Protesters arrested in Seattle City Hall charged by city attorney

Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison has filed gross misdemeanor charges against six people arrested last month during a tense meeting of the Seattle City Council that saw protesters chanting and banging on windows and council members calling for their detainment.

All six have been charged with first-degree criminal trespassing. One is also charged with obstruction.

The arrests and subsequent charges stand out as a rare example of law enforcement involvement in a standoff between activists and the city’s elected officials.

Noisy City Hall protests have been a common occurrence in recent history, particularly during the tenure of former Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant was adept at turning people out to City Hall, leading chants and, as occurred during 2020, even staging sit-ins.

Many of the new City Council members, however, have said they will be less tolerant of disruptions at their meetings.

“That might have played before in that last council,” said Councilmember Rob Saka during the February meeting. “Not today.”

In a statement Friday, Councilmember Bob Kettle said he respects Davison’s decision.

“Seattle has endured a permissive public safety environment for too long, including in Council chambers,” he said.

By contrast, Councilmember Tammy Morales called the arrest and charging of the protesters “callous,” saying it “could cause long-term harm, upending the protesters’ lives. Seattle has a long history of public dissent; charging protesters for dissenting in the people’s chamber is undemocratic.”

Will Casey, spokesperson for the King County Department of Public Defense, confirmed five of those charged have been assigned counsel and was unsure about the sixth. Until the arraignments, the lawyers would not have any comment about their clients, Casey said.

Punishment for gross misdemeanors max out at 364 days in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

The arrests came during the weekly meeting of the full Seattle City Council in late February. Protesters arrived during the public comment period, calling for city officials to take a more prominent role helping to house the large number of asylum-seekers that have arrived in Tukwila over the past year.

Council President Sara Nelson cut off public comment after 20 minutes — the time generally allotted for comment, but which is frequently extended to accommodate crowds — accusing the activists in the crowd of “exploiting vulnerable people for their own political ends.”

Once comment was closed, protesters began shouting. Members called for security to clear the chambers, which they did.

According to the police report filed in Seattle Municipal Court, most of the protesters left, but eight people stayed behind. Seattle police Capt. Steve Strand — who recently applied to fill a vacant seat on the council — said he gave the remaining protesters 10 minutes before they could be arrested for criminal trespass.

Meanwhile, protesters who’d been expelled from the chamber began banging on the windows, which several council members said made them fear for their safety.

Strand said he asked both City Hall security and Nelson if they wanted the protesters arrested and both said yes. After several more warnings, police arrested six protesters.

All six were booked and then released later that night.

Spokesperson for the City Attorney’s Office, Tim Robinson, said it took nearly a month to decide whether to file charges because attorneys needed more information from Seattle police and time to review body camera footage. The city’s municipal court is also transitioning to a new case management system, which slowed things down.