Protesters are gathering in Downtown Seattle this afternoon while shoppers frantically scurry from store to store spending money on things they don't need. These activists' message: that Black Lives are more important than Black Friday deals.
Follow Stranger reporter Heidi Groover (@heidigroover), who is on the scene.
#BlackLivesMatter protest wrapping up at Mercer and Westlake. "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win."
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 26, 2016
Speakout at Mercer/Westlake. "We need to channel the huge energy against Trump into local organizing against building of a new youth jail"
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 26, 2016
Westlake and Mercer. pic.twitter.com/BzJPqUHbPf
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 26, 2016
2/ environmental protests, asks cop to "protect everyone." He tells her that's just her "perception."
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 26, 2016
Marchers will not be getting on the freeway tonight. Protest stopped and chanting near the convention center. pic.twitter.com/ENeeWQvEbB
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 26, 2016
"It's not enough to be a protester at a protest. We need to be organizers." pic.twitter.com/ctPV7o3yfa
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Speaker to majority-white crowd: "You need to go into your own communities" and educate people... "Support #BlockTheBunker." pic.twitter.com/IjWhJijona
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Tons of young people here. pic.twitter.com/SS1ARJT0NF
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
"Today I'm thankful for clean water." Speaker urges people to put their money in black-owned banks or credit unions. pic.twitter.com/jS2x4uUycy
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
We're in Zara, police blocking entrance to rest of mall. "Black lives matter, not Black Friday" pic.twitter.com/PRAC6zf33F
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
~1,000 people here pic.twitter.com/9WgHXOcZuV
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Cop tells protester "We don't care where you go, just not against the flow of traffic." Here's what the cops look like: pic.twitter.com/6AkTqlOEQk
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Pro-refugee, anti-Trump messages here. Heading south on 5th. pic.twitter.com/L7qRmEbX5Y
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
March is staying downtown, cops trailing on bikes. All peaceful (if disorganized) so far from what I can tell. pic.twitter.com/33OB7cfrwg
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
#BlackLivesMatter protest in the streets downtown on 3rd. pic.twitter.com/FKMIvTgO04
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Small child on the mic: "Black people are treated differently because of the color of their skin and that's just mean and racist."
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
"Black lives matter! Not Black Friday!" pic.twitter.com/rSmBg7uS81
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
Gathering signatures for I-873, which would make it easier to prosecute wrongful killings by police in WA. pic.twitter.com/RYN6nTZWTH
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
A restrictive Washington state law currently requires prosecutors to prove that police officers who have wrongly killed someone acted "with malice and without a good faith belief." Initiative 873 would remove this "state-of-mind language" from the law, Ansel Herz wrote.
Couple hundred people here so far, cops on bikes and horses waiting on the edges. pic.twitter.com/1OAMmICQDh
— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) November 25, 2016
