Native Black activist Alan Meekins claims a Queen Anne resident threw a heavy, rolling speaker at his head throughout a small protest exterior Council Member Bob Kettle’s home final weekend. In an interview with The Stranger, Meekins described Kettle’s neighborhood as a “Sunset City” and his indignant neighbors as a “lynch mob.” Meekins intends to press costs towards the assailant.
At the same time as he recovered, he expressed a steadfast dedication to defending the suitable to protest, particularly as he feels that he and different left-leaning constituents have exhausted all different choices to use strain to a council that appears solely amenable to the calls for of the rich few.
At about 8 pm on the night of Sept 15, Meekins joined 5 – 6 others in protesting exterior of Kettle’s Queen Anne residence forward of a controversial vote to re-establish Keep Out of Drug Space (SODA) and Keep Out of Space Prostitution Zones (SOAP). Meekins discovered the insurance policies racist, transphobic, and classist. The protesters additionally wished to use strain to the council to place I-137, a tax on enterprise to pay for social housing, on the poll with out a competing measure. Regardless of an enormous outpouring of opposition at public remark, Kettle voted in favor of the banishment zones and the competing measure to I-137, which undermines the social housing mannequin and threatens funding for inexpensive housing. Each measures handed.
Protesters didn’t see or work together with Kettle at their protest forward of the vote, however they spoke with individuals who seemed to be his neighbors. Inside minutes of the protesters’ arrival, two individuals strolling a canine approached the group, based on Meekins and two different eyewitness protesters who spoke to The Stranger on situation of anonymity.
Meekins claimed they informed the obvious neighbors they meant them no hurt, they have been simply being noisy. The protesters meant to cease earlier than 10 pm to respect the noise code, despite the fact that they determined to not use their speaker for amplification that day.
One other three neighbors then approached to inquire concerning the protest, based on Meekins and two different witnesses. One man appeared extra annoyed to Meekins than the individuals within the first group, however not threatening. The opposite man “obtained up in” one other protester’s face to shout at her, based on witnesses.
Protesters recalled the neighbors telling them they “had no class” they usually have been “going about this unsuitable.” They tried to clarify that Kettle and his colleagues didn’t reply to different ways.
However issues escalated from there. After a brief verbal trade, one man grabbed the rolling speaker and hurled it into the group at “head-level,” Meekins and two eyewitnesses alleged. The speaker sailed by way of the air and clocked Meekins within the head, he stated.
Meekins tried to observe the alleged assailant. Meekins put him in what he referred to as a “bear hug,” however along with his head bleeding profusely, he stated he couldn’t maintain him for lengthy.
The neighbors left the protesters quickly after. Meekins referred to as them “accomplices” within the assault as a result of “as an alternative of providing help—[they] proceeded to impede the protesters, shield the assailant’s identification, and scream with the vitality of an indignant mob,” he wrote in a fundraiser publish.
Textual content information present Meekins referred to as the Seattle Police Division (SPD) at about 8:50 pm. SPD verified they obtained the decision for an alleged assault. Seattle Hearth Division information present EMTs arrived within the space at 9:03 pm and left at 9:11pm. The cops didn’t search the realm till the following morning, based on texts from Seattle Police Division’s (SPD) customer support line. SPD didn’t file an incident report as a result of Meekins had already left. Meekins stated he’ll file a report Friday morning.
Meekins additionally emailed Kettle’s Metropolis e-mail to tell him of the alleged assault and to ask for his residence safety footage, based on a screenshot Meekins shared with The Stranger. Yesterday he launched a fundraiser to cowl his authorized charges, misplaced wages whereas he recovers, and little one care.
The Stranger was not in a position to establish the alleged assailant to achieve him for remark. Kettle didn’t reply to our request for remark earlier than press time.
Seattle has an extended historical past of protesting at elected officers’ houses, together with throughout the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter motion in 2020 and throughout the protests towards the youth jail within the mid 2010s. The protesters from Sept 15 say this historical past doesn’t finish with the assault on Meekins. Subsequent time, they’ll simply need to carry extra individuals alongside, one protester stated.
Ashley Nerbovig contributed reporting to this publish.
