or private property
• Do NOT move city or private property

If you do not follow these guidelines you will be asked to stop and then you will be asked to leave.

Hosted by:
United Black Christian Clergy of Washington
The Church Council of Greater Seattle
NAACP, Seattle Chapter”

As protests thrive around the country, demonstrators in Seattle gathered at Garfield H.S. for a rally and march to the Seattle Police Department headquarters in protest of police brutality. Seattle activists took to the streets after a Ferguson police officer avoided indictment over the death of Mike Brown.  After Eric Garner’s killer, an officer with the NYPD, evaded the indictment although recorded video clearly showed a banned choke hold was used and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

From the event Facebook page…

“We, the youth, are the next generation of this country. We are the voice of the future. If we want to live in a world where people are not afraid of the police we have to continue to protest and fight for change. This event is to help spread awareness about a problem that has been happening in the United States for years. We are tired of people being killed simply because they are black, simply because of who they are. The recent shooting of the Brown family’s child was the last straw. People are angry now. We have to use our anger to fuel this movement. We cannot stop until we see the change that we want.

As a people, we need to stand up and voice our opinions peacefully. No more war, shooting and killing. Please come and show your support. Create signs and invite everyone you know.

As young people, we cannot stay silent. We need to get loud and be heard. Voice your opinions and don’t stop until a proper change comes.

The march will start at Garfield High School and proceed to go to the police headquarters on 5th Avenue. There, we will make sure our voices are heard. We will make sure the police know that we will not stand for their violence. Have your voice be heard. You are not alone.”

More from the event Facebook page…

“Mission Statement: We are here on behalf of the Black Community, in solidarity with Ferguson, in honor of Mike Brown to address through nonviolence, the crisis of police brutality towards the Black Community in order to achieve the short term goal of a fair and just trial for Mike Brown and the long term goal of reconstructing the justice system that has continuously failed the Black Community.

In order to make sure the mission of this protest is accurately portrayed we have come up with some guidelines. They are as follows:
• No violence
• Do NOT touch the police officers
• Do NOT agitate the police officers
• Do NOT deface/destroy city or private property
• Do NOT move city or private property
Please be aware that this protest has been organized to the very last minute in order to ensure that the media, in no way, can skew the actions of the protest or the protesters. If you do not follow these guidelines you will be asked to stop and then you will be asked to leave.

*We are NOT affiliated with any group or organization. We are just a group of people who want to be a part of the progress of change*” – Protest Against Police Brutality

As demonstrators in Seattle marched through the streets, riot police stood guard in front of local malls and department stores. The peaceful protest grew to hundreds as groups joined during the march from Capitol Hill to Westlake Park, while a phalanx of bicycle police followed closely. Traffic was diverted and shoppers scurried by as demonstrators filled intersections with chants of “hands up, don’t shoot” and “We’re here for Mike Brown”. More demonstrations are planned for the coming weekend.

From the event Facebook page…

“#justice4MikeBrown. On the day of the Grand Jury verdict on the murder of Micheal Brown in Ferguson, injustice WAS created again people will gather at Westlake Park, 4th and Pine, at 6 pm. Seattle is gonna take it to the streets! people must gather and make a very visible and loud demonstration and do what it takes to get justice for Mike Brown ! Bring signs and banners, bring cardboard and markers so other people can make signs. Bring your whistles to blow the whistle on police brutality. Bring your outrage, bring your determination for justice, bring your friends! #ferguson #mikebrown #WEWillNotStop

WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND BE UNITED AS ONE AGAINST injustice ,racism,oppression,police brutality and get JUSTICE FOR MIKE BROWN ” – #BeingBlackIsNotACrime–Stand up against Racial Injustice

As news of  another white police officer cleared of wrongdoing in the death of an African American man made national news, demonstrators around the U.S. took to the streets in major cities. Protests were rekindled for Eric Garner, accused of selling cigarettes. When approached by Justin Damico – NYPD, he was placed in a banned restraining hold and could be heard saying “I can’t breathe”, 11 times.  New York City medical examiners concluded that Garner was killed by neck compression from the choke hold along with “the compression of his chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police”. A video of the incident has been widely shared through social media, helping to reignite protests in the wake of the Ferguson decision.

