Seattle Area Protests Continued Sunday, Despite Curfews

SEATTLE, WA — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Seattle Sunday afternoon, marking the third day of local demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Seattle Times reports a group rallied at Westlake Park Sunday before police used flash-bang devices to disperse the crowd. KUOW reporter Casey Martin tweeted videos of a larger group joining the march, which then headed toward Capitol Hill.

Washington State Patrol closed both directions of Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle, between Interstate 90 and State Route 520, shortly after 4:30 p.m. All lanes reopened shortly before 9 p.m.

The Seattle Department of Transportation implemented a "public safety zone," around Westlake Park shortly before 6:30 p.m., cutting off a large portion of the downtown core to all vehicle traffic.

Earlier Sunday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced an additional 200 members of the Washington National Guard would assist local police with crowd control, traffic and cleanup efforts, joining 200 guardsmen who were deployed Saturday.

A 5 p.m. curfew remained in effect Sunday, but protesters were still marching three hours later.

Sunday's marches followed Saturday rallies that drew thousands to downtown Seattle, leading to more than two dozen arrests. Seattle's Office of Police Accountability, which investigates allegations of officer misconduct, said it received a "number of complaints" regarding police use of force Friday and Saturday.

One video, recorded by Crosscut photojournalist Matt McKnight, showed an officer kneeling on a man's neck during an arrest Saturday night before a fellow officer moves his leg away. Another video shared widely on social media showed a young girl after bystanders said she was hit by pepper spray. On Sunday, a video posted on Twitter showed a bike officer putting a pedestrian in a headlock and taking him to the ground.

In Bellevue, the city's mayor declared a civil emergency and instituted a curfew Sunday evening after police reported looting and property destruction. The city of Renton declared an emergency early Monday morning after looting was reported at Walmart, the Landing and Southcenter Mall in Tukwila.