Sawant, immigrant rights leaders to announce plans for May Day

This march has been routinely peaceful for 17 years and normally there would be no question about whether the marchers would try to get onto the freeway, except for the earlier words of one of this year's sponsors, City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.

Sawant was the lead speaker at today's news conference of the May 1 coalition.

In February she published a national magazine column that urged May Day protestors to "begin planning for… a mass peaceful civil disobedience that shuts down highways, airports…"

We've seen the May 1st coalition put on biggest May Day demonstrations over the years. Based on the interest they are seeing, leaders estimate that 20,000 people will take part this year.

What is May Day? May Day is already a day of mass demonstrations in cities across the United States. In Seattle, however, it has become a day known for violent and destructive marches through downtown. An annual, peaceful immigrant and worker march takes place during the day on May 1. But that message is generally lost as anarchists usually descend upon downtown during the evening. 

On May Day an estimated 20,000 immigrant and labor rights marchers will cross I-5 on Madison Street.

“We are not calling for any shutdown of the freeway, we're not calling for any shutdown of the streets," said Juan Jose Bocanegra of El Comite.

In the past, law enforcement has reacted forcefully to attempts to shut down the freeway -- and the Washington State Patrol issued a warning that it will fight any attempt to do so on May Day.

Councilmember Sawant referenced the march route from Judkins Park to Seattle Center as she backed away from any suggestion that marchers take to the freeway at the May Day march.

“We will stand with the May 1 action coalition and our immigrant sisters and brothers and their families in carrying out a peaceful march and as you see the march does not include any freeways.

“Do not paint us in the same way you have done, year after year and try to paint us together with the anarchists,” said Bocanegra.

KIRO 7 News made this map based off the information so that you can avoid traffic delays. 

Sawant is known for speaking at protests and leading progressive movements in Seattle, and she has called for “civil disobedience" since the results of the 2016 election.

>> Related: GUIDE: How to navigate through May Day 2017

In a Feb. 21 column that Sawant wrote for the Socialist publication Jacobin Magazine, titled "Why We Should Strike on May Day."

"The 'chaos' we created at the nation's airports gives a hint of what's possible," Sawant wrote in reference to the protests that immediately followed Trump's travel ban executive order, which has since been halted.

"… we need to think deeply about where our strength lies and how to create disruption on an even greater scale," she wrote.

The councilwoman's calls to shut down airports and highways are drawing the ire of the Washington State Patrol captain, who is charged with keeping the freeways moving.

Captain Ron Mead says he won’t have any part of that kind of behavior.

“Any rhetoric like that in calling for the shutting down of freeways is reckless and irresponsible,” he said.

KIRO 7 News went to a warehouse last week where police were training for May Day protests.

Captain Chris Fowler of SPD will again lead the department's response. Last year, his officers successfully corralled anti-capitalist protesters in SODO.

Fowler says police will take cues from protesters in how they respond.

But Sawant told KIRO Radio’s Hannah Scott she’s not about to back down.

"There are tens of thousands of potential peaceful activists in Seattle who will fight for their conscience, will fight for social justice, in a peaceful, non-violent but courageous and militant manner."

KIRO 7 News took social media questions to Sawant last year -- asking if it's appropriate for elected city officials to call for protests.

Sawant said protesting is exactly why her constituency elected her to do.

The councilwoman made headlines in 2014 for being among several people arrested at Alaska Airlines headquarters in SeaTac during a demonstration protesting the company's failure to pay workers $15 an hour. Watch video here.

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