At least 12 arrested as protests move to downtown, I-5 entrance

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published November 10, 2007

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OLYMPIA -- At least 12 people have been arrested today as protests of military-cargo shipments from the Port of Olympia moved to downtown and the Plum Street entrance to Interstate 5.

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About 12:15 p.m., Olympia police arrested at least three people at Fourth Avenue and Plum Street. About 12:20 p.m., protesters gathered at the I-5 entrance in a failed attempt to block convoys. Police arrested at least nine people there.

Protesters on foot blocked traffic at Fourth and Plum about noon by jumping in front of 18-wheelers towing cargo containers containing military equipment bound for Fort Lewis. But Olympia police in riot gear moved in quickly, spraying pepper spray in the faces of the protesters, pushing them with their batons and dragging them away from the road.

About 10 protesters partially blocked Plum Street at the entrance to Interstate 5 by linking arms through PVC pipes and sitting in the road. Police shot them with pepper spray guns and, when they didn't move, cut the PVC pipes, handcuffed them and dragged them to a police van.

Earlier in the day, Olympia police officers dressed in riot gear used pepper spray and physically removed the 20 or so Olympia Port Militarization Resistance demonstrators who were blocking the entrance to the port about 9:45 a.m.

A larger number of protesters stood by and shouted at the police, decrying what they felt were excessive tactics. A smaller group that included some of the truck drivers who were waiting to move military equipment to Fort Lewis voiced quiet support for the police actions.

By about 10:20 a.m., a large number of trucks had entered the port and about 20 officers lined the road at Franklin and Market streets, making sure the road was clear of protesters.

About 10:30 a.m., several protesters -- including one young woman screaming in pain -- were being treated by paramedics after being pepper-sprayed by police. The line of protesters at the port’s gates, some of whom wore goggles and other protective gear, withstood several sprays and were physically removed by officers who picked them up and threw them away from the road they had blocked.