Marches and Speak-outs in Downtown Seattle
December 4, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
December 3—In Seattle, 100 people responded to a call by the October 22nd Coalition on 5 hours' notice to come out in the streets to condemn the grand jury verdict in the murder of Eric Garner. High School and college students and many other youth of different nationalities took over streets all over downtown, blocking traffic, doing die-ins and holding emotional and searing speak-outs that brought in basic masses and others off the streets. People repeatedly stood-off with the police, despite fairly small numbers and a heavy pig presence that has flooded downtown Seattle ever since Black Lives Matter protests on November 27 succeeded in thoroughly disrupting business-as-usual in the core of the shopping district.
People who had loved ones killed by police spoke out about their hurt and anger and connected it to the cases of Eric Garner and Mike Brown. An older Black man ran down his life experiences of oppression at the hands of the police and system, indicted this “way of life” and pronounced his love for the new generation in the streets. Revolutionary communists indicted the utter illegitimacy of the system and the need for spreading the resistance and building up a movement for revolution. There were '60s people who came forward to speak, tying resistance then to now. The “speak bitterness" sessions riveted everyone and became like schools to learn about how this system really treats Black people and others. Youth, many of whom had never spoken at a protest spoke in anger at the verdict, in love for Black people and all people, rapped out their sentiments, and discussed and debated big questions—do we need more Black voices on the mike or does everyone need to speak? Does this need to spread to everybody to stop all this? What will it take to stop it? Through the speak-outs and debates over some of these questions the protest came into the hands of the people. A real appreciation and connection developed for each other, for Black people, and also deep anger at the verdict, the murders of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and so many others. Tears rolled down people’s faces. Determination was forged to stand with each other, with Ferguson and NYC, and spread and intensify the struggle.
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