On Saturday, hundreds of people stood arm in arm on the unforgiving concrete of I-5 to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. A link in the chain of Seattle’s rich history of activism, this interfaith and intergenerational group of brave protesters shut down traffic in the northbound direction for over four hours. For some, the highway shutdown evoked deep pride in our city’s moral center, but for others it triggered frustration. To unpack and respond to some of this pushback, it’s important to understand how we got here.
Since the October 7 attacks, the Israeli government has targeted civilians in Gaza with its merciless bombing campaign, killing more than 23,000 Palestinians, over 1% of Gaza’s population. Many more Palestinians are lost under rubble from Israeli air strikes and have not been recovered. The UN Humanitarian Chief has declared Gaza “uninhabitable,” with the vast majority of its populace now homeless, warning “famine [is] around the corner.” As people of conscience who are painfully aware that hundreds of billions of American tax dollars have gone to fund the Israeli occupation of Palestine for the past 75 years, we know that we are obligated to act, to interrupt, and to put ourselves on the line.
For three months (and for many months and years prior), organizers and liberation-seekers have poured heart, soul, and skill into the cause of Palestinian freedom. Do they have a word for the feeling after you’ve left a message on your Senator’s voicemail for the 89th time, knowing full well she won’t call you back? Or for the feeling when you show up at your Senator’s office week after week—the death toll doubling, tripling, quadrupling—as she sends her staff to work from home because you are nothing but a nuisance, a pebble in her shoe? Do they have a word for it in your mame-loshn, in your mother tongue? We don’t have one in mine.
In these conditions, escalation is not only our prerogative but our imperative. There have been months of organized boycotts, candlelight vigils, phone calls, and demonstrations—from the Statue of Liberty to our own Space Needle. But still, our so-called representatives refuse to call for a ceasefire, revealing the grotesque chasm between their constituents’ demands and their own ambitions. They have shown us time and again that they’re not listening. The goal of the protest blocking I-5 was to tell electeds that there will be no business as usual until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
As with any action that interfaces with the public so directly, there are bound to be a few gripes. On Twitter, some Seattleites (in a tone of eerie glee) called for police to bring out fire hoses to brutalize the protesters. I’m not interested in winning over the people who think the cops of 1963 Alabama were the “good guys,” but I do hope I can clarify some points for the folks who are wrestling in good faith with the tactics of the Palestine solidarity movement.
Many (less murderous) locals argued that disrupting the general public will cause us to lose the war of public opinion, which currently leans in favor of permanent ceasefire. However, winning public opinion is not sufficient if our elected representatives do not feel obligated to actually represent those opinions. Both things are true: the public should not be made to feel alienated from the cause of Palestinian liberation, and disrupting business-as-usual is an established tactic of social movements, designed to increase pressure on elected officials when they have otherwise proved themselves unreachable.
Seattle was home to America’s first anti-war freeway protest in 1970, in which thousands of college students shut down I-5 the day after National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State in Ohio. Thirty-three years later, eight activists shut down the 520 bridge to protest the Iraq War. It’s nearly impossible to draw a line from any individual protest to an individual shift in policy, but it is clear that such actions, in concert with larger movements, form greater tides that pressure our nation’s leaders and impact the course of history.
Organizers do not employ these tactics lightly. In fact, they regularly engage with concerns about the impact direct actions will have on the wider community. Concerns about safety are not only valid, they’re shared by protesters. On Saturday, teams on the ground worked to ensure ambulances carrying patients were able to continue en route. Fliers were distributed to stuck drivers, and the tone of this gesture was one of genuine apology. “We would not have taken this action,” the flier read, “if it weren’t an emergency of life or death for thousands, if not millions, of people.”
And not all the drivers felt inconvenienced or appeared to reject the action. Some drivers headed in the southbound direction put on their hazard lights and slowed their vehicles to wave Palestinian flags out of the moon roof, and other motorists honked and cheered as they passed. Most notably, there was one driver who–following the turnaround that cleared cars from the northbound side–went to park their car in the surrounding neighborhood and returned to join in the protest. One commenter on Instagram noted that, although they had to take a detour home from work due to the protest, they “prayed the entire way home…for the people of Gaza.”
