[Seattle-editorial] FEATURE proposal : LEIU arrests

[jonathan lawson]

[sort of].

I'm editing the below info into a feature--but won't get to it until 
slightly later tonight. Wanted to see whether I can get some thumbs 
up  just based on this alone in irder to dispatch the process?

jl

>Here is my stab at writing what happened. I hope you
>can wring a paragraph out of this. I will be here for
>a little while. Let me know if you need more or
>different information.
>Eartha
>
>
>Twelve people have been arrested following a
>demonstration against the LEIU in downtown Seattle.
>
>At 6pm Several hundred people rallied at Westlake
>park. Speakers from the American Friends Service
>Committee, the ACLU, Not in Our Name, Mark Cook
>(former) panther spoke on the dangers of police
>spying.
>
>At 7pm the crowd began a spirited procession toward
>the Red Lion Hotel where the LEIU conference is taking
>place. A brass band and a marching band struck up
>tunes. One group carried a large papier mache pig with
>an anti-LEIU placard.
>At the Red Lion hotel demonstrators encountered a
>blocklade set up by Seattle Police. Legal observers
>approached police and asked them to indentify
>themselves in accordance with local law. Several
>refused. people who appeared to be LEIU conference
>attendee watched the demonstration from the hotel.
>many took photos or videotaped.
>One demonstrator climbedd up ontop a sturfy awning
>next to the Red lion hotel and stood waving an
>american flag upside down. Another group of young
>people burned flags and sang and dance as ythe band
>played. Someone threw lighters to the young man on the
>awning and he attempted to burn the flag from atop the
>building. He dramatically ripped the damaged flag
>apart and threw the pieces to the cheering crowd.
>(this is all way too much detail about this chain of
>events I realize but I'm sure it will be important
>later) Around thirty people gathered to surround and
>protect the young man who'd climbed on the building.
>The tight crowd was slowly moving away from the hotel
>when an undercover police man initated a fist fight.
>This diversion caused the crowd to break and the
>police line in front of the hotel advanced and began
>shooting pepper spray. the crowd attempted to move
>away from the hotel. In the course of moving the crowd
>polce shot concussion gredades. Small plastic clubs,
>wooden dowels and bag of harb rubber balls. Several
>people were severely hurt by papper spray to the face.
>larry Hildes, a legal observer with the National
>Lawyers Guild was taken away by ambulance after he was
>shot in the back (he thinks by wooden dowels)
>Before he was taken away he said that the event of
>this evening were the worst he has ever seen.
>
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