Crowd-on-crowd violence has SPD worried about May Day 2017

Take a collection of peaceful immigrant and workers rights marches for May Day 2017, add Antifacists (read anarchist) demonstrations known for antagonism, destruction and violence, and top it off with right-wing Trump supporters — what could go wrong?

RELATED: How Seattle police prepared for May Day 2017

Seattle police prepare each year for the May Day marches, updating their approach with new information. May Day 2017 is expected to be a bit different, with multiple groups descending upon Seattle. This has officials concerned about the potential for conflicts.

“I think there is a greater opportunity for crowd-on-crowd conflict,”said Captain Chris Fowler who organizes the Seattle Police Department’s May Day operations each year. “For us, it doesn’t really matter what your beliefs are, what you are there to promote. Any act of violence by anybody, or any property damage will elicit a police response. We want everybody to be able to express their First Amendment free speech rights, but whether it’s attacks on police, attacks on the business community, or attacks on each other in the crowd, we will take the appropriate response.”

May 1 in Seattle is known for its massive immigrant and workers rights march that draws thousands through downtown streets. It’s a march of solidarity and of community. That sentiment is then tread upon by another group that has co-opted the evening. They are known as antifa (anti-facists) or anarchists. They march through the streets at night wearing masks and have become known for violent antics and property damage. During the 2016 May Day, one such demonstrator threw a Molotov cocktail at a police officer. There were also rocks thrown.

May Day 2017 is being hyped as a day for Trump resistance, with multiple groups planning demonstrations throughout the city — including antifa. But it has also drawn pro-Trump supporters who have organized a Stand Against Communism demonstration at Westlake Park at 1 p.m. The event is organized by Patriot Prayer, which promotes itself as a group fighting big government and corruption with the “strength and power of love.” The group has toured other West Coast demonstrations recently, starting with Ann Coulter’s planned April 27 Berkley appearance, then an event in Portland on April 29, and now Seattle on May 1. The event’s Facebook page promotes:

There will be a group of us who will be showing our support for the Police, Trump, Freedom, and AMERICA. Brave souls are welcome to join us. Bring your blue line, American, and Trump flags. This is a peaceful march. This is not a call to violence, but we will have people ready to protect anyone that wants to march with us for your free speech.

There will be two groups, according to the event page: Those marching, and a second group dedicated to “protecting” them. At a press conference Friday, Fowler was asked if he was concerned about the group potentially inciting conflicts, especially as they could promote an open-carry firearm policy.

“I think we’ve seen some of the attendees at certain crowd events, or certain demonstrations that take umbrage with what other people are saying and react violently to that,” Fowler said. “We want to make sure that doesn’t happen in Seattle.”

“We discussed open-carry rules with officers,” he said. “People are allowed to openly carry firearms, but there are actions they can take that will elicit a police response. As long as they are following the laws and they are not creating an unsafe circumstance they are allowed to do that.”

Seattle recently experienced one such crowd-on-crowd crisis outside an appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of Washington. The crowds grew so confrontational, no one was allowed inside the event. Meanwhile, outside, opposing groups –pro-Milo/pro-Trump against their opposition — collided. At one point, a Trump supporter shot an anti-Trump person in the crowd. The shooter is now being charged for first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement.

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