Often, the critiques of public direct action treat protesters as if they are feckless, taking action without seriously anticipating consequences and contingencies. In reality, these are individuals who have proven they care deeply. Do we actually believe that people would lay their bodies down on I-5—where protesters have been critically injured and killed during such demonstrations in the past—without holding inside themselves deep steadfastness and purpose? Or are we so completely housebroken that we outright reject even nonviolent resistance movements that risk our personal convenience?
What heartens me most is that, despite the pushback of all varieties, I also notice an outpouring of solidarity, both from residents of Seattle and from the wider world. In the discourse happening on social media, I notice naysayers, but I also see statements of pride in our city and its legacy of activism, and I see love for our coalition of deeply committed activists. I would invite anyone who’s wrestling with the tactics of last Saturday’s action to lean in closer. What would it look like for you to join this work of stopping business as usual, of refusing to accept genocide as a social norm? This wrestling you’re doing is holy work, and I want us to do it as we move towards justice, together.
Sarah Day is a Jewish artist and educator. She runs her own Judaica brand, and lives in Seattle with her husband and tiny dog. Jesse Roth also contributed to the writing. She is a writer, theater artist, and Capitol Hill resident. She writes Art Gardening, a newsletter on artistic ecosystems.
I think you should definitely keep doing “the work”, this self-righteous “holy work”, and make sure the people of Seattle know that signalling your opinions on distant conflicts is always going to be more important than the day-to-day reality of their actual work.
None of this gets Hamas to surrender and release all the hostages.
I can’t think of anything that is more of a fool’s errand than urging U.S. politicians to demand Israeli politicians take action to end the conflict in Palestine. It will not make any difference.
If you want to actually create change, stop with the pointless performative protests that do nothing beyond inconveniencing bystanders. Instead, do something concrete: blockade the transport of military supplies to Israel. This will require more effort than hanging around Patty Murray’s office or wandering onto I-5 from Olive: you’ll need to travel to the Port of Tacoma or Bremerton Naval Base. But, you’ll actually be directly impacting Israel’s ability continue the conflict.
“On Saturday, teams on the ground worked to ensure ambulances carrying patients were able to continue en route.”
Has anyone any evidence for this, or is it just a butt-covering lie because the ambulance trapped on I-5 was so obvious, even the Stranger (dismissively) reported on it?
“…the Israeli government has targeted civilians in Gaza with its merciless bombing campaign,”
Targeting civilians is a war crime. Inadvertently killing civilians used as human shields by combatants is not. Has the author any evidence of the IDF intentionally killing civilians in Gaza? Because Hamas’ use of civilians in Gaza as human shields was documented years ago, https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/hamas_human_shields.pdf
Why do any of the people think that the Israelis, care what they, Senator Murray or President Biden want?
@11 The protestors want to feel like they are doing something, but are unwilling to take more direct action.
“They have shown us time and again that they’re not listening.”
Just because someone isn’t doing what you want doesn’t mean “they’re not listening.”
They – and every one else – have heard you. They just don’t agree with you.
Now please grow up and get over it.
I second hbb, we have plenty of outposts of the military industrial complex within an hours drive of Seattle – if you want to make a difference, protest at those sites (holding every day folks captive for 5 hours is not meaningful).
Jews have lived in Israel for millennia – they are not occupiers, they are returning to their ancestral land (the UN understood this fact in the 40’s). I feel bad that the Palestinian people have had such bad leadership – hopefully a new generation will rise to help them live in peace. The two state solution is the best path forward.
Did we really need a second post about this after the robust debate over the first one (91 comments and counting)? This is regurgitating the same old tired talking points about these protests. At least the author can feel nice and warm wrapped up in her cloak of moral righteousness. Many other posters have already pointed out the numerous fallacies with their position and actions. I would equally point out that is offensive to even mention this in the same breath as the civil rights protests of the 60’s. It’s no where close to being the same thing. If you want to keep this shit up its totally within your right to do so but in the past protestors were also arrested and subject to fines and jail time and they wore that with a badge of honor. Today’s activist class feels like they can do whatever they want and there should be zero repercussions. That should end and we should follow the lead of LA and New York. Protest is fine, start harming the community with your virtue signaling and its time to get arrested and pay a fine. I would bet if that started happening the “passion” for this bullshit would end pretty quickly.
“are we so completely housebroken that we outright reject even nonviolent resistance movements that risk our personal convenience?”
