Seattle cracking down on traffic-blocking protesters

The City of Seattle is cracking down on protesters who blocked traffic, The Seattle Times reports.

ARCHIVE: Protest blocks I-5, I-90 traffic

City Attorney Pete Holmes has filed charges against 15 people who blocked Second Avenue three months ago during a protest of an oil pipeline.

Holmes told the Times he could no longer turn a blind eye and said he has “an obligation to help keep the streets of the city open.”

A demonstration against the construction of a jail for youth closed intersections in downtown Seattle for hours and prompted public outcry.

Protesters are using new tactics — dubbed the “sleeping dragon” — where they lock arms in thick tubes made of either plastic or metal that officers have a difficult time cutting apart.

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The Times reports the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington office didn’t comment on Holmes’ announcement. But the ACLU has a guide for protesters that warns they could face criminal charges for intentionally blocking traffic as an act of civil disobedience.

“Civil disobedience is a time-honored American tradition, but part of civil disobedience is the sacrifice made when you have to face the consequences,” Holmes told the Times. “The fact that these protests are a First Amendment exercise is not a get-out-of-jail free card,” he said.

Protesters face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of pedestrian interference, according to the Times. They face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted of obstruction.

The protesters are expected to be arraigned on September 12.

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