How to Protect Yourself From Tear Gas

Cops • Slog AM/PM

Slog AM: "Where Is the Love?"

by Chase Burns and Jasmyne Keimig • Friday at 2:21 am

The crowd as of 2 am.
The crowd as of 2 am.

Good morning! It's past 2 a.m. and we're signing off for the evening from 11th and Pine, where the seventh night of protests related to the killing of George Floyd continues outside the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct. You can read all of our earlier updates from tonight's protest here.

The morning started off by singing "Happy Birthday" to Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers after they entered her apartment in plainclothes with a battering ram. The officers were serving a "no-knock warrant," which allowed them to enter without identifying themselves. After a confrontation, officers shot Taylor at least eight times. She was an E.M.T. and would have been 27 today. Post birthday wishes, the crowd started chanting "rest in peace, fuck the police."


And then an explosion:


At around 12:45 a.m., what appears to be a firework went off inside the crowd of protestors: The crowd had been peaceful the entire night and was dancing to music when the explosion went off. In the ensuing confusion, a couple of protestors threw traffic cones and signs across the barricade as more SPD officers and National Guard came to the police line, putting on gas masks and issuing warnings.


Protestors called on people to stop throwing things: The DJ started playing “Where Is the Love?” by the Black Eyes Peas, which, uh, strangely helped de-escalate things.

Two protestors even crossed the police barriers to sprinkle flowers in front of the police line: Police then warned them to stay on their side of the barricade.


As of 2 am, this was the scene: Night!


News • Cops • Slog AM/PM • 2020

Slog PM: Seventh Night of Protests in Seattle, Mourning Badge Policy Changes

by Chase Burns, Nathalie Graham and Jasmyne Keimig • Thursday at 11:50 pm

Weve got a light show tonight.
We've got a light show tonight.

We're experimenting with Slog AM/PM formats as we meet the present moment. Today, Slog PM will work as a live blog starting at 3:30 p.m. The most recent updates will be at the top of the post.

Our small but mighty team is working hard to bring you coverage from Seattle's ongoing protests and policy discussions in response to the killing of George Floyd. If you are able, please consider supporting our work.

11:45 PM

It's the end of the day so we'll be hopping off this post: Time for Slog AM.

A group of arts organizations and small businesses on Capitol Hill have created a mutual aid network dedicated to sustaining the protesters: Carolyn Hitt, owner of Blue Cone Studios and bartender at Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar, kicked off the movement on Tuesday. Since then, Rancho Bravo, Bang Seattle, Annex Theater, Optimism Brewery, and SeattleShare have joined the cause. Each place offers different services at different times—water, bathrooms, food, phone charging stations, first aid.

Two officers just took a knee: Not sure what level of cops we're talking about here.

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards is calling for the firing of the four officers involved in the death of Manuel Ellis, reports the Tacoma News Tribune. He died in March from oxygen deprivation while being physically restrained by cops. He called out “I can’t breathe" while being restrained, reports New York Times.

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Film/TV

There's Nothing Like Kathleen Collins's Losing Ground

by Jasmyne Keimig • Thursday at 4:55 pm

Losing Ground is among the several films by Black filmmakers available to stream for free today on the Criterion Channel.
Losing Ground is among the several films by Black filmmakers available to stream for free today on the Criterion Channel. Courtesy of Milestone Films
Today, the Criterion Collection announced that they would be lifting their paywall on films by Black filmmakers and white filmmakers who've captured the Black experience through documentary, so viewers can watch these works for free on their streaming site, the Criterion Channel. This is one part of the company's effort to help fight systemic racism and support Black creators as protests rage around the country, calling for an end to police brutality against Black people as well as greater police reform. They will also be contributing $5,000 monthly to organizations fighting racism in America, after an initial $25,000 contribution.

Back in September, I wrote about Kathleen Collins's wonderful Losing Ground (1982) for Unstreamable, a column I write with Digital Editor Chase Burns every week about films that aren't currently streaming. The film was one of the first feature-length dramas since the 1920s to be directed by a Black woman. After being screened at various film festivals, Losing Ground never got a wide-theatrical release during Collins' lifetime, which was tragically cut short by breast cancer at the age of 46 in 1988. In the time since, the film has been rediscovered and cherished widely by critics and Black filmmakers alike.

And, lucky for you, Losing Ground is now available to watch (for free!) on the Criterion Channel. There's no film like it.

