1. What powers that be?
2. The executive branch of government is located in Washington DC. (See number 1.)
3. A huge mushroom cloud exploded over the Nalley Valley last month and it took more than an hour for anything other than a road closure on 16 to be noted, even in the Seattle media.
4. Please take all that wonderful political energy over to the FCC Public Hearing on Media Ownership at Seattle Town Hall this Friday:
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/

Where a representative from the appropriate branch of government will actually be present!

They may attempt to shut down Tollefson Plaza.

Hi all ~ I’d guess the reason the protest is happening in downtown Tacoma is because the Northwest Detention Center is a private prison (not a federal facility… just regular company with a regular federal contract), yet it was allowed to come into our city without any of the appropriate scrutiny or regulations that any other business would have. Really, we should all be looking at this place much, much, much more closely, and especially at what’s going on inside of it.

Hahahaha Crenshaw, clearly you’ve never been to my house. Ha. Shiny.

I am opposed to the detention centers, but I’m pretty sure Tacoma Art Supply and Two Koi aren’t running them.

My problem isn’t with protesting, it’s the location and the possible vandalism they seem to be calling for that I have a problem with. I cannot imagine that any major media outlet is going to report on this protest, I just don’t see it accomplishing anything but damaging the livelihoods of people working hard to keep this town afloat.

All I’m saying is, we’re a marginalized city. If you want someone’s attention, hold an impromptu protest in the middle of a shopping day at Pacific Place Mall in Seattle. But anything violent is only going to result in more repression.

God, this is why Tacoma is so lame sometimes. Guess what, most major cities have protests all the time. And most of the time the violence and mayhem is caused by the police. We should be thankful that people are protesting something here, anything here. It means Tacoma still has a heartbeat. Civil Disobedience is a right given to us in the Constitution.

@again

Thats what i’m saying!

uh, hello… Tacoma is nationally recognized for her dirty cops. Brame. Bacon Bowl. familiar no?

i’m all for a protest aimed at shutting down traffic to the tacoma mall. but downtown? c’mon. too easy.

which leads me to wonder, where do the “powers that be” actually dwell, anyway?

I seriously doubt an anarchist fellowship would protest against a spiritual brother who doesn’t follow government regulations.

The people you gotta watch for are drop-out factory students. The most dangerous weapon in the world is ignorance.

another fear is unscrupulous building owners taking advantage of this event . you know… torch your property blame it on protesters, collect that fat insurance check.

Don’t do it!

I have received more than five emails about these potential demonstrations. I am sick and tired of hearing about whether or not they’re going to be effective. I am also tired of hearing about the NIMBYism from local businesses and alarmism from the UW. Protesters are a part of healthy democracies and should be seen as such.

They are not an inherent nuissance. Acts of civil disobedience tend to occur only when issues of concern are not being addressed in the standard political and civic channels. The issue of the detention center, violations of human rights and the general backdrop of creeping fascism from the Bush Administration are not being addressed in those proper channels – so protesters are going to attempt to bring these issues to our attention through peaceful demonstrations and (likely) nonviolent civil disobedience.

If Tacoma’s business establishment can’t handle a group of protesters in Tollefson Plaza, what does that say about the state of Tacoma business?

Ok, time for my way in….Christine, didn’t you know we’re a “Time Out” culture now……no wonder kids these days are so screwed up….the hippies kids are now having babies…GREAT!!!!…that’s what we need….anyways, protests are fine in our society…or I should say peaceful…the moment that they start smashing windows and destroying property they should all be shot…….now your not enjoying your rights, you have no right to smash my window…your screwing my rights by throwing your fits by destroying someone elses property……just my two cents……but our justice system is so screwed up that if someone protects their property by beating a protester within an inch of their lives for destroying their property, then the property owner will be in jail and the protester will return to smoking dope and destroying peoples property…….got to love this great country that protects the guilty……..GO ACLU!!! I hear there’s a sicko pilot up in Lake tapps that’s been arrested that’s needs your protection….hmm, I bet the ACLU has already been in contact with the sicko…..

The hippie kids of yore are well into their 50’s and early 60’s. I’m sure not may of them are having kids these days. I’d dare say that many of the young people on this blog today could very well have had hippie parents.

For those businesses in downtown that fear the protesters I have some sings that read “No Northwest Detention Center in our backyard” signs to put in their windows and show solidarity with the protesters.

@24 chris

I’m so sick of kids today drawing a comparison between Bush and Hitler.

Hitler after all was elected.

Ironically, rich, if we had more of the big box stores you so want downtown, there would be more likelihood of destruction on the part of the protesters. They don’t want to destroy small independent businesses at all, just the multinationals. (Hope the Starbucks stores hired extra security, because they’re about all there is to choose from…Mickey D’s is too far to walk, not to mention to close to the jail.)

Wow, a lot of country bumpkins in this thread, scared of what they saw on tv of WTO. Sorry guys, sometimes you have to take to the streets. I’m sure there’s something good on TV to keep you at home if you don’t understand people are upset about.

