KOMO's Jeremy Harris + Radio Host Ari Hoffman talk pro-Palestinian protest disruption | ARC Seattle

Stay on the deep end. We're taking a closer look at protests on our freeways This has a lot of people talking over the weekend thousands of Seattle drivers were stuck on the i-5 after a pro-palestine protest shut down traffic for six hours Even ambulances were stuck behind this the reaction is clear on social media this morning people want answers Jeremy Harris joins us from the ARC lounge Jeremy you've been pressing the state patrol for answers about this and what happened Walk us through that day and when did troopers find out about the protests is there any word on why law enforcement didn't intervene sooner Well and Steve those are all questions that we have we've been seeing these pro-palestine protests almost every weekend since October here in Seattle But on Saturday this took a drastic turn when the protesters decided to block northbound i-5 They went onto the highway at about 1 p.m. And by my estimate from seeing them up there It was about 20 to 30 people who were actually on the highway and the protesters also took their own Vehicles and blocked the other cars onto that highway This was sort of a standoff between those protesters and the police and it went on for about four and a half hours before The protesters eventually left the highway after negotiating with the police. There was no use of force We did see some riot teams that were out there on the highway But they didn't actually engage with the protesters once it started raining and got dark those protesters walked away on their own But that's really only where the question Started a lot of people have been critical of the highway patrol the state patrol about why they didn't go clear these protesters off the highway sooner and allow those drivers to leave and that was a focal point we saw yesterday when we talked to a Lawyer who said some of those drivers should be suing the protesters for trapping them up on the highway like that Well, let's talk more about those drivers Jeremy. We know people were stuck there for hours Some of them were just ditching their cars We've heard about 12 cars were impounded after they were left behind. Are those drivers going to face any fines for leaving their cars? Well, what the State Patrol told me was they believe those 12 cars that were abandoned on the highway belonged to protesters So that's where their investigation is going to start whose cars were they who was driving them? What connection do they have to the protesters and the State Patrol has said they are going to try and pursue charges Against people who were involved in organizing the protest But when we saw what this civil lawsuit as well, they the drivers who were stuck there on the highway It's important to understand where this happened because then the location here is super Telling about why this protest was so disruptive This was right between the Olive Way on-ramp and the Olive Way off-ramp on I-5 They stopped the cars at the on-ramp So there were probably two or three dozen drivers who had nowhere to go They could unless they drove the wrong way down the highway and tried to go up an off-ramp Which was already jammed with other cars that were been this traffic back up anyways So those drivers had to just sit there for about two to three hours minimum before they were turned around and eventually taken off the highway and jammed into the high traffic areas of Capitol Hill So those folks really didn't have anywhere to go They were stuck in their cars and they kind of became what one lawyer told us is unwilling participants in the protest Yeah, right through the middle of downtown, Seattle. You also spoke with that attorney that you mentioned Jeremy They told you drivers have a legal case against those protesters who trapped them Why is that and what does that attorney have to say about the state's response to all this? Well, he's very critical of how the state handled this he says you know police need to be proactive in keeping highways open and preventing situations like this from Escalating to the point that it did on Saturday as for the legal case What he says is these drivers could sue the protesters themselves for unlawful Imprisonment and looking up that what would be called a tort or a civil action in civil court You know, they could say did they were they in prison? Was there was their movement restricted? Were they detained by these protesters? There's a pretty good case for that because they couldn't go back. They couldn't go forward They were stuck there on the highway could not go to where they wanted to go Was it unlawful also pretty strong case for that according to this attorney who says clearly it was unlawful These protesters had no legal right to be blocking the highway the way that they did especially For that length of time and especially involving drivers who did not voluntarily choose to be in on that protest with them So we'll see if any of these civil suits take take root if they end up getting filed The lawyer says he's hoping drivers who were stuck in this will reach out to him and then they'll sue but there's also the questions of the state's response to this and what is the State Patrol going to do moving forward if we were to see another protest like This the State Patrol says they got a tip about this on Friday That there was potential that there would be a protest blocking the freeway and they said they didn't have enough information to act on It so they didn't have extra teams ready to go They had a backup plan to close on ramps and off ramps if that was necessary But they did not have enough assets to go in there and actually engage those protesters and force them to get off the highway So we'll see maybe if there happens again like this if they have a change in how they handle it Have you heard anything else about what they may do to prevent stuff like this from happening in the future? Because this isn't the first time we've seen something like this in Seattle, Jeremy we saw similar interstate protests back in 2020 during one of those demonstrations a Protester was killed and another was severely injured. I know in this particular protest They drove through a fence to get onto the highway. So what have you heard about any future action? Well, and that's a great point and you're right We did see a protest here in 2020 where Summer Taylor who was a protester was run over and killed by a car that had gone up and off ramp turned around and then went down the highway not knowing there was a group of Protesters on the highway and ran over several of them killing one seriously injuring another It's important to note that case is still the subject of a major lawsuit Against both the state and the city of Seattle Alleging that the police did not do enough to secure the highways when there were