Protesters converge into Seattle for the 8th night

A large crowd once again gathered at Cal Anderson Park on the 8th night of protests in Seattle.

Follow live updates from Friday:

11:11pm – A peaceful crowd remains near Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

10:10pm – Another march is moving down Union Street, presumably headed towards Cal Anderson Park.

9:02pm –Seattle DOT says The Anti-Apartheid Reparations Now Movement rally is on 23rd Ave. S near Jefferson Street.

UPDATE: Demonstration is now moving NB on 23rd Ave S from E Yesler Wy to E Jefferson St. Use other routes on 23rd Ave E. pic.twitter.com/HxUGYRn9J2

— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) June 6, 2020

8:05pm – Marchers are moving up Jackson Street in Seattle towards Cal Anderson Park to meet up with a large crowd of protesters chanting, “Whose lives matter, black lives matter.”

7:11pm – Protesters continue chanting — “Hands up, don’t shoot and Whose lives matter, black lives matter” — at the corner of 11th and Pine near Cal Anderson Park in Seattle. Police an National Guard remain behind barricades.

6:04pm – Optimism Brewing is opening their bathrooms to protesters and has water, snacks and first aid.

We just received an amazing donation of water, snacks and first aid! If you need anything, come by! #seattleprotestcomms #seattleprotest #seattleprotests #seaprotest pic.twitter.com/MJy1wvkS1x

— Optimism Brewing Co. (@OptimismBrewing) June 5, 2020

5:35pm – Protesters are chanting “Say her name: Breonna Taylor.” Today is Taylor’s birthday. She would have been 27 years old. Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins talked about Taylor today during a city news conference. He thanked her for her service as an EMT.

4:35pm – Former mayoral candidate Nikkita Oliver is speaking to protesters on Capitol Hill while Seattle Assistant Police Chief Thomas Mahaffey is speaking to another crowd outside of the police department headquarters.

3:29pm – Seattle Mayor Durkan has asked Police Chief Carmen Best to immediately issue a directive to ban the use of tear gas for 30 days at protests in the city. Read more.

12:08pm – Protesters are still at 11th and Pine. One appears to have set up a beanbag chair behind the barrier.

10:01am – Activist Nikkita Oliver will be leading a “rally and teach-in” Friday at 3:30 p.m., at 23th and Jackson.

9:54am – Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis is the latest on the council to take a stance against the use of tear gas by the city’s police department.

Just a PSA to my fellow elected officials. It should not take political courage to be against tear gas. If there was ever an easy thing to ban from American streets, it’s tear gas. I am 100% in favor of banning tear gas and you should be too. End PSA.

— Andrew J. Lewis (@LewisforSeattle) June 5, 2020

At some point today, the city’s civilian-led Office of Police Accountability, the Community Police Commission, and the Office of the Inspector General are expected to release recommendations regarding that issue.

9:06am – A small handful of protesters still remain, but have been largely quiet.

7:51am – Just two protesters are now standing at 11th and Pine, while a small handful of others are sitting feet away from the barricade.

7:00am – Just four people can be seen at the barricade now, with a small handful sitting behind them.

6:21am – Roughly 10 protesters remain in Capitol Hill at the barricade, continuing to chant and hold up signs.

5:11am – Roughly a dozen protesters remain at the barricaded intersection of 11th and Pine near the East Precinct. Some are sitting, and others are dancing as this marks almost 40 straight hours of active protests in Seattle.

See moment-by-moment updates from Thursday here

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