And to the folks who think cops don’t start violence at protests: You usually don’t see it from your couch, cause they usually have the good sense to take off their uniforms first. Here’s a good look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfzUOx53Rg

Urban protests always create an interal conflict for me.

On the one hand, I’m no fan of police.

On the other hand, I think it’s always good to have hippies roughed up a little.

So yeah. I just never know what side to defend on these types of things.

jenyum, are you blaming protesters for police (a lot of whom were bussed in from Tacoma and other right-leaning areas) overzealously using tear gas against crowds containing both protesters and bystanders? Cause it seems like you are.

And no, “the cops wouldn’t have had to do it if the protesters played nice” isn’t a good counter. The police were very much responsible for escalating violence across the protests, rather than going after the 1% of people who started problems (and who very well may have been planted provocateurs).

Don’t worry, nothing big is going to happen today, there will be no news coverage and you’ll never have to know that some citizens stood up to fight an issue that you’ll probably be mad about in 5 years, after the detention center is built.

No, I’m not blaming the vast majority of protesters who were there demonstrating peacefully (including my family). I’m not even completely blaming that 1% idiot contingent that bashed in the McDonalds (I always thought that McDonald’s had it coming, anyway, tempting me with the smell of french fries on the way to the bus every morning.)

However, the idiots do share some of the blame for how that went down, certainly they escalated things and established a justification for repressive police tactics in the minds of many Americans.

I hope they regret that. I know I regret certain acts of “civil disobedience” I participated in from the age of 18-21.

No “hearts and minds” were won when Smash Tacoma ICE put out their call to shut down downtown Tacoma. The people who show up to every protest will be there, as they always are, but people in the community who otherwise might be on your side have been turned off by the apparent call to vandalism (if that’s not what it is, please have someone else do your writing from now on.)

I’m mad about the detention center right now. I’m mad about a lot of things. Presently, I’m mad that I can’t bring my kids to protests anymore because of repressive police tactics, and I’m mad that in this case the protesting groups seem to be poking the police with a sharp stick.

I’m mad that there’s no more middle class and I barely had a chance to wave hello to it as it passed me by. I’m mad that I don’t have health insurance. I’m mad that Tacoma’s high schools are drop out factories, or at least labeled that way.

I’m so mad, I listen to liberal talk radio 8 hours out of every day just to keep myself from participating in fruitless online flame wars, like this one.

I’m so mad, I’ve written 340 something positive blog entries in the past year just to think about something other than how *ing pissed off I am.

And most of all, right this minute I’m mad because people like you label everyone who doesn’t agree with your tactics as conservative, navel-gazing, wealthy, SUV-driving, suburban, ignorant bumpkins, instead of understanding when you might have allies.

So next time Smash-whatever meets to discuss how they can promote “diversity” (which I’m sure they will because at one point or another every radical organization does this, and they very, very rarely get it.) they will think about how to better communicate their intentions, and grow up, just a little.

People, please!

Before we all get ready to lunge at each other’s throats, let us remember the positives of this protest:

Tollefson Square is being used for SOMETHING.

(Wow, the reply count is for this thread is heading right up there!)
I was in a local business the day the fliers were handed out by protesters and BIA people were trying to educate the business people. Rumors were flying out of control about who would be attending the protest. So much so that the people at the business had no idea what the issues themselves even were. Even after explaining what little I knew (mainly from radio news) about incidents over recent years, they were still completely oblivious.

I don’t see the flier posted, so a little about the protest from their point of view here, here, and here
Tacoma Contract Detention facility webpage

There’s a big difference in wording between this which I hadn’t seen before, and this

It’s really really important to be clear about what you mean when calling for street action.

When is “mofo” going to run for mayor? He has my vote.

I was just up at the local Starbucks (11th & Pacific) and ran into two officers. I aksed one how it was going and he laughed:
“We have them outnumbered.”
I told him as I drove through town at lunch I noticed the police pretty much had them surrounded and he said they were just trying to ‘move them along, let them speak their peace, but not really disrupt anything.’ I asked if it was over for the day and he said they had all moved down to the University. I suggested they may find more support down there.
“Everyone’s gone, “ he chuckled. “it’s Friday and a three-day weekend.”

I thought it was a little humorous that so many got so spun out over a protest that was so announced in advance.

I may be wrong (as is often the case) but I don’t believe civil disobedience is protected. Civil disobedience is actually breakling the law, but ‘civilly.’ Chaining yourself to the security gate of a military post is civil disobedience. Staging a permitted protest? That’s 1st amendment stuff. By making a lot of noise and crowding us out of our normal urban routine is just their attempt at a wake-up call for what is going on at the Detention Center. I am certain there are many regular readers (and perhaps contributers) to this blog who didn’t even know it was there before.

And talk about the power of protest. At this point I am the 49th entry here – in less than 24 hours. What other topic has generated this much energy. Whether it’s about the detention center, the police, civil disobedience, free speech, business disruption – the event today has us thinking and feeling.