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News • Coronavirus

Washington's New COVID Testing Strategy: If You Feel Sick, Get a Test Within 24 Hours

by Rich Smith • Thursday at 4:17 pm

If you have flu-like symptoms, get a test!!!!
If you have flu-like symptoms, get a test!!!! JOHN MOORE / GETTY IMAGES

On Thursday Governor Jay Inslee and Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman issued new guidance on testing: If you feel like you have COVID-19 symptoms—even very mild symptoms—then get a test, ideally within 24 hours.

If you live in a household with someone who thinks they have it, then get a test.

If you live in congregate housing or work in a meat plant or some other industry that has dealt with an outbreak, then get a test.

If in the last 14 days you've come into contact with someone who thinks they have COVID-19, then get a test.

And while you're waiting for the test results, stay home until you get a negative test result back. Also, if someone in your household is waiting for a test result, you should stay home until you all hear back.

You can get a test from your doctor, or from a clinic offering drive-thru and walk-up testing.

Before today, public health officials advised non-vulnerable populations with mild symptoms to stay home and not get a test. Now, Inslee says our testing capacity has ramped up enough to allow for a broader group of people to get tests.

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EverOut

The Best Movies to Stream This Weekend in Seattle: June 4-7, 2020

by Stranger EverOut Staff • Thursday at 4:15 pm

Just Mercy stars Michael B. Jordan as civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson during the 1992 case of Walter McMillian, who served six years on Alabamas death row after being wrongfully convicted of murdering a white woman. Warner Bros. Pictures is making the film free to stream for the month of June.
Just Mercy stars Michael B. Jordan as civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson during the 1992 case of Walter McMillian, who served six years on Alabama's death row after being wrongfully convicted of murdering a white woman. Warner Bros. Pictures is making the film free to stream for the month of June. JAKE GILES NETTER

As protests demanding action against racist police misconduct continue across the country in the wake of George Floyd's death, there's no better time to watch films that educate us about civil rights leaders, social justice movements, and events throughout history that echo our current moment. Below, we've listed some documentaries you can stream online, from I Am Not Your Negro to The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, as well as other movies being streamed by local theaters this weekend, like Northwest Film Forum, which is donating all proceeds this month to organizations like the Black Lives Matter Seattle Freedom Fund.

POC-Focused Films About Social Justice & Systematic Inequality

13th
Director Ava DuVernay (Selma, When They See Us) explores the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States in this Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary titled after the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. 
Available via Netflix

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TONIGHT! It's the Savage Love Livestream!

by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey • Thursday at 2:40 pm

Screen_Shot_2020-05-28_at_10.29.03_AM.png

Even in the midst of a pandemic quarantine, you have sex and relationship worries, yes? YES, YOU DO!

That's why you don't want to miss the SAVAGE LOVE LIVESTREAM event, coming at you TONIGHT Thursday, June 4, where sex/relationship expert Dan Savage will answer your most pressing questions LIVE in this super fun Zoom event!

Need advice? Simply send your question anonymously to Livestream@savagelovecast.com, and Dan will read and answer as many questions as he can! Oh, and it gets better, because all proceeds of the Savage Love Livestream event will be donated to Northwest Harvest—distributing food to a network of more than 370 food banks, meal programs, and high-need schools.

So don't delay! Send in your question and GET YOUR TICKETS NOW AND HERE for a night of fun with Dan Savage and his sweet 'n' salty brand of no-nonsense advice! ALL YOUR PROBLEMS—SOLVED!*

*Individual results may vary.

News • City • Cops

Seattle Residents Got Tear Gassed in Their Own Apartments

by Nathalie Graham • Thursday at 1:40 pm

Protesters on the streets dont want to deal with this. Civilians in their homes dont either.
Protesters on the streets don't want to deal with this. Civilians in their homes don't either. Nathalie Graham

Maggie has started taping the windows in her apartment in Capitol Hill. She still ends up coughing each night, but it's not as bad as it was Monday night when the Seattle Police Department fired tear gas and pepper spray across the residential neighborhood.

Maggie, whose name has been changed out of fear of backlash she's already gotten from posting about her experience on Twitter from some "local right-wing militia dudes" as she described, lives right near where the George Floyd protests have been happening each night this week on Capitol Hill. She hasn't been participating in the demonstrations because of the pandemic and the vulnerable people who live in her apartment building but she says she's "100 percent in solidarity" with the movement.

On Monday, she was watching and participating from her apartment window. Suddenly, there were flashbangs. She grabbed her camera. It looked like fire. A cloud of smoke billowed upwards. Her partner rushed over yelling to close the windows. Maggie started coughing. Tears were streaming down her face. "I was like 'Oh my god, we have gas in here,'" Maggie said.