From the event Facebook page…

“Once again! The system has given a stamp approval for the cops to murder black people with impunity. The whole world saw Eric Garner chocked to death. Black lives Matter! If you think so too, prove it and be out in Westlake tonight.”

– Cop that Murdered Eric Garner HAS WALKED: TONIGHT! Into The Streets to Demand Justice

https://www.facebook.com/events/1558432684373013/

12/01/14

Seattle saw 100-200 demonstrators Monday evening as they convened at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. As the protestors walked towards Westlake Mall, SPD moved in quickly with bicycles, blocking the entrances. Shoppers were allowed in and out, but were heavily scrutinized before entering. No demonstrators were allowed inside. According to one SPD on bicycle, mall “appeared to be shut down”, as demonstrators gathered outside the entrance used on Black Friday to shut the mall down 3 hours early. As the crowed marched toward Pacific Place, multiple lines of police formed around the doors, blocking the street all the way up Olive to 7th. Demonstrators were not allowed back down the street to the downtown core and were constantly pushed up Olive to Capitol Hill. A heavy police presence followed the demonstrators with police in riot gear and batons at the ready.

“This is a level of anarchy and unsafe behavior that will not be tolerated,” said Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council. “So we are asking our police department to get as much information as possible to anticipate and make sure we’re making a lawful stoppage of this.” – City Council Member Bruce Harrell

From the Facebook event page…

“#justice4MikeBrown. On the day of the Grand Jury verdict on the murder of Micheal Brown in Ferguson, injustice WAS created again people will gather at Westlake Park, 4th and Pine, at 6 pm. Seattle is gonna take it to the streets! people must gather and make a very visible and loud demonstration and do what it takes to get justice for Mike Brown ! Bring signs and banners, bring cardboard and markers so other people can make signs. Bring your whistles to blow the whistle on police brutality. Bring your outrage, bring your determination for justice, bring your friends! #ferguson #mikebrown #WEWillNotStop

WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND BE UNITED AS ONE AGAINST injustice ,racism,oppression,police brutality and get JUSTICE FOR MIKE BROWN

Twitter—-https://twitter.com/Justice4MBSEA
Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/Justice4mikebrownSeattle

TEXT 4 LOCATION UPDATES Regarding protest at 206-334-6007

Media relations Contact–Mohawk – 206-334-6007 OR justice4mikebrownsea@hotmail.com” – https://www.facebook.com/events/411999782281887/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Seattle demonstrators rallied at Westlake Park before marching through downtown, only to return to Westlake Mall in an attempt to disrupt shopping. Demonstrators marched through with hands raised, shouting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” while some knocked over trashcans. After a few minutes of disruption, the demonstrators marched out to the street and proceeded to Pacific Place, where security guards rushed to shut the doors. Protestors struggled with the doors before overpowering the guards on the other side and going through the doors. They then marched up the escalator to the top floor where they chanted and banged on railings, calling attention to the protests in Ferguson and killing of Mike Brown. Demonstrators then headed up Pine to Capitol Hill where they gathered at The Comet, Cafe Vita, and Lost Lake, protesting business owners David Mienert and Jason Lajeunesse and the comments made about East African organized crime.

From one event Facebook page…

“The RCP supported October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality has called for another demonstration for this Black Friday at 1pm meeting at Westlake (4th and Pine). The RCP, however, does not and cannot control the narrative of resistance to police violence. The RCP’s attempt to use the life of Mike Brown and all victims of police violence for the furtherance of their party’s message is shameful and should be pushed against.

This is a call for all anti-capitalist and anti-police individuals to descend on Westlake this Black Friday and counter the RCP narrative and take the streets in solidarity with Ferugson. The police, with their historical roots in slave patrols, are only continuing to uphold the colonial monster by murdering black women, children, and men with disgusting consistency. Down with the police and the (“post”)-colonial world that upholds them!

Show up, brings fliers, banners, heart and whatever else! Feel free to add suggestions and ideas to this Facebook event page. Invite your friends and comrades.

Rest in Power Mike Brown
Rest in Power Oscar Grant
Res in Power Oscar Perez-Girion
Rest in Power John T. Williams
In Solidarity with all who Fight Back Against the Police!