These comments and the general online discourse point clearly to an answer. It seems we’d sooner sell our democracy to the lowest bidder to maintain our little conveniences. Are we so fragile now we can’t even handle a slight interruption?
Disheartening and pathetic to see folks advocating for violence against protestors (tear gas, fire hose, run them over, arrest them all, etc.) Not to mention all the bad faith statements claiming people were TRAPPED for HOURS. Get a grip; that’s not even remotely true.
It’s not about convenience. Protesting and peaceful resistance is an American tradition and right, whether you agree or not, whether you like the protest or not, whether you’re involved or not!
I support a cease fire in Gaza, but statistically we’re likely to see more deaths from these actions. If someone is being transported by ambulance or private car to the ER, 4+ hours can be the difference between life and death. I’m not a lawyer, but criminal and civil penalties are a risk.
@17 Despite the author’s characterization, these are not “nonviolent resistance movements that risk our personal convenience.” There was no “risk” of inconvenience: the whole point of this protest was to make absolutely certain innocent bystanders were delayed as long as possible, and unable to easily reach their destinations. The protesters were using the public as pawns. This is fundamentally different than the tradition of protests you invoke.
Regarding “the bad faith statements claiming people were TRAPPED for HOURS,” I commented in one another SLOG post on this topic about a young couple with an infant I observed who were waiting out the traffic. They weren’t stuck on I-5, but due to the traffic conditions, they had no way to get home for several hours. They were out of formula, and the mother was unable to breastfeed, resulting in a very hungry child. That’s not the end of the world I suppose, but it is a direct consequence of the protestors’ misguided efforts to send a message to Washington’s Congressional delegation. I’m not o.k. with that sort of collateral damage, but these protestors are, which is troubling.
I think I mentioned in a previous comment thread that I was in that traffic. Gasping when a protester jumped in front of my slow but still moving car as another protester grabbed her coat collar and blessedly yanked her out of my lane. Thinking about my old classmate Rachel Corrie who died very young for this same cause. Receiving panicky “where are you” & “every single moment is precious” texts from my family because I was on my way to visiting my grandma that started hospice.
Be careful & kind with other people’s lives. Because you never know what other people are going through. Every single moment is precious.
A couple of points: The poll cited has some glaring assumptions, namely, that a ceasefire is predicated on the release of hostages, something that Hamas has yet to commit to and Hamas has not committed to a permanent ceasefire. https://thehill.com/opinion/4399520-the-pitfalls-of-polling-about-a-gaza-ceasefire/amp/
The other point is, even if our federal representatives supported a ceasefire, then what?
8/tensorna: regarding “Has anyone any evidence for this, or is it just a butt-covering lie because the ambulance trapped on I-5 was so obvious, even the Stranger (dismissively) reported on it?” I was there in that traffic from around 2:30-3:00. I don’t remember that ambulance moving then. It was in the far west northbound lane with yellow unblinking lights on. Under the Olive Way or Denny overpass. I wish I’d taken video or pictures of it, but I was trying to keep my eyes on the road for safety of all involved. You might be able to find timestamped pictures or video elsewhere online that shows you when that jam cleared up & if the ambulance was still there or not.
News from SF says transplant organs were blocked from delivery to patients in the Bay Bridge protest. So these road blocks absolutely effect life or death of some locals.
“This wrestling you’re doing is holy work, and I want us to do it… together”
There it is.
The protest tactics of the Baby Boomers are ineffective in the 2020s, particularly for a situation that most Americans either know nothing about or don’t understand. It comes across as a tantrum.
the trolls are strong here, I hope they are at least getting paid or a free BBQ hosted by Jason Rantz,
everyone needs a hobby.
not to worry
when el trumpfster
Steals the Next one
nobody’s gonna Trouble
the Citizenry with any silly
little ‘protests.’ and all busses
will be EXACTLY On Time (or the
Driver’ll be shot). who “needs” those silly
little protests anyway? they’re too damn Dangerous.
@27
they’ll
be Lucky to
get a reach-around.
@pdonahue:
General Strike.
well
duh.
I was very moved by what you wrote and believe you are in the right. People critical of direct action always say there is somewhere else to go that would be better, like for climate activist out in the woods to block a pipeline. The war in Gaza is not only a tragedy for the Palestinians, but also a sign of the Great Unraveling where it becomes obvious that something is wrong. Boeing so intent on shareholder profit that doors fly off, billionaires owning the political process, a fascistic power brutalizing civilians is receiving the support of our government, Republicans living in a world of ‘alternative’ facts, democracy in our own country at risk. War anywhere is also war on our planet. We literally can’t go on this way. Thank you for standing up for peace.