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Cops

Putting Mourning Bands on Police Badges Is Defacing Public Property

by Charles Mudede • Thursday at 11:49 am

who is she?
Who is she? Evan Hreha

What is unbelievable in all of this business about Seattle police officers hiding badge numbers with "mourning bands" is that we are discussing it as if it's an issue that deserves a discussion.

Where is there a choice in the matter? How can a police officer, a public servant, decide what he or she will do with any part of a uniform that serves a clear and useful social function? The uniform is public property. Marking it for some sentimental reason or any other is akin to defacing public property. It is nothing but disorderly for a police officer to do anything with their badge but display it as is in public.

Here is Jason Rantz:

The mourning band is a cherished law enforcement symbol to honor officers lost while protecting the communities they serve. A black band not exceeding 1/2 inch is placed around an officer’s badge. It is common to see officers display the band out of respect.

What utter rubbish. The job of a police officer must always be nothing special. The men and women in this occupation are supposed to provide a public good, like planting trees in parks, or removing waste, or repairing a transformer. If an officer is shot and killed during work, it's much the same as a City Light employee falling to their death from the top of a utility pole or something like that. It is, for sure, unfortunate; but someone has to repair and upgrade our utility equipment. The danger comes with the job, and the public pays them to do this job.

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Food & Drink • EverOut

Where to Get Takeout & Delivery For National Doughnut Day 2020 in Seattle

by Stranger EverOut Staff • Thursday at 11:33 am

The black-owned Lynnwood bakery Zuris Donutz boasts inventive flavors like ube with toasted coconut. Theyre open from Tuesday-Sunday for walk-up orders and third-party delivery.
The black-owned Lynnwood bakery Zuri's Donutz boasts inventive flavors like ube with toasted coconut. They're open from Tuesday-Sunday for walk-up orders and third-party delivery. Zuri's Donutz via Instagram

National Doughnut Day (Friday, June 5) may be far from your mind this week, but taking a break and treating yourself to a bit of delicious fried dough, not to mention supporting locally owned doughnut shops, is still very much encouraged. Some local bakeries are also pledging to donate proceeds from this weekend's sales to social justice causes like Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County or the Equal Justice Initiative, which in a way echoes the benevolent origin story of the holiday (it was created to honor the Salvation Army volunteers who distributed doughnuts to soldiers during World War I). Below, we've rounded up special to-go offerings available on Friday, as well as some of our favorite local purveyors of glazed, filled, and frosted treats.

Donut Factory
The Lynnwood and University District shops are open for walk-in orders and third-party delivery on National Doughnut Day. For the future, you can also place 48-hour advance preorders, which allow you to choose your frosting, toppings, coatings, and fillings.

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Cops

Research Says Violent Cops Cause Violent Protests

by Matt Baume • Thursday at 11:27 am

When crowds see police as unfair, unpredictable, and a threat, people no longer regard cops as legitimate authorities and are more likely to disobey.
When crowds see police as unfair, unpredictable, and a threat, people no longer regard cops as legitimate authorities and are more likely to disobey. ChiccoDodiFC/Getty Images

You will be shocked, simply SHOCKED, to learn that after decades of researching effective methods for police response to large crowd actions, researchers have found — and you’re never going to believe this — that when cops show up in military gear and get aggressive, they actually make protest violence worse!

That’s one of the findings in “New Directions in Protest Policing,” a 2015 paper that reviews decades upon decades of police history and the conclusions of multiple separate commissions. Police that dress like they’re going to war, who try to control First Amendment expression rather than facilitate it, and who act in arbitrary ways can inflame violence and jeopardize their own safety and that of the public.

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Film/TV

HBO's I May Destroy You Is a Fearless Portrayal of the Aftereffects of Sexual Assault

by Robert Ham • Thursday at 10:00 am

Michaela Coel
Michaela Coel HBO

If all you know of Michaela Coel is her work in Chewing Gum, the brilliant sitcom she created for BBC Two—and was subsequently streamed on Netflix—you will be ill-prepared for this British talent’s stunning second act, I May Destroy You.

In Chewing Gum, Coel was a manic presence, playing a twentysomething, hormone-crazed Londoner living in a colorful council estate and exploring the vast spectrum of sexuality to cringe-inducing, hilarious effect. In her new series, she’s by turns muted and enraged, introspective and terrified, but still no less confused about the world at large. And the London that Coel and director Sam Miller put on camera in Destroy is far more true to its current densely-populated state. The streets and interiors feel claustrophobic at times, lending an added sense of discomfort to its more harrowing moments.

