Washington State Patrol was not prepared for 'sheer size of the crowd' at Seattle I-5 protest

In response to a protest that shut down northbound I-5 last weekend, Washington State Patrol says efforts to resolve it were complicated by activist tactics, miscommunication and “the sheer size of the crowd.”

Activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza blocked the freeway in Seattle for five hours Saturday, Jan. 6, 2023.

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About eight of the freeway protesters chained themselves together using a “sleeping dragon” device that requires special training to safely remove, Washington State Patrol said, adding that the tactic had not been used in earlier Gaza ceasefire demonstrations.

The State Patrol also had to call in extra staff to safely handle the large number of protesters, and to find a way to process those arrested because the King County Jail didn’t have enough space. The protesters dispersed without any arrests, said a spokesperson for the Seattle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Police said the protesters used a new tactic by abandoning their vehicles on the freeway, which bomb-sniffing dogs then searched for explosives.

A communication breakdown between agencies prolonged the six-mile freeway shutdown, the State Patrol said. It’s reviewing its practices in response.

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Saturday’s protest was the latest in a weekly series of local demonstrations against the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and U.S. support for Israel, by local groups including the Palestinian feminist organization Falastiniyat, the Seattle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, Samidoun Seattle, and Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return at the University of Washington.

Similar rallies have been held across the United States in recent weeks calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, including a protest in New York City on Monday that shut down highly-trafficked bridges and the Holland Tunnel. Demonstrations also recently closed freeways and bridges in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Philadelphia.

Correction 1/11/24 4:19 pm: An earlier version of this story misstated arrests at the protest; arrests were planned but not carried out.

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