10 arrests at Seattle’s May Day, no major damage reported
May 1, 2014, 9:07 PM | Updated: May 2, 2014, 12:34 pm
After an afternoon of peaceful rallies and a march through downtown Seattle on May Day, police spent several hours following protesters who seemed to be aimlessly wandering the streets.
The march wove from Seattle Central Community College and the King County Youth Detention Center on Capitol Hill to 2nd Avenue, over to Broad Street, to areas of South Lake Union, and then back up toward Capitol Hill.
The group congregated on Broadway and started a bonfire, lit fireworks, and yelled at officers.
Despite pointed threats against the police in advance of Thursday’s May Day protest marches, there was little violence at this year’s event.
Ten people were arrested, and police reported the arrests as:
A 22-year-old man for property damage in the 1500 block of Broadway A 23-year-old man for assaulting an officer at 6th Ave and Battery Street; officers also recovered a gun on the man during the arrest An 18-year-old man for malicious mischief at 6th and Virginia Street, where he damaged at least one vehicle A 22-year-old man arrested for obstruction at 5th and Virginia A 17-year-old man arrested for property damage at 6th and Pine A 37-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine A 21-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine A 19-year-old arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine A 20-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and E Olive A 17-year-old man arrested for obstruction at Broadway and Pine
Tensions peaked around 8:30 p.m. when police deployed pepper spray to disperse a crowd made up of people dressed in all black with masks to young people in jeans and button-down shirts. Reports say that crowd had surrounded a Mercedes.
A scuffle broke out with one of Seattle’s self-proclaimed superheroes. No injuries were reported.
Damage has ranged from a cracked bus window to a dented BMW convertible. Many businesses targeted on previous May Days spent the morning boarding up windows and preparing hired security ahead of a potential repeat of violence.
Earlier in the day, about 600 people marched from Judkins Park to Westlake in the 14th Annual May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Rights, organized by El Comite. It was one of many around the U.S. on May 1, International Workers’ Day.
Participants had a range of demands from ending deportations to a $15 minimum wage in Seattle. There were no reports of violence or injuries during the afternoon march that snarled traffic and rerouted Metro buses.
