Here's another theory for the I-5 rerouting: Marchers were bent on committing civil disobedience, and they couldn't do that on the original march route because the police gave the march a permit. "We generally try to accommodate people when they want to march," says Seattle Police Lieutenant Mark Kuehn.
But the permit, which was obtained behind the march organizers' backs, and signed by a police lieutenant but not a parade organizer, legitimized the planned march, stripping it of any political potency.
The marchers didn't request the permit, and frankly, they didn't want one. "A political decision was made not to go out and seek a permit," says King County Council Member Larry Gossett, who participated in the march.
"We didn't ask for a permit, because we sought no permission. We don't ask permission to stand up for our dignity," Braxton boomed at a raucous follow-up rally on Monday night, April 22, at Capitol Hill's First A.M.E. Church. "We marched... with an imposed escort."
Don't look for public notices about these protesters' next moves. Braxton and his allies are keeping future plans quiet--so they can do things on their terms, not the city's.
