Riot in Tacoma on Friday Night

A protest organized by the Olympia/Tacoma port militarization resistance and the Tacoma sds ended in violence at 3:30 early this morning. Protesters moved from one heavily reinforced police barricade (about 250 riot police) to another in the hopes of participating in a non violent act of civil disobedience by sitting in a street and allowing themselves to be arrested. The police responded by firing into the group with pepper spray pellets, bean bags and rubber bullets followed by CS (tear) gas and pepper spray dispersal gas. I dont have time to write a thorough report back, but let me thank all the anarchists who showed up on Friday.
-Ray Kavick


A protest organized by the Olympia/Tacoma port militarization resistance and the Tacoma sds ended in violence at 3:30 early this morning. Protesters moved from one heavily reinforced police barricade (about 250 riot police) to another in the hopes of participating in a non violent act of civil disobedience by sitting in a street and allowing themselves to be arrested. The police responded by firing into the group with pepper spray pellets, bean bags and rubber bullets followed by CS (tear) gas and pepper spray dispersal gas. A few protesters returned the canisters back to the police line to keep them out of the unsuspecting crowd who was not participating in the action. The police then advanced through the cloud of gas and opened fire on the fleeing protesters, chasing them three blocks and launching at least 20 canisters of gas.

The action ended in a standoff when the police allowed protesters separated from their friends and their rides to pass the police line five at a time with their hands up. eventually the cops only allowed those with car keys to pass and the drivers picked up their friends from the end of the street.

I can't say for sure how many were wounded, but no one required an ambulance and there were no arrests. At least two people were beaten with wooden clubs and five were fired upon at point blank range, mostly towards the chest and face.

Here's the link to the videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfhUaUuG1sM

There should be two by the same YouTube poster now. Find them both.