Seattle businesses looted, defaced with ‘gentrifier’ graffiti
Rioters in Seattle busted out windows of a pot shop and scrawled “gentrifier” on it outside, according to a report.
A group of 150 people gathered late Wednesday at Cal Anderson Park before busting out windows and starting a pair of fires on Capitol Hill, including one inside a business that firefighters later extinguished, police told the Seattle Times.
At another nearby business, Uncle Ike’s, which bills itself as Seattle’s “favorite pot shop,” protesters wrote the word “gentrifier” on the front of the building, which also had some of its windows smashed, video shows.
The protesters then took aim at another storefront, breaking into Rove Vintage, where they stole merchandise before setting those items on fire in the middle of a street, the newspaper reports, citing police and video footage.
Rove Vintage, meanwhile, is owned by the wife of one of the Seattle cops who fatally shot a pregnant black woman three years ago, according to city and state business records cited by the newspaper.
Two banks were also damaged and another business at Broadway and Madison streets was also looted, according to the report.
No arrests were made, police said.
The violence came as a federal judge ruled late Wednesday that he will allow a recent ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council barring police from using tear gas and pepper spray during ongoing protests against police brutality to go into effect on Sunday.
The ruling came days after 12 Seattle cops were hurt when a downtown protest turned violent. The cops were injured by mortar-style fireworks tossed at them at close range, police officials told reporters.
With Post wires