Anarchist Movements

2011-07-29 "More Details On Arrests At Anarchist Protest At King County Jail" by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee
[http://seattlecrime.com/2011/07/29/more-details-on-arrests-at-anarchist-protest-at-king-county-jail]
Seattle police say 40-50 anarchists tagged buildings, ripped down traffic signs, and threw rocks at cops during a protest outside the King County Jail last weekend.
Around 10:45 pm on July 23rd, a crowd of anarchists gathered at 6th and James, near the jail. "The group was made up of members of the Puget Sound Anarchists," Officer Chris Myers wrote in his report. "This group had held similar protests at the jail in the past resulting in significant property destruction."
The protest came one day after police arrested seven people at a party on Beacon Hill. Police say a mob of partygoers attacked a small group of officers who showed up at the party after neighbors complained about noise.
Following the arrests at the party, a police report says an anarchist group "had publicly threatened retaliation against police for the resulting arrests."
According to police, that promised retaliation initially took the form of a freestyle percussive jam outside the jail. The group of 40-50 anarchists showed up at the jail dressed in black and wearing masks, and began shouting and banging on pots and pans.
A short time later, however, "One of the members of the group then detonated an explosive device in the middle of the street in the 500 block of James St, directly in front of a...vehicle," Officer Myers wrote in his report.
Police say the explosive was "similar to a flashbang device" and "significantly larger than consumer fireworks."
Members of the group then began tagging "ACAB" (which stands for "all cops are bastards") on walls, tried to rip down parking and traffic signs, threw traffic cones and debris into the road, and threw rocks at several Washington State Patrol officers who were following the protesters in patrol cars.
Police say the protesters did $1500 in damage to WSP vehicles.
Police called for backup and, as more officers arrived on scene, the group began throwing fireworks into the street, and blocked off a section of road near Cherry St.
Officers tried to stop the group at 6th and Cherry, but they took off running.
Police chased the group down and arrested several people. It's unclear how many people were arrested in the incident.
Prosecutors say they're reviewing the cases for possible charges.