On Saturday night, Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle were declared “riots” as police cracked down on the Capitol Hill, the neighborhood that was designated an “autonomous zone” by protesters in early June.
The so-called riots began after a federal judge blocked the order that would prohibit Seattle officers from using blast balls, pepper spray and other weapons against protestors. Thousands gathered in downtown Seattle and some of the protests escalated into looting, while five trailers were set on fire.
Very large crowd moving through #CapitolHill right now! #BlackLivesMattter #SeattleProtest pic.twitter.com/aXVM0QzXOI
— Joseph Suttner (@josephsuttner) July 25, 2020
There were also reports of protesters breaching and setting fire to the construction site of the Kings County youth detention facility.
Youth jail construction site #seattleprotest #seattleprotests #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/5p5OOX3ozk
— David Ryder (@davidmryder) July 26, 2020
Shortly after the fires broke out, law enforcement asked people to disperse. Officers were armed with pepper spray and flash bangs but were ordered not to carry tear gas in order to encourage protestors to remain peaceful. Officers were hit with rocks, mortar, fireworks and bottles as they attempted to break up the crowd.
#GestapoTrump thugs pepper spraying a nurse in scrubs at the Seattle protests is cowardly and grotesque.
These are our essential, front-line workers against COVID-19.
WHAT. THE. FUCK. pic.twitter.com/r4IcLn9VDR
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) July 26, 2020
There were at least 45 protest-related arrests for failure to disperse, obstruction, and assault of officers.
Seattle police Chief Carmen Best stated in a late-night news conference that Trump’s coalition of federal agents were not present at the demonstration.
