SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Why Dori Monson will not go to downtown Seattle
Nov 24, 2015, 1:57 PM | Updated: 2:42 pm
Dori is often critical of downtown Seattle, but with protests planned during the tree lighting on Friday, he is certainly not going near it all. Protesters stage protest in (KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)
(KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)
A protest during the kickoff of the holiday season is just another reason why KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson will not step foot in downtown Seattle.
He doesn’t want to deal with protests and activists during an event that is supposed to be joyful.
Related: Police, businesses brace for Black Lives Matter protest at Westlake
“I think that it’s shameful,” Dori said. “And I know they want the biggest possible audience and to disrupt as many lives as possible.”
“I believe the people that own those businesses downtown, their lives matter. The families that want to go downtown and have a joyous holiday celebration, their lives matter,” he said. “And I think it’s incredibly egotistical for them to pick this day to protest.”
Dori argues that businesses got “absolutely killed” in 2014 when a similar protest swept through downtown on Black Friday.
Related: I’m finished with downtown Seattle
Neil Fox with the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild told Dori that protesters are calling for Seattle police to refrain from violent attacks. He said people in 2014 were hit with concussion grenades and gas. He wants people to have the ability to protest in the streets safely.
Fox suggests Dori go downtown and witness the protest for himself and see if the Seattle police promote violence or if it will be the protesters.
Dori said that the police probably feel the need to protect owners’ rights, too.
Fox called that a “small-minded” view. He said public discourse is important. This is what happens in a city like Seattle: People protest current issues.
But is protesting during a tree lighting appropriate? Dori would say no. Families are there to celebrate the joy of the season and have respite from daily life.
“People want to relax and want to watch a tree lighting ceremony,” Dori explained.
There are also people who want to protest important issues, Fox reiterated.
Either way, Dori said he will be avoiding Westlake Center so he can enjoy time with his family, away from the chaos.
The protest on Friday will be the second of its kind at Westlake Center. Demonstrators marched on the area last year, after a grand jury decision to not indict an officer in a teen’s death in Ferguson, Mo. The march forced Westlake Center to close several hours early.
Archive: Five arrests made on Black Friday 2014
MyNorthwest’s Richard D. Oxley contributed to this article