The link to “main” event below:
https://www.facebook.com/events/689033867818555/” – Anti-Colonial, Anti-Police, Anti-Capitalist Contingent at Black Friday Ferguson Solidarity Demo

From another event Facebook page…

“Inspired by and in solidarity with –

– Mike Brown and the Ferguson Freedom Fighters battle against the national guard

-Oscar Grant and Oakland continuing the on going rebellion

– The Flatbush rebellionof 2013

-The Legacy of the BLA

-The England Rebellions of 2011

-John T. Williams and the generations of Indigenous Rebellion

-Africa Town and the Occupations of the Horace Mann and the Coleman school buidlings

– Assata Shakur and the whole Shakur family

-Chris Monfort

It’s time to remember our past and begin challenging ourselves.

Ferguson is burning. What is Seattle gonna do about it?

Shutting down Nordstrom, Macy’s, et. al.. appropriating Westlake and shutting down traffic is great. The more merrier. But scum just as bad as any of the nordstrom family, rest on the top of hill five blocks east. Scum of the lowest filth. Hipster scum. ironic racist tech bro scum.

Capital Hell has undergone hyper gentrification over the last few years. The first wave of this was brought to us by the early hipsters. These early hipster have matured into some of the biggest power players in this city.

Liberal White Seattle makes it easy to be a racist. Programs like Weed and Seed were celebrated, by black leaders. It easy for white folks here to go about their lives in a privileged peace while black and brown people live in a near constant state of insecurity and absolute alienation rooted in self hate. The center of this disturbing hipster culture is Capital Hell….

This Anti-blackness doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes from a history of slavery and genocide. Anti-blackness is re affirmed in Pro Capital and Pro State (police, jails, and government) culture. Capital Hell currently sits as the local heart of this Beast…

Business owners David Mienert and Jason (Jace) Lajeunesse, putting profit ahead of black lives, made up some conspiracy of a cell of “organized crime” of East Africans operating on the hill. This conspiracy was seemingly concocted in order to bully SPD into increasing police patrols and beats on Capital Hell, particularly around their specific properties. They also gave threats of bringing in the U.S. Attorneys office to the mainstream media.

Both the Mayor of Seattle (who is being sued by a former black female employee for wrongful termination based on factors of race and gender) and the City Attorney (in Seattle more black men are behind bars then not) thanked David Mienert by name in their election speeches.

These small business owners of capital hell, as well as the rest of them but profit before black lives.

This is how capitalism works today. Anti -blackness is completely intertwined with Capitalism and the State.

In contrast Anti state is directly intertwined with Pro Blackness…”

–Black Friday Takeover on the Hill FB Event Page

Demonstrators in Seattle rallied and marched for a second day, following the lack criminal charges brought against Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, MO police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 18 year old man, Michael Brown. The protestors gathered at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in the Central District, joined by City Council Member Kshama Sawant, Mayor Ed Murray, and Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole before march through the Central District to Capitol Hill. From Capitol Hill, protestors marched to the Federal Courthouse where youth, activists, politicians and community members spoke the crowd. At the height of the demonstration, approximately 400 people were marching through the streets.

From the event Facebook page…

“What: A teaching moment around national legislation on policing and use of excessive force
Who: Organized by Seattle King County NAACP and United Black Clergy
Why: Change won’t happen until we make it happen”

In a show of solidarity with protestors in Ferguson, MO, hundreds of demonstrators took the streets in Seattle to show their anger with a decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Mike Brown, an unarmed, 18 year old black youth.

Demonstrators marched through downtown Seattle, up Pike to Capitol Hill where they were met by another group,  (previously convened at Seattle Central College) at the intersection of Broadway and Pike. From there, the group of almost 300 demonstrators, made of a diverse background of activists and community members from a wide variety of ages, marched down Madison to 23rd, where they met a small group at 23rd and Union. The large crowd of demonstrators then found their way to the Garfield Community Center where they refused to enter the meeting room until all SPD had left. The group soon tired of their failed attempts to be heard by organizers and returned to the streets.

