Reposted via MyNorthwest.com
After blocking a Seattle bridge for over an hour during the evening commute, protestors had mostly dispersed by 6 p.m. and police reopened the road to traffic.
Earlier, two groups of protestors converged on the University Bridge in Seattle, causing a headache for those commuting during rush hour.
A group of Occupy Seattle protestors marched from their camp at Seattle Central Community College to the University Bridge on Thursday afternoon. The group from the Capitol Hill neighborhood was joined by a group of protestors that met in the University District near Montlake.
Police set up a staging area before the University District group started marching, on the opposite side of the Montlake Bridge.
When the group started marching, police followed closely, corralling the group as they made their way to the University Bridge.
By 5 p.m. both groups had taken the bridge and were preventing traffic from moving through. Estimates of 600 to 800 people were carrying signs and banners on the bridge that connects the Eastlake and University District neighborhoods.
By 5:45 p.m. many of the protestors left the bridge, after they had unfurled a large banner. About 200 protestors stayed behind, continuing to occupy the bridge and prevent traffic from moving through.
Seattle Police kept their presence somewhat unnoticeable, staying on hand to insure safety of the group, but did not forcibly remove any of the protestors.
The march is a part of a nationwide “Day of Action” in which protestors marched in cities across the U.S. At least 300 people were arrested during these ‘mostly peaceful marches.’
The protests came two days after police raided and demolished the encampment at lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park that had served as headquarters of the Occupy movement and as demonstrators and union allies tried to regain their momentum.
It also followed a contentious confrontation between Seattle Police and marching protestors on Tuesday night, when police pepper sprayed an 84-year-old woman, a pregnant woman, and a priest.
The mayor released an apology on Wednesday for the use of force by the police, later adding on the air with 97.3 KIRO FM, “I want to be very clear, I’m apologizing to peaceful protestors. I’m not apologizing to individuals who create violent confrontation; not in the slightest.”
