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Protesters pack into Seattle City Hall, remain at East Precinct

Jun 9, 2020, 5:24 AM | Updated: 11:26 pm

Protesters pack City Hall on Tuesday night. (KIRO Radio, Hanna Scott)...

Protesters pack City Hall on Tuesday night. (KIRO Radio, Hanna Scott)

(KIRO Radio, Hanna Scott)

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BY MYNORTHWEST STAFF


MyNorthwest.com

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant led a march to City Hall after holding a meeting at Cal Anderson Park on Tuesday night to discuss a proposed ban on chemical weapons. The group got into City Hall, where they chanted and called out Mayor Durkan. Photos

Meanwhile, a crowd remains at the East Precinct as it has every night for the last week and a half.

Follow live updates from Tuesday:

10:40pm – Protesters have erected a large screen at 12th and Pine on Capitol Hill. Many in the crowd are sitting on the ground to watch a documentary.

10:16pm – Protesters left City Hall march toward Capitol Hill.

9:48pm – Protesters remain inside City Hall and protesters remain outside the East Precinct on Capitol Hill.

9:31pm – Reports on Twitter indicate that a speaker asked Sawant not to use the Black Lives Matter protests to further her political agenda. Another group of marchers appears to have arrived at City Hall.

9:25pm – The crowd remains packed into City Hall.

9:22pm – Protesters are calling for Durkan to resign and singing, “You’re about to lose your job.”

9:18pm – Councilmember Sawant and others are speaking to the crowd in City Hall. Video shows protesters chanting “Tax Amazon” after Sawant finished speaking.

9:09pm – KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott captures the scene inside City Hall.

9:00pm – Protesters pack into City Hall in downtown Seattle.

8:51pm – Protesters from Cal Anderson Park are on the move through Seattle. Meanwhile, a large crowd remains at the East Precinct.

8:25pm – Led by Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a huge crowd is leaving Cal Anderson Park on Seattle’s Capitol Hill and is marching toward downtown Seattle.

8:06pm – The Office of Emergency Management in Seattle released its plans for the night. It says Seattle police will answer 911 calls that would normally be handled through the East Precinct, Seattle DOT will pick up trash and clean graffiti, and the Seattle Fire Department is educating businesses in the area on how to prevent dumpster fires and arson.

7:31pm – The crowd at Cal Anderson Park cheers for Kshama Sawant.

7:09pm – Hundreds are gathered in Cal Anderson Park not too far from where protesters have been stationed for over a week.

5:58pm – KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott is at 12th and Pine talking to protesters and speakers.

5:37pm – Speakers are on the mic at 12th and Pine. Several large tents have been erected on the corner. People are slowly moving past the barriers that protesters put into place Monday night. The East Precinct remains boarded up.

4:23pm – The streets in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood where protesters have been gathering are fairly quiet this afternoon. There’s a rally expected to start at 6 p.m. at nearby Cal Anderson Park, hosted by councilmember Kshama Sawant.

3:08pm – The streets surrounding the East Precinct blocked off by barricades and cars is being referred to as “Free Capitol Hill” and the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.”

1:57pm – KIRO Radio’s Nicole Jennings reports there are no police at the East Precinct, though the Seattle Fire Department is present. Firefighters want to make sure their trucks can get to protesters in case of an emergency.

1:12pm – Photos show the barricades set up by protesters to keep out cars and agitators in the block surrounding Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct. Last night, after the police left the area, protesters were able to walk past the precinct for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Wrap up from Monday night:

Dozens of people stayed late into the night Monday at 12th and Pine, the corner where the now boarded up East Precinct sits.

Read moment-by-moment accounts of Monday night’s protest here

With the East Precinct abandoned by police early Monday evening — and despite scanner chatter warning of possible violence — protesters remained peaceful through the night, with speakers periodically delivering speeches on the steps of the building.

Police Chief Carmen Best had said earlier in the day that her officers would take a different approach on that block with a reduced footprint. Police and National Guard members were spotted convening roughly a mile north in Volunteer Park. Meanwhile, the Seattle Fire Department warned surrounding buildings “to be aware of potential arson fires.”

Speakers Monday night included Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who vowed to support a 50% defunding of SPD’s budget, proposed earlier in the day by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda.

Opinion: No more reform — it’s time to rebuild Seattle policing

A smattering of protesters remained in the area overnight.

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