Kayaktivists have nothing better to do

If someone has a lot of time on their hands and has nowhere else to be, a protest could be a way to kill a few hours, KIRO Radio’s John Curley said.

“It’s a nice way to spend the afternoon: Getting arrested,” Curley told fill-in co-host Terry Hollimon.

Related:Seattle mayor, ‘kayaktivists’ take on Arctic oil drilling

Chaining oneself to a large machine, for example, and then getting arrested, is not something a “normal person” does, Curley added. It would inconvenience the people connected to you.

“Hey, I can’t pick up Bobby and take him to Stevie’s birthday party because I’ve got a deadbolt lock around my neck … But check back in a couple of days after I get out of jail,” Curley said as he imitated a protester with a family.

Environmental activists plan to converge by land and water during a three-day protest in Seattle starting May 16. The activists are protesting Royal Dutch Shell parking two Arctic oil drilling rigs on the waterfront.

At some point during the protest, which will include a large amount of people in kayaks, someone’s going to spark police and Coast Guard intervention, Curley said.

“If you don’t have a whole lot of stuff going on, this is a great way to spend your time,” Curley said. “I don’t believe it’s going to change anyone’s mind.

Would Hollimon protest anything if he felt really strong about it?

“My daily schedule is so ridiculous as it is,” Hollimon responded.

However, the fill-in for KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney did walk out of class in the seventh grade during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Did it make a difference?

“Do you think the folks in China knew?” Curley asked. Did they say, “hey, we’re getting a lot of pressure from Parkview, we should probably do something about this and get the tanks out of here?”

It must have been international synergy, Hollimon quipped.