SPOKANE, Wash – Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said what started as a peaceful, lawful protest against ICE escalated when people committed vandalism and failed to leave the area as instructed.
The protest began around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Former Spokane city council president Ben Stuckart called Mayor Lisa Brown and said he intended to protest at the ICE office near the downtown stadium in order to keep a van from leaving.
Stuckart said the van was transporting people to the immigration detention facility in Tacoma, including a man from Venezuela who was seeking asylum.
Advocates joined Stuckart, who sat in front of an ICE vehicle so it couldn’t leave.
Mayor Brown said Stuckart told her his group intended to “peacefully protest” and stay at the facility until they were arrested.
The mayor said she was in contact with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and reiterated that the city has a duty to uphold the First Amendment and a commitment to protect the right to peacefully protest.
The protest took a turn, though, when protesters vandalized the ICE vehicle by spray painting the windshield and flattening a tire on another vehicle.
Mayor Brown said she and members of her cabinet determined it was safer for Spokane Police to break up the protest, rather than federal agents.
Around the time police arrived at the scene at Washington and Cataldo, a second ICE protest was getting underway a few blocks away at Riverfront Park.
Eventually, that group marched north across the river and joined the protest at the ICE facility.
“The vast majority were peaceful.. compliant, also, with officers,” Mayor Brown said. “That is what we hope for. People have that right, there are serious concerns about federal policies. We also want to keep everyone safe.”
Police Chief Kevin Hall said things started out calmly, but as behavior escalated, they made the decision to call in tactical teams.
Police issued an order for the crowd to disperse, then started arresting people who were breaking the law.
Stuckart was among the first people arrested. Jail records show he was booked into the jail on a charge of failure to disperse.
Chief Hall said more than 30 people were arrested as of 10:00 Wednesday night, most of them on misdemeanor charges.
Police used inert smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd, but Chief Hall denied allegations that police used tear gas and rubber bullets.
While the protest was underway, ICE was seen escorting detainees into a van.
Spokane Police said there are no more detainees in the facility, but Mayor Brown said she’s not sure where the van was going.
Mayor Lisa Brown declared a state of emergency and put a curfew into effect from 9:30 Wednesday night until 5:00 Thursday morning. The area impacted is from Division to Howard Streets and from Spokane Falls Boulevard to Boone Avenue.
After 10:00 Wednesday, most of the protesters had left the area.
“I know there is tremendous fear among our immigrant and refugee community,” Mayor Brown said. “My heart goes out to families who are separated or who are fearful of what might happen.”
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