May Day Protestors gathering outside the Federal Building on 2nd Avenue in Seattle
Seattle’s May Day protest was loud, but uneventful on Monday.
The crowd started gathering early outside the federal building on 2nd Avenue under the watchful eye of Seattle Police.
“It just depends on what you’re trying to accomplish” dressed in black with a red bandana covering his face, 19 year old Max told Northwest Newsradio he wanted no trouble “Today, it’s international workers day and we’re trying to celebrate.”
Seattle May Day protests have been violent & destructive over the years, “We want to avoid that at all costs” police kept their distance, but outreach officer Monique Avery says the bomb squad was brought in to check the protest route “Let them know what our ground rules are as far as property destruction and assaults.”
Last year tensions calmed; and no warnings were issued this year to businesses or residents.
“We have a rally this Saturday, just wanted to let you guys know about it” Matt Smith, with the Socialist Alternative, was passing out flyers and fighting for a workers right to strike “The (US) supreme court, in a case called ‘Glacier Northwest’ is threatening to really undermine the power of workers to go on strike.”
Worker and Immigrant Rights are at the center of this May Day, but different political ideologies abound “It’s ‘Red Flag’ it’s the party I belong to, the International Communist Workers party” this 75 year old woman, who declined to give us her name, says she’s been a communist most of her adult life “I’m a communist, I think you have to smash capitalism to end all the things we hate: racism, sexism, homophobia.”
A march wound its way across Seattle before to Capitol Hill where protestors had lunch at Judkins Park before the rains came.
