Spokane, Washington tonight became the center of national attention after a peaceful protest outside an ICE facility was escalated by police.
The protest was organized after a 21-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker was detained by ICE during a routine check-in. Community members gathered to demand his release. What began as a calm, peaceful demonstration quickly turned into a show of force by law enforcement.
Here’s what happened:
– 2:00 p.m. – Protesters began gathering outside the Spokane ICE office on Cataldo Ave, holding signs and peacefully chanting.
– 4:30 p.m. – Law enforcement began staging nearby. At least 50 city and county sheriff’s vehicles assembled in a dirt lot on Boone Avenue.
– 5:00 p.m. – Police closed off roads around the ICE facility and brought in a BearCat armored vehicle. Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies were seen equipped with gas masks and rifles loaded with less-lethal rounds.
– 6:00 p.m. – Officers began pushing demonstrators back, threatening the use of chemical weapons on anyone who refused to move.
– Police soon deployed OC gas (pepper spray) into the streets, gassing peaceful demonstrators and escalating tensions.
Mayor Lisa Brown later declared a state of emergency and imposed a citywide curfew beginning at 9:30 p.m.
This protest was peaceful. The escalation didn’t come from the crowd, it came from law enforcement. People gathered on public property to speak out against an unjust detention. They were met with armored vehicles, riot gear, and chemical agents. It was excessive. It was avoidable.
Of course it escalated. Because in today’s America, step out of line, and the man comes to take you away.
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