“We can’t allow violence to hijack peaceful protest,” Gov. Inslee says

As demonstrations against the death of George Floyd have spread across the country including to Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee vowed “we can’t allow violence to hijack peaceful protest.”

Those who have committed violent acts during the demonstrations in Seattle and other cities “need to be criminally prosecuted as appropriate and they will be,” the governor said at a press conference. “We will not allow that to obscure the justice of the underlying protest; the peaceful protesters’ efforts to challenge all of us to raise our eyes on the prize to have a more just society.”

Inslee said peaceful demonstration is “enshrined in our Constitution; the ability to petition one’s government for redress of grievances is actually a constitutional right and we ought to respect that and understand it in that context.”

Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes and ignored his cries that he couldn’t breathe. The death, captured by a bystander on video, ignited protests in Minneapolis that have spread across the country including to Tacoma and Olympia.

Inslee became emotional after he read a quote from Robert F. Kennedy on the day in 1968 when Martin Luther King was assassinated. The governor paused for several moments.

“My dad cried that night and so did I,” he said.

The governor’s press conference was held hours after President Donald Trump used a conference call to urge governors to use force against unruly protesters.

“You have to dominate, if you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time,” Trump said, according to an audio recording obtained by the media. “They’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”

At several points during the call, Trump told governors to get tougher and to use the National Guard if protesters began to damage property or loot stores. He said those arrested at the protests should serve 10-year prison sentences.

“But you gotta arrest people, you have to try people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years, then you’ll never see this stuff again,” he said. “And you have to let them know that.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Inslee, who took part in the call, said governors were shocked by Trump’s comments.

“They are more like rants of a very insecure man than a person asking us to find the better angels of our nature. I think the most helpful thing the President could do at this point is to enjoy silence and let governors do the great work and very tough work that they’re doing,” he said.

Inslee on Saturday activated up to 200 members of the Washington National Guard, in response to a request from the city of Seattle, to help protect against property damage and manage crowds and traffic during downtown protests. Guard personnel were unarmed and worked under the direction of the city administration.

In his letter to the state’s adjutant general, the governor referred to violence Friday night in Seattle.

“As you know, last night the City of Seattle experienced crowds of people (including what were reported to be masked anarchists)…This protest included acts of violence and damage, resulting in arrests on charges ranging from property damage, assault of a Seattle police officer, failure to disperse, and obstructing arrest.”

On Sunday, Inslee activated 200 more guardsmen, responding to a request from King County to help Bellevue respond to looting, protect against property damage, and manage crowds and traffic.

Later Sunday, Inslee ordered a statewide activation. That raised the total to 600 Guardsman. Spokane County requested assistance after what was described as a “rogue group” began looting and damaging downtown property.

Reached for comment about Inslee’s comments on the demonstrations, Eatonville school board member Matt Marshall said he agreed with the governor.

“Just about everybody can universally say that what happened to George Floyd is tragic. We need to make sure incidents like that, that seem to disproportionately affect the black community, don’t happen anymore. I support these protesters that are out there right now. They have a constitutional right to be out there protesting. I think it’s fantastic to have peaceful protesters,” said Marshall, who is founder and leader of The Three Percent of Washington.

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 4:40 PM with the headline "“We can’t allow violence to hijack peaceful protest,” Gov. Inslee says."