protesters up on the highway Of course the state's response to this is don't protest on the highway Nobody gave them permission to be up on the highway. They knew there were inherent risks to being up there So that case is still playing out in civil court And in fact, it's scheduled to go to a trial later this year, but as for a change in tactics since 2020 I think what you've seen is a change in tactic from the police of closing those off ramps Which is where the guy who ran over the protesters ended up going back in 2020 But we've also seen a change in tactics from the protesters themselves. Of course that line of cars there They blocked wall-to-wall of the freeway. So that's a change in tactic from before They've been using their own cars to block the highway. And of course now those cars ended up in pounded So we'll see sort of what legal ramifications play out from that But certainly I think the police here their message is we do not want to see another Protest up on our highways like this because there is inherent danger to both the protesters the drivers and the police involved Tonight on the deep end We have more reaction to the dangerous and illegal shutdown of I-5 this weekend by pro-palestinian protesters in downtown Seattle the anti-israel protesters used cars and bodies Saturday to block the northbound lanes of I-5 between I-90 and Mercer Street for around six hours also caused a six-mile backup even delayed an ambulance from getting to an emergency route State Patrol impounded 12 cars that were abandoned by protesters on the freeway But in the end Everyone who participated in this protest was allowed to walk off the highway without being arrested Miranda I'm joining me now. Mary State Patrol says charges could still be handed down Preston. That's right Law enforcement is saying the investigation isn't over and that's also what we protest Organizers are saying as well that these freeway protests aren't over Ari Hoffman with talk radio 570 KVI joins me now Ari, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate your insight. I Know that there is a lot of frustration and anger from people who learned today that the authorities were tipped off about this and didn't Act on it and Ari, do you know if that includes local offices including the mayor's office or SPD as well? I know that sources have told me that yes They did reach out to those offices and the protesters make no secret of what they're doing They always announce their intentions on social media A lot of them are the same activists who were involved in the BLM and Antifa riots in 2020. This is their mo This is what they do and leaving their cars behind on the freeway shows They are not afraid of law enforcement because those cars have identification marks all over them It's easy to find out who they are. They could have been arrested today and they still haven't been arrested So the question really is why is this a repeat of what we saw in? 2020 when the Washington State Patrol was ordered by government Officials to keep the freeway closed the BLM and Antifa activists could walk across it every night because don't forget that Resulted in the death of one activist and the maiming of another when somebody broke the barricade and drove on to that Highway going the wrong direction at top speed. Well, Ari when it comes to accountability Some people are considering lawyering up and you talk to an attorney seeking drivers We're stuck on the freeway Saturday, and this isn't just to go after the protesters legally, but also the state as well Can you talk more about that? So people need to be held responsible and they want to make sure that people are actually acting right now For three hours. We saw on Saturday that the Washington State Patrol the Seattle Police Department and the King County Sheriff's Office sat there Just talking with the protesters. They didn't do anything They gave two dispersal orders according to the Seattle Police Department And then when the protesters didn't comply they didn't do anything the protesters finally left when it started raining when it started hailing That's when they said it was time to go and they've been crowing. So the question is why hasn't governor Jay Inslee? Why hasn't Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell? Why hasn't Dow Constantine? Why hasn't Bob Ferguson done anything about this? They have the power to do something about it and they haven't done anything. It's almost like a stand-down order was issued All right, protest organizers use social media as we have all seen to announce their plans And I think that is why drivers commuters people who use the highways the roads They're very concerned about a potential third time where this might happen One organizer blatantly said that they expect more disruptive protests to happen So given what we have seen this past weekend given what we saw in 2020 Do you think law enforcement response will be the same the next time something like this happens? I have no reason to doubt otherwise and neither do the protesters The protesters are banking on having the exact same response as last time if people want this to stop They need to call their elected officials and they need to tell them you need to stop this You need to do your jobs and you need to step up because this is putting people at risk There was one ambulance that was clearly visible But according to the log for emergency responders There were two ambulances that were actually stuck in that mess that we know about We don't know what issues people are having in the cars. Are they going to doctors appointments? Are they going to funerals? Are they going to weddings? Are they going places? They need to go do they have kids with special needs in the car These pro-hamas activists do not care about any about of that. They care about their agenda They care about pushing it on everybody else and in doing so making it very dangerous for everybody on those freeways We know that law enforcement they've impounded the vehicles involved in Saturday's protest They promised that this investigation isn't over yet. So I guess we will all wait and see what happens with this. All right Ari Hoffman, thank you so much for your time tonight Preston Mary. Thank you This was one of the local stories that sparked a heated Social media conversation this week and most of the responses to the news stories posted on X We're looking for answers asking mainly why law enforcement was not quick to get the protesters off the freeway and arrest them Let's take a look at the few examples here complete failed by our law keepers was one post another who was in charge that allowed This to continue for so long Not helping the cause at all and this is so disgusting I can't imagine the police mayor or governor letting this happen. So sad cops not arresting them It'll be worse next time. I used to live in Seattle