Seattle

Monday, Oct 17, 2011 4:35 PM UTC

Seattle police arrest woman for sitting down with umbrella

The city's much-criticized restriction on the rain gear resulted in an arrest this morning

By Peter Finocchiaro

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Umbrellas, of all things, have been a central point of contention between Seattle police and protesters since the city’s OWS-inspired demonstrations started earlier this month.

Authorities in Westlake Park — where Occupy Seattle has taken up residence — first restricted use of umbrellas about a week and a half ago. Protesters were told that they were not allowed to sit down with the rain gear, as it would then constitute a “structure” like a tent or tarp, which are proscribed under the park’s anti-camping rule.

Today, that rule has resulted in an arrest. A woman was taken into custody by a group of police for resting on the ground underneath her umbrella. The Seattle Stranger reported on the incident, saying:

Moments ago, 40 police officers surrounded a woman for her ostensibly illegal occupation of Westlake Park.

[...] Dozens of other protester are in the park, but they’re standing. Not this woman, who was sitting with her umbrella upright and purple sleeping bag and a purple yoga mat next to her. She refused to budge. One protester offered her a cigarette, so she smoked it calmly as police closed in tighter. [Emphasis from the Stranger's post]

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Thursday, Oct 13, 2011 8:45 PM UTC

Occupy Seattle, sprung from perch, protests Romney

Seattle police forced demonstrators from their base station today to make room for a union rally

By Peter Finocchiaro

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Seattle police have finally forced Occupy Seattle protesters to leave their base of operations in the city’s Westlake Park after nearly two weeks at the location. The move came on the heels of several days of posturing, during which time Mayor Mike McGinn repeatedly threatened arrests — camping is illegal in Westlake Park — while encouraging the group to move to City Hall.

According to Seattle’s KING-TV:

About 10 police officers arrived at Westlake around 9:30 a.m. Officers told about 75 demonstrators who had spent the night that the city was enforcing the no-camping rule at the park “starting right now.”

Some of the protesters packed up their possessions and moved out, while others simply relocated across the street.

Another group of Westlake protesters decamped to the Seattle Grand Hyatt, where Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was hosting a fundraiser. According to the News Tribune:

About 50 protesters made the walk of a few blocks from Westlake Park to the downtown hotel where the former Massachusetts governor was holding a private fundraiser Thursday. They carried signs that said, “This is class warfare,” “Make Wall Street pay,” and “Romney is the 1 percent.”

At least four demonstrators were reportedly arrested last night, though none were taken into custody this morning as a result of the eviction. That doesn’t, however, mean that Occupy Seattle is taking the move sitting down. The group had previously insisted that it would not relocate to City Hall but would remain in Westlake Park indefinitely. Now that they’ve been removed, organizers are already planning on taking back the grounds.

A Facebook event posted earlier today, called “Night of 500 Tents,” hopes to launch another “mass occupation of Westlake Park with tents,” on Saturday.

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