Seattle association says protest didn’t ruin holiday celebration
Nov 28, 2016, 8:04 AM
Though as many as 1,000 people marched before and during the annual tree lighting ceremony in Westlake, the Downtown Association says the celebration wasn't disrupted. (Seattle PD Twitter)
(Seattle PD Twitter)
If you skipped the downtown Seattle Christmas tree lighting this year because of planned protests, you’re not alone.
Some shoppers took a pass on shopping at Westlake to avoid the Black Lives Matter protest.
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The protest, in its third year, drew about 1,000 demonstrators.
But Downtown Seattle Association spokesman James Sido insists that the peaceful protest didn’t deter anyone from enjoying the annual tree lighting ceremony.
“The crowds were actually really good on Friday,” he said. “I think if you look at the time of the tree lighting, during the celebration, we had thousands of people right in the heart of downtown at Fourth and Pine.”