Activists from around the Pacific Northwest gathered at Seattle’s Harbor Island, home to the Kinder Morgan offices. The rally was held in solidarity with the protests in British Columbia, as residents of Burnaby Mountain have recently been arrested during protest of a pipeline built across indigenous land. Chief Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation spoke to the crowd of nearly 100 demonstrators.  Having just been in the heart of the protests on Burnaby, words of appreciation were spoken to crowd as Chief Rueben George thanked them for their presence. According to activist and community organizer, Carlo Voli, the protestors made their way past the lone guard and into the Kinder Morgan offices, delivering their message in person.

From the event Facebook page…

“Lets gather on Sunday to express our support for those who have been arrested and all those who are protecting Burnaby Mountain from Kinder Morgan’s survey work.

There’s been lots of talk lately about Keystone XL-and fortunately, for now, the Senate has failed to approve it. But did you know that just 130 miles north of Seattle is another massive tar sands project–the Trans Mountain Pipeline, from Alberta to Burnaby, BC–and that Kinder Morgan plans to triple its capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day? This would add more than 400 giant vessels per year to the tanker traffic on the Salish Sea and greatly increase the risk of catastrophic oil spills.

In the last few days, in a beautiful show of people power, Kinder Morgan crews have been met by hundreds of people, blocking the company from conducting pipeline survey work on Burnaby Mountain, even though they have been slapped with a multimillion dollar injunction by Kinder Morgan. More than 26 residents have been arrested so far.

Sundance Chief Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will also be present at the rally. Having just been in the heart of the protests on Burnaby, this will be an incredible opportunity to hear him speak from his first-hand experience on the mountain.

We will gather to show our support for all the folks across the border protecting their own communities, the impacted indigenous communities in Alberta, and the Salish Sea that bounds us all together.

We’ll gather for a brief rally and capture a photo we can send to the Defenders of the Mountain in Burnaby. Then we will try to deliver or leave a message for Kinder-Morgan at their port offices.

This is a low-risk family friendly event.

This rally is been organized jointly between 350 Seattle and Rising Tide Seattle.

Come prepared for the weather!

You can use this self-organizing rideshare form to help figure out carpooling: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DNdsx4dpp9K1Bir64rqV5OOk7afpwezPEbJWmeO9uFM/edit?usp=sharing

More info on the situation:

The City of Burnaby and its residents have been vocal for several years against Kinder Morgan’s $5.4 billion Trans Mountain pipeline and terminal expansion proposal that would transport even more diluted bitumen and bring even more tankers to the Burrard Inlet and the Salish Sea

Burnaby Mountain is public land (on unceded Indigenous territories) that is used frequently as a recreational area and is a designated Conservation Area.

Over 70% of Burnaby residents are opposed to Kinder Morgan’s expansion. (Source: http://is.gd/j79aOJ) Residents have been educating themselves through town halls, teach-ins and personal research and have determined that the risks to public safety and environmental degradation from Kinder Morgan’s proposal are too high. Many residents are no strangers to the harmful health impacts of tar sands crude given that the city was home to a terrible oil spill in 2007.

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has also launched a legal challenge of Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tankers project. This is the first legal challenge by a First Nation against the new pipeline and tanker proposal, citing the federal government’s failure to first consult Tsleil-Waututh on key decisions about the environmental assessment and regulatory review of the project.

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs just released a statement in support of those Arrested at Burnaby Mountain: www.ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/UBCICNews11201401.html#axzz3JgDNMIUS

The pipeline facilitates Tar Sands expansion on Indigenous territories along the pipeline route and at the source. This would violate numerous Aboriginal Treaty Rights and the overall well-being of these communities, many of whom have already emphatically said no to Kinder Morgan’s expansion. As the Supreme Court of Canada has consistently upheld, it is the federal government’s duty to respect these treaties, as well as the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples living on unceded lands along the pipeline route.

Therefore it should come as no surprise that community members are on Burnaby Mountain. These caretakers and residents should not be facing an injunction or a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by a corporate energy giant. Given the federal government’s failure to respond to residents, to Indigenous communities at the source of Tar Sands destruction and along the proposed pipeline route, and to municipal concerns, we laud these protectors for their bravery in taking a stand against Kinder Morgan.” – https://www.facebook.com/events/1506085126332784/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=1