IMAG1884.jpeg

Based on what I've seen of the coverage, this General Strike is being blown out of proportion by almost every media outlet in town (and a few around the country, too.) Right this moment, we have a few broken windows along one block downtown. There was an incident involving pepper spray, but the spray reportedly came from a man with a history of arming himself with pepper spray and throwing himself in the middle of confrontations. (He denies being the one who sprayed the crowd. Several people who were there say they saw him spraying the crowd. Presumably, someone has video that will clear this issue up.) The vandalism of those windows was a shame, and photos indicate that they were broken by a few kids. (Someone wearing Nikes was involved with smashing the NikeTown windows, which to me indicates a protest tourist from a privileged background who just wanted to stir shit up and succeeded.)

Here's the thing: There are hundreds of people all around town right now protesting income inequality, identifying a desperate need for immigration reform, and celebrating our shared American history of organized labor. Those are issues that need our discussion, and our consideration, and our attention. And all the coverage is centering around the acts of a few know-nothing nobodies who wandered in from nowhere to cause small-scale trouble. Sure, people said stupid things, and did stupid things, but this was almost entirely a peaceful assembly.

It drives me crazy that when all the idiot airhead newscasters around town open their broadcasts tonight, they're going to mention the broken windows, and the stupid things people are saying, and they're not going to mention the causes that inspired hundreds upon hundreds of Seattleites to peacefully take to the streets, to make their voices heard. The media is complicit in allowing a few petty criminals to steal the voice of average, everyday Seattleites. Tell me that's not a goddamned shame.