- Occupy Seattle
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Occupy Seattle Part of the "Occupy" protests 
The Occupy Seattle movement's General Assembly Date 27 September 2011 – present
(0 years, 54 days)Location Seattle, Washington, United States Status Ongoing Causes Economic inequality, corporate influence over government, inter alia. Characteristics Demonstration, occupation, protest, street protesters[1] Occupy Seattle is a direct action and demonstration currently based at Seattle Central Community College with additional activity at Westlake Park and Seattle City Hall in downtown Seattle, Washington.[2] Occupy Seattle is inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City in September, which in turn was inspired by the Arab Spring.[3] The protest, like the one in New York, is against wealth inequality, perceived corporate greed, and corruption in the banking and economic systems in the United States. Seattle is famous for the 1999 WTO Battle in Seattle protests.
Contents
Overview
Occupy Seattle began with a protest at the Federal Building in downtown Seattle on September 26, 2011 and camping at Westlake Park on October 1. The camp moved to Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) on October 29, 2011 and the nightly General Assembly moved to SCCC on November 4, 2011. Some facilities and camping are also located at Seattle City Hall.
According to a news report, the City of Seattle has spent an extra $104,869 as of October 14, 2011 in response to the protest for overtime pay for police and parks & recreation personnel.[4] Police overtime pay comprised the majority of overtime expenses at $97,200.[4]
Ten protesters were arrested for obstructing on the evening of October 13 after refusing to vacate Westlake Park after it had closed.[1] On October 15, the Occupy Seattle movement had its largest demonstration to date, with over 3,000 people rallying in Westlake Park.[5][6] On the morning of October 17, 2011, Seattle police informed campers at Westlake Park that tents had to be removed for city personnel to clean the park.[5] It was reported that during this incident six demonstrators who didn't comply with the order were arrested.[5]
The city of Seattle issued permits for Occupy Seattle on October 18, 2011, which limits camping at Westlake Park and enforces the park's closure at 10:00 PM.[7] Another permit for protests occurring at Seattle's city hall plaza allows camping with the stipulation that tents are to be deconstructed by 7:00 AM.[7] It was reported that police are enforcing a rule in Westlake Park in which umbrellas are only allowed to be used while being held, and are not allowed to be used as tent-like shelters.[8]
Occupy Seattle protesters and police briefly clashed in protests sparked by Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's visit to town. Five protesters were arrested for occupying the bank for over an hour (linking together via chain and pieces of PVC and facing out from the tellers). In the events that followed, a dozen or more demonstrators sat in front of the police van to prevent it from moving and were eventually pulled away; numerous protesters were pepper-sprayed, two police officers and multiple protesters sustained minor injuries, and at least three further protesters were arrested. [9]
Police pepper-spray crowds, Dorli Rainey
External videos
"Pepper sprayed in the face by the police at #OccupySeattle" Police were filmed indiscriminately spraying a crowd of people with pepper spray. It was reported that the victims included "a 4-foot 10-inch, 84-year-old woman, a priest and a pregnant woman who as of this writing is still in the hospital." [10] The 84-year-old woman, Dorli Rainey, is a former mayoral candidate and retired school teacher who has been active in City government on education and transportation issues since the 1960s. That night, Rainey was enroute to City Hall to attend a scheduled meeting of the Seattle City Council's Transportation Committee. [11] Rainey had served on the school board, and in 1970s ran for a seat on King County Council. In 2009, Rainey, then 82 years old, made a brief run for Seattle Mayor before withdrawing from the race citing her age: "I am old and should learn to be old, stay home, watch TV and sit still."
Dorli Rainey was notably photographed as she was being carried away by friends after having been hit with the police's chemical spray.[12]
See also
Occupy articles
- List of global Occupy protest locations
- Occupy movement
- Timeline of Occupy Wall Street
- We are the 99%
Other Protests
- 15 October 2011 global protests
- 2011 United States public employee protests
- 2011 Wisconsin protests
Related articles
References
- ^ a b (October 14, 2011.) "Police arrest 10 Occupy Seattle protesters." The Seattle Times. Accessed October 2011.
- ^ "OccupySeattle". OccupySeattle. 2011-09-27. http://occupyseattle.org/. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ^ "Occupy Wall Street Protesters: We Are Americans - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2011-10-02. http://abcnews.go.com/US/occupy-wall-street-protesters-americans/story?id=14652698. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ^ a b Thompson, Lynn (October 19, 2011.) "Occupy Seattle has cost city $105K so far." The Seattle Times. Accessed October 2011.
- ^ a b c (October 17, 2011.) "Arrests after Occupy Seattle defies eviction." CBS News. Accessed October 2011.
- ^ Emily Heffter; Brian M. Rosenthal (October 15, 2011). "Protest swells at Westlake Park on Saturday". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016514796_occupy16m.html. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- ^ a b (October 20, 2011.) "City issues permits for Occupy Seattle." The Herald. Accessed October 2011.
- ^ (October 11, 2011.) "Umbrellas banned at Occupy Seattle protests." RT News. Accessed October 2011.
- ^ "Occupy Seattle swoops in around JPMorgan Chase executive". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 2011. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/occupy-seattle-chase-dimon.html. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
- ^ At Occupy Seattle, 84-Year-Old Activist, Pregnant Teen, Priest Among Those Pepper Sprayed
- ^ Dorli Rainey, 84, Pepper Sprayed by SPD at Occupy Seattle Protest
- ^ [1]
- Ryan, Natasha (October 1, 2011.) "'Occupy Seattle' members gather downtown." King5 News. Accessed October 2011.
- Heffter, Emily (October 1, 2011.) "Occupy Seattle protests corporate America." The Seattle Times Accessed October 2011.
- (October 7, 2011.) "Unions Support Occupy Seattle Demonstration." Fox News. Accessed October 20, 2011.
External links
Categories:- 2011 in Washington (state)
- Occupy movement in the United States
- History of Seattle, Washington
- Culture of Seattle, Washington
- Organizations based in Seattle, Washington
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