Seattle 17-year-old arrested and released after left-wing protest turns to vandalism
A 17-year-old girl was arrested in Seattle on Saturday afternoon after public property was vandalized following a left-wing protest that criticized both the Republican and Democratic Parties.
The “Build the People’s Movement” event attracted about 200 demonstrators at the Space Needle near the city’s downtown, Seattle Police said.
The group posted video to Facebook that shows members telling demonstrators that the U.S. is a “fake democracy” and described the Republican and Democratic Parties as a “fake two-party system [that] has failed us all.” A second video shows demonstrators chanting, “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”
Demonstrators disrupted traffic and violated municipal laws as they marched southbound on 5th Avenue from the Space Needle towards Downtown Seattle, police said.
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During the march, Community Response Group (CRG) officers spotted black graffiti spray-painted on concrete columns of the Seattle Monorail between Denny Way and Bell Street.
The graffiti, which police said is permanent, spelled various phrases and statements including, “Seattle with Gaza,” “Pigs leave,” “SPD there’s blood in your hands,” and, “We will see free Gaza.”
CRG officers tracked down the suspect, a 17-year-old girl, and police recovered black spray paint and matching paint on the teen’s hands. She was arrested for second-degree malicious mischief.
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Police declined to book the teen for the felony crimes after speaking to the juvenile detention staff at the Children & Family Justice Center.
The teen was released into the custody of her parents after being processed at the West Precinct due to her juvenile status.
City service crews were working to remove and clean the damaged property.