One ugly scene in particular is the catalyst for the entire 12-episode series, which premieres on Sunday July 7 on HBO. Coel’s character Arabella, a young writer with a major online presence, is back from a trip to Italy where she was supposed to produce a manuscript for a new book. Returning with nothing, she plans an all-nighter to finish up her draft. But an invitation from her buddy Simon (Aml Ameen) proves too tempting and she’s soon out for a night of karaoke, coke bumps, and dancing. It’s at Arabella’s last stop that her drink is spiked and she is sexually assaulted by a stranger.

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City • Cops • Slog AM/PM

Slog AM: Seattle Protests, Trump Finally Gets a Wall, Russia's State of Emergency

by Chase Burns, Jasmyne Keimig and Nathalie Graham • Thursday at 8:10 am

Vlad is a teensy bit mad.
Vlad is a teensy bit mad. Thomas Kronsteiner/Staff

We're living in a moment, that's for sure: Okay, hi it's Nathalie, I'm here to give you some normal Slog AM on top of Chase and Jasmyne's live reporting of Wednesday's Seattle protest. You can find that at the bottom of the post. They worked their tails off last night. Seattle is not alone in its demonstrations for George Floyd, against police brutality, for defunding the police, and so on...

LA mayor to cut millions from LAPD budget: Mayor Eric Garcetti is slashing $250 million in the city budget from the projected $1.8 billion allocated to the Los Angeles Police Department. Which, you know, is peanuts from that behemoth of a budget. That money will be given to communities of color.

Virginia is going to take down a Robert E. Lee statue??? Whoa, hold the phone. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is expected to announce that the statue of the famous Confederate leader on Monument Avenue in Richmond will be removed. There is still an abundance of statues memorializing the Confederacy. They're attracting an abundance of spray paint right now—messages like "end police brutality" and "stop white supremacy" cover these symbols of oppression. Anyway, Robert E. Lee is outta here.

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Message to the City

A Message to the City from Kimya Dawson

by The Stranger • Thursday at 8:00 am

Kimya Dawson is a singer and songwriter.
Kimya Dawson is a singer and songwriter. Photo by Kimya Dawson

Good morning.

It's Thursday, June 4, and today's message was recorded in the dark of early morning, with the lights off, by the one and only Kimya Dawson.

Put on your headphones.

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City • Cops • Slog AM/PM • 2020 • Coronavirus

Slog PM: Seattle's Curfew Rescinded, Mayor Durkan Booed Off City Hall Steps, City Caves on Consent Decree

by Chase Burns, Rich Smith and Jasmyne Keimig • Wednesday at 11:54 pm

Its almost midnight. Were still streaming on Instagram!
It's almost midnight. We're still streaming on Instagram!

We're experimenting with Slog AM/PM formats as we meet the present moment. Today, Slog PM will work as a live blog starting at noon. The most recent updates will be at the top of the post.

Our small, mighty, and local team is working hard to bring you coverage from Seattle's ongoing protests and policy discussions in response to the killing of George Floyd. If you are able, please consider supporting our work.

We've reached a new day: It's now AM. So let's build out a new post here. Updates coming.

We're still going at 11th and Pine: The crowd has remained peaceful all night, minus one incident when what appeared to be a few plastic bottles were thrown at police, who then issued a warning.


Omari Salisbury, the citizen journalist who captured this incredible moment on Monday, was allowed behind police line and is walking with Chief Carmen Best right now. Watch the stream on Facebook here. Salisbury and Best walked to the frontline to show SPD's POV during the protests. A protester down there with a bullhorn, who has been leading some of the chants, invited Best to "say his name," and she obliged, saying, "George Floyd!" She later told Salisbury, "We can’t have people throwing stuff...One or two is too many,” referring to thrown bottles that have in part sparked police to launch tear gas, blast balls, and to fire rubber bullets into the crowd.

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Neighborhoods

Intentionalist is Creating a Gift Certificate Marketplace for Minority-Owned Businesses

by Matt Baume • Wednesday at 6:33 pm

Leona and Luis at The Station in Beacon Hill are among those using the local gift certificate marketplace.
Leona and Luis at The Station in Beacon Hill are among those using the local gift certificate marketplace. Intentionalist.

Two years ago, Laura Clise and her wife discovered a problem. It was Black History Month, and they had resolved to eat out at Black-owned restaurants; but they were having trouble identifying any in their neighborhood. “We had the intention to support them,” she recalls, but after searching online and asking for recommendations, they found themselves in agreement about the amount of work it took: “this is ridiculous.”

And so, a new company was born. In the intervening two years, various directories of Black-owned businesses have sprung up (The Stranger has one of its own now), but Intentionalist is more than a list: Clise and her team are building an entire platform where people can meet their neighboring businesses and support them with online orders and gift certificates.

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