That’s a good thing.

(‘Shutting down Tollefson Plaza?’ Can’t do what’s already done).

(I have granite counters and stainless appliances, but I was also one of thousands who shut down I-5 in Seattle when we invaded Cambodia and killed the Kent State Four. That was civil disobedience).

Maybe the protest will raise the issue for a lot of Tacomans.

Maybe next time, the delete the border/smash the ICE folks will do a better job of speaking with the people of Tacoma before the protests, rather than shouting at us about shutting down the city.

There should be more interest, so lets hope they get organized and find a way to capitalize on that without insulting everyone in the process.

Leave out the threatening language and I’ll be there, taking pictures.

oh, I think I should be more clear here…..this is not about your average joe illegal….this center is for actual rapists, murders, big crime type illegals……..so personally I would rather keep them behind bars and deport them…..we have our own fair share of rapists and murders…we don’t need any from other countries…..

once again Seattle out does Tacoma. Now everybody thinks Tacoma anarchists totally suck on the wimpy balloon.

At least the porkers got to put on their expensive costumes and parade around. And I bet the helicopter fuel was expensive to burn up.

Maybe its just an act to loathe TPD into a false sense of security?

Let me go on the record as applauding and defending Tacoma’s police. Sure there are bad apples in every bunch, but all my encounters with them (and there have been plenty b/c of where I live) have been extremely positive. It’s ignorant to characterize an entire group of people b/c of a few bad ones.

Here’s a “video I took when 11th and Commerce were taken over. An arrest shorty followed the filming. Cell phone quality. Sorry.

fontaine – you sure that’s the protest? sure looked a lot like the crowd outside of a ‘my chemical romance’ concert

*FWIW i fully support emo music and emos (because i know everyone laughed at me in the early 90s in flannel and long hair), and none were harmed (by me, but they may have self harmed) in the posting of this comment

Now that the demonstrations for today have subsided, it would be good if all those who got caught up in the moment and thought that all hell was going to break loose in downtown Tacoma would just take a minute to reflect on what happened.

From my perspective, I saw a number of people give into their worst fears about the protest notices online. These fears reached people at the BIA, UW-Tacoma security, et al – causing them to spam everyone in Downtown Tacoma with emails and phone messages – developing an atmosphere of mass hysteria and panic.

I don’t want to associate Tacoma with mass hysteria and panic. That makes me think about what happened in 1885.
See: The Chinese Must Go .

Being prepared is not mass hysteria; informing citizens is not spamming; and the weekend is not over.

I have only seen professionalism from the police and BIA regarding this protest so give me a break…and trotting out the horrible way that Tacoma treated the Chinese more than a century ago is a ridiculous analogy.

Crenshaw:

Since America is so horrible to undocumented workers, they could, maybe, I don’t know, stop coming here?

This whole conversation didn’t even take place until long after the BIA post.

I sincerely doubt that anything anyone said yesterday morning on this website had any impact at all on the police response to the protest. (Which was apparently moving into place the night before.) And I stand by the idea that they were just responding to incendiary language in the protester’s own press releases.

Chris Karnes and Heidi, both of you have been very informative and rational (aside from continually calling us hysterical). Perhaps you should get involved in the communication effort next time, if you feel very passionately about the issue.

Seriously? You see no problem with housing people (who may not have committed any crime) in an area previously zoned specifically NOT to allow precisely this kind of residential building (prisons, hospitals, hotels)?

If your passion doesn’t go out to this issue, nitsuj, I’m curious where does it go?

PS ~ I don’t think Chris was suggesting the comments here have been “hysterical” but that the emails he’s been getting from downtown businesses may have been…

PPS ~ I don’t think it’s a stretch to comment on the Chinese round-ups which Tacoma professes to be so ashamed of. Although this time it’s being done via ICE raids, Tacoma’s current complacency will look just as shameful in the future.

RE: 72:

“I don’t think it’s a stretch to comment on the Chinese round-ups which Tacoma professes to be so ashamed of. Although this time it’s being done via ICE raids, Tacoma’s current complacency will look just as shameful in the future.”

Comment 64 (that I objected to) was not comparing the Chinese round-up hysteria to the ICE raids – the analogy of comment 64 was to compare the Chinese round-up hysteria to the Tacoma police department and BIA preparation for potential problems.

From Comment 64: “From my perspective, I saw a number of people give into their worst fears about the protest notices online. These fears reached people at the BIA, UW-Tacoma security, et al – causing them to spam everyone in Downtown Tacoma with emails and phone messages – developing an atmosphere of mass hysteria and panic. I don’t want to associate Tacoma with mass hysteria and panic. That makes me think about what happened in 1885. See: The Chinese Must Go.”

I agree with Jenyum that although there is certainly valid discourse to be had on a very complicated issue, any opportunity to become educated and/or discuss the issue was totally lost because of a lack of focus, inappropriate forum, and poorly delivered message.

Here’s the King 5 video report from the protest. They indicate 4 people were arrested.