‘A pen like a little farm animal’: Jake sees protest zones outside Seattle Stadium as unnecessary

As the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Seattle, the city has set up “protest zones” outside Seattle Stadium, temporarily renamed from Lumen Field, to give demonstrators a designated space. The Seattle Times noted that while the zones weren’t being used Monday, some Belgian fans were using the corral as a photo op.

KIRO host Jake Skorheim called the zones unnecessary, saying no one was using them and comparing them to “a pen like a little farm animal.”

“I don’t like pens for protest things, it just seems very Seattley,” he said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “I find it to be kind of embarrassing.”

SPD will only monitor protest zones if public safety threat

A City of Seattle public information officer confirmed to KIRO Newsradio that while the city has set up protest zones for events in the past, it is unaware if anyone is using them at this point because the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will only monitor them if there is a public safety need. The spokesperson added that they do not have any intel on planned protests for the Iran-Egypt match on June 26.

SPD told The Seattle Times the zones were set up to give everyone a chance to exercise their First Amendment rights, regardless of the event. KIRO host Spike O’Neill saw the zones as a smart move.

“This is the perfect solution for groups that want to be protesting, because otherwise they’re in the faces of the people trying to get into the game,” he said.

“They were walking around, they weren’t in the protest zone,” Jake countered. “There were people holding up anti-ICE stuff, and there were people with bullhorns walking around, so they’re not being held to the zones.”

“Well, in that case, game two is coming up on Friday, protesters,” Spike responded.

Watch the full discussion in the video above

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3