Police arrest 16 protesters in Seattle’s Capitol Hill area

Several buildings in the area were spray-painted with anti-police graffiti.

  • By Wire Service
  • Sunday, October 4, 2020 3:28pm
  • Northwest

Associated Press

SEATTLE— Authorities in Seattle arrested 16 protesters Saturday night after some in the group vandalized buildings, shattered windows at a Starbucks and threw what appeared to be fireworks into the store.

Several buildings in the Capitol Hill area were spray-painted with anti-police graffiti, and a video posted on social media showed what appeared to be a firework exploding near officers on bikes as police moved protesters down the street. On Sunday morning, the Starbucks had been boarded up and graffitied with a tag reading, “CLOSED DUH,” The Seattle Times reported.

Saturday night’s demonstration drew about 100 protesters and was dispersed with pepper spray.

Capitol Hill has been the site of frequent skirmishes between police and protesters during months of demonstrations against police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protesters in Seattle have called for reducing police budgets and increasing funding for Black-led community organizations.

Those arrested Saturday night face charges of property destruction, assault, failure to disperse and rendering criminal assistance, according to police.

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