@30: I know reading comprehension implies respect for another human being and therefore I just lost you again, but the actual question I asked @8 was for the validity of the organizer’s unsupported claim, “On Saturday, teams on the ground worked to ensure ambulances carrying patients were able to continue en route.” While your knowledge of those newfangled technologies of vehicles, lights, and radio was impressive (for you), those don’t actually mean jack if the roadway can’t be cleared, and that, in turn, is actually a matter for law enforcement, not protesters. As it was, we know the ambulance was not cleared for a long time, and in the video linked in the Stranger’s original report on this demonstration, the ambulance does have lights flashing. So the validity of the organizer’s post facto, self-serving claim remains completely unsupported by all of the reporting done here.
(I won’t waste my time by asking you to do anything useful, like, say, actually knowing stuff before running your mouth.)
“(I won’t
waste my time
by asking you to do
anything useful, like, say, actually
knowing stuff before running your mouth.)”
–@Wormtongue
what a
dick.
why,
tS?
@36: The organizers of this meaningless, performative protest didn’t care at all if they were endangering lives by blocking traffic. Called on that basic inconsideration, they published this justification, which baldly lies about their ability and willingness to allow ambulances to pass. View the video linked in the Stranger’s original post. The ambulance sits there, lights flashing, a few vehicles back from the group of blocking protesters. No one in that group does anything to help extricate the ambulance. (It apparently remained stuck for hours.) This is how they protest civilian deaths in Gaza: by showing they simply do not care if anyone in Seattle dies because of THEIR actions. Quite the moral high ground they’ve blockaded for themselves.
The only thing this thread is missing is Our Dear Raindrop coming in an yammering about the “anti-Semitic left”.
First and foremost, I’m glad no one was hurt. Regardless of one’s stance on the horrific scene playing out in Gaza, these types of demonstrations are the laziest, least effective way to change minds. Period. It’s incredibly difficult to change people’s minds and we should understand this by now what with the MAGA cult and all. It usually makes people double down on their stances without any consideration. This seems to be the playbook for protestors in Seattle and it’s a turn off for many.
@36: it’s funny you mention crocodile tears. That’s sort of like an old-timey term for “performative outrage,” right?
As @33 hints, there are many, many issues of concern these days and the direct-action crowd that delights in freeway protests like this one have already demonstrated that they consider it their moral imperative to disrupt “business as usual” for any and all causes that they deem sufficiently urgent. Today’s it’s Palestine, yesterday it was something else, tomorrow it will be yet another thing. For most observers, they passed their “boy who cried wolf” moment years ago.
This is no reflection on the rightness or wrongness of their various causes.
shoobop dear, I hesitate to wade into the ambulance discussion, because I think this protest was just political masturbation, regardless of the vacancy rate of the ambulance. But I will quietly murmur that even a vacant ambulance stuck in traffic is still an ambulance that is not available for emergency service.
If it was a Medic One ambulance, Seattle Fire Department only has seven units. Although the King County territory has twenty-six total.
@43: Then we’re talking about two different ambulances, because the one in the video to which the Stranger linked in their original report clearly has lights flashing, and none of the protesters blocking I-5 ahead of it help to extricate it. Yet still you believe their self-serving, post-facto claims they were ready, willing, and able to help.
And if you could get your tunnel vision off the flashing lights of that ambulance for a moment, you might take Catalina’s hint: by snarling traffic and taking emergency vehicles out of service, the protesters demonstrated they simply didn’t care if anyone died as a result of their actions.
Oh now, Tensorna dear, let’s not jump to conclusions. I don’t think it’s so much as they don’t care if anyone dies, they don’t understand how things work.
As a “Gen X” person, I had the Richard Scary books that focused on how communities functioned. Maybe those aren’t in print anymore.
@46: Thank you for correcting me, dear. You are completely right, I made the unwarranted assumption they’d thought through the easily-predictable consequences of their actions. We have no evidence of their having this capability. 😉
That’s why you yammer, Raindrop dear. Widespread anti-semitism on “the left” is only glaringly obvious to you. And we know how you can be.