WHAT: From the Youth Jail to King County Jail: #FreeThemAll March & Rally organized by Decriminalize Seattle / Defund SPD

WHEN: 11:30-3:30 

WHERE: March and Rally to begin at Youth Jail (1211 E Alder St, Seattle, WA 98122) and end outside King County Jail 

WHO: March is organized by the Decriminalize Seattle Coalition, which includes No New Youth Jail, Block the Bunker, WA-BLOC, Seattle Peoples Party, COVID-19 Mutual Aid, Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, BAYAN, La Resistencia, PARISOL, CID Coalition, Asians for Black Lives, APICAG, Creative Justice, Seattle ACED, and Queer the Land.

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The Decriminalize Seattle Coalition, which is leading the campaign to Defund SPD, will lead a march on July 3rd from the controversial $242 million youth jail to the King County Jail to call on King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg and City Attorney Pete Holmes to defend Black lives and drop all charges against protestors. The Coalition, whose demands are backed by over 40,000 individuals and more than 250 organizations, is also calling the city and county prosecutors to refuse to file any additional charges against people taking to the streets during the George Floyd uprisings that began on May 29th. 

The forced evacuation of the CHOP by the Seattle Police Department resulted in the arrest of over 65 people, with many more attacked with mace and rubber bullets despite a recent ban on the use of chemical weapons and projectiles by the SPD. The raid on CHOP was an extension of SPD’s brutal tactics against both houseless community members and protestors. This renewed call to drop all charges and free all protestors comes after over 200 arrests in just over a month of street-based protest demanding an end to police terror towards Black communities. 

During the last ten years local law enforcement have been responsible for many deaths, including the killing of John T. Williams, Charleena Lyles, Che Taylor, Demarius Butts, Oscar Perez Giron, Renee Davis, MiChance Dunlap Gittens, Tommy Le, Shaun Fuhr and Marcello Castellano. Decriminalize Seattle organizer Angélica Cházaro stated, “The uprising in Seattle is a local manifestation of nationwide outrage at police violence against Black lives. By prosecuting those who protest police violence, Holmes and Satterberg are defending the status quo, even as calls to disband SPD continue to pick up steam.” Following the march, speakers outside King County Jail will highlight the need to divest from police and jails, and call for investments in community-driven solutions to health and safety.  

For live updates, visit:

NNYJ FB @NoNewYouthJailSeattle

COVID-19 Mutual Aid IG @covid19mutualaid

#FreeThemAll | #DefundSPD | #DropTheCharges | #NoNewYouthJail | #CareNotCages