Women's March on Seattle

The Women's March on Seattle (stylized as the Womxn's March on Seattle)[3] was the Seattle affiliate of the worldwide 2017 Women's March protest on January 21, 2017. Newspapers including The Seattle Times said it was Seattle's largest protest march in history.[4][5]

Women's March on Seattle
Part of 2017 Women's March
DateJanuary 21, 2017
Location
Seattle, Washington, United States

47.622°N 122.352°W / 47.622; -122.352
Caused byInauguration of Donald Trump
MethodsProtest march
Number
120,000-175,000[1][2]

The march route was from Seattle's Central District through Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle to the Seattle Center. Drawing an estimated 120,000 to 175,000 marchers according to police and organizers respectively,[1][2] more than the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, the March filled the entire 3-mile (4.8 km) route through downtown by early afternoon, making vehicle traffic across the route impossible.[6] It was expected to be the third largest protest march in the United States on January 21, after the Women's March on Washington (D.C.) and the march in Los Angeles.[7][8][9] An unusual feature of the march is that it was planned to be held in silence.[10]

The event was named using the spelling "womxn"; organizers stated that this naming was meant to symbolize intersectionality with the transgender community.[11]

Effects

Sound Transit and King County Metro rerouted many bus routes and added additional Link light rail service in anticipation of disruption to the city's transportation grid.[12]

The march was routed on South Jackson Street through the Chinatown-International District neighborhood, causing major traffic disruptions. Some businesses in the neighborhood reported large losses in sales, taking place in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year (the largest shopping day of the year in the neighborhood). While restaurants reported good sales, grocery stores that rely on bulk purchases reported losses of up to 65 percent.[13] Prior to the march, business leaders warned that the march would disrupt sales and wrote open letters in the International Examiner asking march participants to return to the neighborhood to offset losses.[14]

Participation by people outside of Seattle

Hundreds of participants came to Seattle in organized groups from Eastside cities including Sammamish and Kirkland by charter bus, the Kitsap Peninsula by Washington State Ferries, and other Washington locales.[15][16][17][18]

Other Pacific Northwest marches

Other events in Twisp, Spokane, Yakima and Walla Walla in Eastern Washington and numerous cities in Western Washington, as well as Portland, Oregon drew additional thousands of marchers.[19][20][21][22][23] The event at the state capitol in Olympia had 10,000 attendees.[23] For days, regional knitting shops were sold out of pink yarn used to make pussy hats crafted and worn by the protestors.[24]

  • State capitol in Olympia
    State capitol in Olympia

Endorsements

The Seattle march was endorsed by Washington's senior United States senator, Patty Murray, who said she would be physically present at the D.C. event.[25] The King County AFL–CIO chapter officially participated in the event.[26] The mayor of Seattle, Ed Murray, marched.[2]

References
  1. Associated Press and KOMO Staff (21 January 2017). "At least 120K rally at Women's March in Seattle". KOMOnews.com. KOMO news. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. Q13 News Staff (21 January 2017). "Seattle women's march draws 175,000 attendees, organizers say". Q13 Fox.
  3. "More than 100,000 join Women's March on Seattle". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  4. Katherine Long; Jessica Lee; Lynn Thompson (January 21, 2017), "Record Seattle crowd asserts women's rights: 'Trump has galvanized everybody'", The Seattle Times, The record protest for the Womxn's March on Seattle far surpassed previous demonstrations in the city.
  5. Rich Smith; Ana Sofia Knauf (January 22, 2017), Voices from the Historic Womxn's March on Seattle
  6. "Traffic alert: Women's march now 3 miles long; organizers estimate crowd has reached 100,000", The Seattle Times, January 21, 2017
  7. Tens of Thousands Plan To Attend Women's March In Seattle, CBS Local Media, January 18, 2017
  8. Gina Cole; Daniel Beekman (January 20, 2017), "The Womxn's March on Seattle and how Trump spurred more women to activism, on The Overcast", The Seattle Times
  9. Live blog: Thousands expected for Seattle Womxn's March, KING-TV, January 21, 2017, archived from the original on October 20, 2017, retrieved January 21, 2017
  10. Rich Smith (January 17, 2017), "Inside the Debate Over Whether the Seattle Womxn's March Should Be Silent", The Stranger
  11. "What to know: Seattle women's march estimates 50,000 attendees". KIRO7.com. Cox Media Group. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  12. "Plan ahead, expect delays if you're riding Metro to the Womxn's March in Seattle" (Press release). King County Metro. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  13. Tu, Janet I. (January 27, 2017). "Massive Womxn's March in Seattle hurt holiday sales in Chinatown-International District". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  14. Tu, Janet I. (January 20, 2017). "Trump protest march could clog Chinatown-ID on crucial day for merchants". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  15. Nicole Jennings (January 23, 2017), "Hundreds of locals to bus to Women's March on Seattle", Bellevue Reporter
  16. Catherine Krummey (January 25, 2017), "Kirkland residents participate in Women's March on Seattle", Kirkland Reporter
  17. Will James; Warren Langford (January 22, 2017), Seattle Women's March Stretches More Than 3 Miles, KNKX-FM, archived from the original on March 30, 2019, retrieved January 29, 2017
  18. Ed Friedrich (January 21, 2017), Kitsap residents join Seattle Womxn's March
  19. Associated Press (January 21, 2017), Thousands expected at women's marches across the Northwest, Salt Lake City: KSL-TV, Associated Press
  20. "Women's march on Orcas", The Islands' Sounder, January 19, 2017
  21. "Women's March on Olympia expected to draw thousands to Capitol", The Olympian, January 16, 2017 – via Spokesman-Review (Spokane)
  22. Roth, Sara (January 12, 2017). "Inauguration Day, Women's March in Portland: What to expect". Portland, Oregon: KGW. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  23. Dispatches from women's marches across Washington, Associated Press and The Seattle Times, January 21, 2017 – via The Seattle Times
  24. Pink yarn selling out in Seattle shops ahead of Womxn's March, KGW, January 19, 2017
  25. Patty Murray (January 20, 2017), Senator Patty Murray stands with the Womxn's March on Seattle – via Official U.S. Senate website
  26. Womxn's March on Seattle Sign Making and Labor Contingent (PDF), M.L. King Labor Council, January 13, 2017
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