Here at Magnuson this evening with friends at the Rally and March to defund SPD by at least 50% and invest that money in communities. #defundSPD #BlackLivesMatter #BlmSeattle #SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

Savannah Demissie from Black Visions Coalition on the mic now.

“If you’re ready to talk about Black lives but you’re not ready to combat your own white supremacy...” #SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

Shaun Scott up here now, expressing gratitude to the medics, Bike Brigade, Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

“Everybody should be released and not punished for exercising their constitutional rights.”

“$407 million for the SPD exceeds the combined budgets for childcare, affordable housing, libraries...”

- Shaun Scott (2019 Seattle City Council candidate)

Jae up on stage.

“Malcolm X said that if we become citizens then that would be enough...but it’s not enough. They’ve changed out the name slave for prison...”

“There’s a concept called the soup, and currently we’re fighting against other members that are in it.”

“Who’s got the lid on the soup?”

“This is a white issue. It’s a Black catastrophe & that is not acceptable. I will continue to iterate that this is not a block party. Every day it’s white bodies to the front!”

#BlackLivesMatter #BlmSeattle #SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

The MC and crowd chant “ @MayorJenny, you missed a zero!” in response to her proposal to defund SPD by 5% this week.

“ @MayorJenny obviously doesn’t want to come to us but you know what? We’re the people. Let’s go to her!”

- the march is about to begin to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s neighborhood to state demands

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests #BlackLivesMatter

The organizers’ demands.

1. Defund SPD by at least 50%!
2. Reinvest those $ in Black communities
3. Free them all. Release all protesters without charges.

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests #BlmSeattle #BlackLivesMatter

A blessing of the land was conducted earlier on before I started this thread, by a Native American woman. A call to all organizers to please remember to work with Coast Salish peoples when protesting and organizing, for consent and co-operation.

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

Walking past houses in Sand Point now. There’s a very little boy in a Seahawks jersey on a balcony with his family. The adults look a bit bored but he’s jumping up & down excitedly waving his fists while everyone chants “Whose lives matter? BLACK LIVES MATTER!” #BlackLivesMatter

A new chant I haven’t heard before.

“No cops, no KKK, no racist USA!”

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

This is what it sounds like. #BlmSeattle #SeattleProtests #SeattleProtest #BlackLivesMatter

We’re on Sand Point Way NE about to head past 50th Ave NE.

We’ve stopped now, apparently near @MayorJenny’s mansion.

“...built her career on prosecuting Black and brown people...now she wants to protect her own people, the police”

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests #BlackLivesMatter #BlmSeattle

We’re stopped on the intersection of NE Windermere Rd and NE Ambleside Rd. One of the Bike Brigade members up on the mic now. They’ve been here since the very first Bike Brigade event.

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests #BlackLivesMatter

“We need to center the lives that have been most brutalized by the current system. Black Lives Matter. Indigenous Lives Matter...we need to defund the police.”

Black Seattle Bike Brigade member, calling for @MayorJenny’s resignation.

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

Now uplifting the demands of Charleena Lyles’ family.

1. Drop the lawsuits that prevent families from getting answers, that has prevented Lyles’ family from proceeding with inquest
2. Defund the police by at least 50%
3. Free all protesters, drop all charges against them

#BLM

Jill (Filipino) on the mic.

“This is what a massive movement looks like! We are artists...we are immigrants...I’m from the Philippines which is under US imperialism...that’s what we’re living in right now (in Seattle)...through wars of oppression...”

Micah, a non-binary immigrant from the Philippines.

“I am here in international solidarity. We know the liberation of the Black people here in the US is closely tied to the global struggle against US imperialism.”

#BlackLivesMatter #SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

“This country was built on stolen lands by people who were stolen from their homelands...we cannot just show up now or in the next few months...we need to be here until victory is won. For a future we all want to see, we need to dare to struggle & we need to dare to win!” - Micah

Anna Hackman (educator) speaking on the efforts to expel SPOG from the MLK Labor Council.

“We wanted to hold the Labor Council responsible for working with the murderous police force. And we won. This was a historic victory for the labor movement.”

This was rank and file workers pushing our unions to vote to expel. Or rally was just one small piece of a bigger struggle. The result was a testament to the fact that when workers are strong, unions are strong.

“Why the fuck are we paying cops a salary of $300K to kill us? Durkan’s budget is a giant fuck you to us all. Something better is possible and we need to fight for that possibility”

- Anna Hackman, educator

We’re walking through a street where every house is big & has a manicured lawn. Some people are watching from inside their houses. There’s only one house where the residents are interacting with protesters. They’re giving out water “stay safe” they say! #SeattleProtests #BLM

Handful of the houses here have Black Lives Matter signs on their lawns.

#BlackLivesMatter #SeattleProtest

Roxanne White, Native woman who conducted the blessing at the beginning of our day, on the mic.

“Hopefully whatever I do today and the life that I get to live today because of my sobriety, will impact the next 7 generations.”

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

“We can only hope and pray that we empower them, that we encourage them. Where do Indigenous youth belong in Black Lives Matter?”

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests

The officer who murdered John T. Williams still has a job after being fired from the SPD...

#SeattleProtest #SeattleProtests