Hundreds Marched Saturday To Protest Anti-Queer Violence On Capitol Hill

Hundreds of concerned protesters took to the streets of Capitol Hill Seattle on Saturday, June 13, 2015 to rally against violence against the LGBTQ community. Photo: Doug McLaughlin

Hundreds of concerned LGBTQ Seattlites and their allies took to the streets of Capitol Hill late Saturday night, June 13, 2015 to protest recent attacks on the queer community, including hate crimes and street violence. The peaceful march organized by local community leaders centered around the Pike/Pine corridor of the Hill, and focused on the upper reaches of the popular entertainment district that has seen a rise in density as the neighborhood undergoes major gentrification and new construction that includes the addition of many new night life venues as well as expensive new housing.

The event began at Cal Anderson Park, frequently the site of street crime, and looped through area businesses and the campus of Seattle Central College. The primary protest chant was “Not one more!” referring to violent attacks against queer residents and visitors to the Hill over the last two years.

From the FB invite:

Our goal is to have a large force marching on the hill and getting the message out: NOT ONE MORE!

-Wear black accented by pink and rainbow #queervisibility
-This is not a violent protest. We are not responding to their hate with hate.
-The main chant will be “NOT ONE MORE”
-This is a solidarity movement. We are standing in solidarity with every member of the community who has been victimized.

REMEMBER THAT OUR MESSAGE IS ONE OF SOLIDARITY FOR THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ON CAPITOL HILL AND AROUND SEATTLE.

Not surprisingly, there was little to no attention from mainstream media for the peaceful protest.

TV crews and The Times apparently only show up for marches with hoped for violence/window breakage OR if the homos are giving an organized parade down Main Street with lots of drag queens, leather daddies, dykes on bikes and marching clones from Corporate America wearing identical shirts with their company’s logo splashed across the chest on view….

A protester carries a Pride Flag at the Saturday, June 13, 2015 rally and march against hate/street crimes against LGBTQ community members in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Photo: Doug McLaughlin.