War protesters in Olympia blasted with pepper spray — again

OLYMPIA – Dozens of people protesting Iraq-bound military shipments were blasted with pepper spray and 22 people were arrested in continuing war protests at the Port of Olympia.

Two people were arrested for failure to disperse and the rest for criminal trespass Tuesday night after protesters tore off a gate, entered port property, lay down and refused to leave, Thurston County sheriff's Capt. Bradley Watkins said.

For the second straight night pepper spray was blasted at the demonstrators repeatedly, on one occasion after some protesters hurled bottles and rocks at 60 to 70 law enforcement officers from the Washington State Patrol, sheriff's office and Olympia and Tumwater police, said Watkins, the incident commander.

No one was seriously injured, and after the arrests the number of protesters dwindled from several hundred to about 100, he said. About three dozen held a late-night vigil, some stayed overnight and more demonstrators arrived this morning.

Most of the arrests were made shortly after the protest started about 5 p.m. when demonstrators tore down the chain-link gate at the main port entry and confronted a line of law enforcement personnel in riot gear and helmets with face shields.

As the protesters lay on the ground and linked arms, they were dragged away one by one and handcuffed as supporters yelled, "Let them go, let them go."

During the uproar, City Council member TJ Johnson got upset with officers who had used a baton to prod a bakery owner who had been watching as a bystander, The Olympian reported.

Johnson, who stood face-to-face with the troopers in defiance until pepper spray was fired, told the newspaper afterward there was plenty of blame to go around for what happened but added that he understood protesters were frustrated.

"They're thinking of everything they can to stop this war, and it still continues, even through our downtown," he said.

On Monday night, police clad in riot gear fired at least four rounds of pepper spray in a one-hour period as about 150 war protesters tried unsuccessfully to pry open the gate and enter the port. No arrests were made then and paramedics were dispatched to treat some of the protesters, authorities said.

Activists began watching for a military ship more than a week ago after learning that Stryker vehicles and other Army gear from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, a 4,000-soldier unit stationed at Fort Lewis, were being shipped to Iraq through the port.

During a half-hour lull in the hullaballoo Tuesday night, several activists gathered around Steve Niva, a professor at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, as he led a teach-in about the areas in Iraq where the Strykers are being deployed.

Sixteen people were arrested in three days last week, mostly for pedestrian interference, during more peaceful protests against convoys through the downtown area to the port from the sprawling military post between Olympia and Tacoma.