Capitol Hill May Day 2013 Open Thread — UPDATE: Clash downtown climbs back up the Hill
A “blast ball” detonated on Pine as police pushed May Day protesters back to Capitol Hill. Thanks to Jen for the image.
UPDATE: Following a peaceful start to the day as thousands marched for immigrant and worker rights, police and May Day protesters tangled downtown and then back up the Hill as crowd control tactics including pepper spray and flash grenades pushed hundreds of people back into the neighborhood tonight. The push came as protesters — who had gathered tonight at Broadway and Pine before marching downtown — fought back as police attempted to clear crowds from the downtown area of the 2012 May Day riots. On the Hill, windows were reportedly broken out at several Capitol Hill businesses including Bill’s Off Broadway, Sun Liquor and Walgreen’s. More than a dozen people have been arrested including individuals in the groups that turned over garbage cans, through bottles and objects at police and briefly ran riot through the streets of Capitol Hill around 8 PM before disappearing into the night. Meanwhile, as of 10:15 PM, the streets around the East Precinct headquarters at 12th and Pine remained blocked by police in riot gear. UPDATE x2: Police say
Original Report: May Day 2012, for all the concerns over broken windows and clashes with police downtown, was a relatively quiet affair on Capitol Hill. Doing what we can to not add to the media hype but also provide information on this year’s happenings, we’re posting this open thread to update through the day and night as events warrant. Best case scenario: there’s nothing to report beyond a maypole dance. If you see one, let us know. You can always email us at chs@capitolhillseattle.com or call/txt (206) 399-5959. Continue reading
