May Day Marches

There always seem to be lots of marches and protests in Seattle on May Day, and today is no exception.  Invariably, they devolve into riots and violence.  I’m writing this in the afternoon, and I can already see a couple of helicopters hovering over downtown, presumably following one or other of the marches.  I’m sure there is no trouble and they are relatively peaceful at the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if things get a lot less peaceful later this evening.  We did get an e-mail at work notifying us about the marches (the following were mentioned: March for Workers and Immigrant Rights, Veteran Anti-War March, Anti-Capitalist March, Anti-Communism March – but expect there are a lot more unofficial events going on) and that they would likely mess up the traffic and the commute today.  They better not shut down any highways or freeways that affect my drive home (looks like some downtown freeway exits have already been closed down).  I thought one of the marches might pass my workplace, but I was mistaken.  That’s kind of disappointing.  But with the sheer number of people already protesting against the presidency (and apparently a pro-Trump rally has also been organized today), I have a feeling today’s protests could have a bigger turnout than normal and hence also a lot more trouble than normal once the sun goes down.  Conversely, yet another wet day might keep some protesters from coming out, but probably not the agitators and anarchists whose sole mission is to cause as much destruction and chaos as possible.  Either way, it would be wise to stay away from downtown this evening.  Let’s see if Seattle makes the national and international news tomorrow.