Leftist protesters were busy on New Year’s Eve, attacking several Seattle businesses and police officers with fireworks and frozen eggs and lighting American flags on fire.
Police eventually arrested four people for vandalism and obstruction after the demonstrations went on for hours, and some people who might have supported the movement early on seem to be growing visibly tired of its antics.
Seattle police announced the arrests in a tweet.
Police Arrest Four at #NYE East Precinct Demonstrations https://t.co/yHpC8t3mfL
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) January 1, 2021
Demonstration persisted
The demonstration started at Cal Anderson Park, where a homeless encampment had recently been broken up, at about 8 p.m. Thursday.
It later moved to businesses in the East Precinct area, where one person was arrested with fireworks and a glass bottle of gasoline in his possession. Another person threw frozen eggs at police.
A little while later, more arrests were made at King County Youth Services Center when protesters tried to force their way in and also threw fireworks into the building.
Police declared an unlawful assembly after windows of a business were smashed and a flag was set on fire, and more arrests were made.
Businesses targeted for trying to improve area
KOMO journalist Jonathan Choe tweeted that local businesses are tired of the “black bloc marchers wrecking the city.” One local business owner claimed that businesses are being targeted for vandalism “just for trying to improve the neighborhood.”
The protest was reportedly smaller than others that took place in Seattle earlier in the year, some of which involved thousands of people.
About 40 protesters were active in the demonstration, pulling trash cans and rental scooters into streets to block traffic and shouting the names of people killed by police during 2020.
Arrests were also made during an attempt to vandalize the East Precinct police building, a natural target for those who think police are overzealously killing people in the line of duty.
Maybe Seattle will take a page from Portland, Oregon, where Mayor Ted Wheeler has vowed after seven months to begin fighting harder against violent rioters. Waiting them out until they have expended their anger and cooled down certainly doesn’t seem to be doing it.
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