via Tides of Flame –
All of the alleged events recounted below are reconstructed from police records.
SEATTLE – At around 10:30 PM on Saturday July 23rd, 30 to 40 anarchists gathered outside of King County Jail. Several anarchists had been beaten by the police during the previous night and were now locked up inside the jail. Outside on the sidewalk, demonstrators banged on pots and pans while chanting anti-prison and anti-police slogans, noises all intended to carry through the heavy walls of the giant cage and to the ears of their jailed friends and all the other inmates.
At one point some very loud fireworks went off, causing everyone to cheer. People began to move signs and other objects into the intersection and road near the jail.
Anti-police and anarchist symbols were painted and scrawled on buildings and walls. The police came out and told people that they ‘couldn’t’ do this or that, but that they could certainly bang on their pots. People defied the orders and ran from sidewalk to sidewalk, lighting various fireworks and throwing them at the police and into the street. The police followed the crowd as they ran around the streets near the jail.
When a scuffle broke out, an object was thrown at a police cruiser, hitting the back window. A large number of smoke bombs were also set off. The group ran up the hill next to the jail as the number of cops increased to about a dozen or more. A citywide alert had been called for all police to report to the scene.
One group of people went further up the hill and were quickly surrounded by the police, detained, and arrested. Others were picked up down the street, while others made off into the night. The 19 arrested were taken to the jail, booked, and later bailed out
and released by Sunday night or Monday afternoon. They are facing various minor charges.
Someone hung a banner earlier in the day along the retaining wall above I-5, directly across from the jail. The banner read: NOT OUT OF PITY, NOR OUT OF DUTY, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE ANARCHISTS. SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON.
The next day, when all of the arrested anarchists were in jail, many other inmates heard the story of the weekend’s events, from the attack on the party to the noise demonstration. Many of the inmates were pleased and soon found a new respect for the anarchist prisoners.
It is clear that anarchists are dangerous to their enemies even while in jail. While seven were locked up, many more were on the streets outside defying the cops and jailers directly in the face of their power. And even after many of them were arrested, those same anarchists earned the respect of their fellow inmates for having the audacity and commitment to take action in solidarity with their friends.
For decades, solidarity with prisoners has been an anarchist practice. Communicating with those locked up inside, breaking through the isolation of incarceration, and always reminding captured comrades that they are not alone are important tools for chipping away at the power of prison.
Solidarity is not a moral obligation, it is a necessity for breaking the chains that authority uses to tie us down. Together, people can remind each other that it is not them alone against the system, but a vast wave of fire.
via Tides of Flame –
All of the alleged events recounted below are reconstructed from police records.
SEATTLE – At around 10:30 PM on Saturday July 23rd, 30 to 40 anarchists gathered outside of King County Jail. Several anarchists had been beaten by the police during the previous night and were now locked up inside the jail. Outside on the sidewalk, demonstrators banged on pots and pans while chanting anti-prison and anti-police slogans, noises all intended to carry through the heavy walls of the giant cage and to the ears of their jailed friends and all the other inmates.
At one point some very loud fireworks went off, causing everyone to cheer. People began to move signs and other objects into the intersection and road near the jail.
Anti-police and anarchist symbols were painted and scrawled on buildings and walls. The police came out and told people that they ‘couldn’t’ do this or that, but that they could certainly bang on their pots. People defied the orders and ran from sidewalk to sidewalk, lighting various fireworks and throwing them at the police and into the street. The police followed the crowd as they ran around the streets near the jail.
When a scuffle broke out, an object was thrown at a police cruiser, hitting the back window. A large number of smoke bombs were also set off. The group ran up the hill next to the jail as the number of cops increased to about a dozen or more. A citywide alert had been called for all police to report to the scene.
One group of people went further up the hill and were quickly surrounded by the police, detained, and arrested. Others were picked up down the street, while others made off into the night. The 19 arrested were taken to the jail, booked, and later bailed out
and released by Sunday night or Monday afternoon. They are facing various minor charges.
Someone hung a banner earlier in the day along the retaining wall above I-5, directly across from the jail. The banner read: NOT OUT OF PITY, NOR OUT OF DUTY, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE ANARCHISTS. SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON.
The next day, when all of the arrested anarchists were in jail, many other inmates heard the story of the weekend’s events, from the attack on the party to the noise demonstration. Many of the inmates were pleased and soon found a new respect for the anarchist prisoners.
It is clear that anarchists are dangerous to their enemies even while in jail. While seven were locked up, many more were on the streets outside defying the cops and jailers directly in the face of their power. And even after many of them were arrested, those same anarchists earned the respect of their fellow inmates for having the audacity and commitment to take action in solidarity with their friends.
For decades, solidarity with prisoners has been an anarchist practice. Communicating with those locked up inside, breaking through the isolation of incarceration, and always reminding captured comrades that they are not alone are important tools for chipping away at the power of prison.
Solidarity is not a moral obligation, it is a necessity for breaking the chains that authority uses to tie us down. Together, people can remind each other that it is not them alone against the system, but a vast wave of fire.