Every year May Day in Seattle is greeted by the media as a major event.
Helicopters fly overhead, and newscrews scour the landscape for stories, most often zeroing in on the slightest hint of violence and wrong-doing by protestors. All the while, thousands of people gather and express joy, concern, frustration at the course of their country and their community. And yet, when it’s all over, when the marchers have left the streets, so much of the media offers only an arrest count, sources decrying damaged property or police abuses, and then they move on. And all those voices seem to go largely unheard.
I wanted to hear those voices. So while the rest of the outlets in town offer their big-picture wrap-ups (we’ve got one too), I am sharing this focused sampling of the faces in the crowd, from the peaceful march that started at Judkins Park in the afternoon to the more conflicted anti-capitalist events later in the evening.
It was at the latter that one particularly aggitated participant told me, “Our story isn’t important, it’s your story that’s important… tell your story of what you have experienced here.” I disagree. Here are the people who made May Day.
The May Day March
Elizabeth Walter, 55, Lawyer (in between jobs)
Why are you here? “I am doing this because of the growing income inequality in this country; add the fact that big corporations are making policy that helps their bottom line to the detriment of workers and the environment.”
Jack, 20. Math Teacher
Why are you here? “I’m here for a couple of things. One is for outreach for Seattle Solidarity Network, ’cause there’s a lot of like-minded peole here looking to start a conversation with. And i’m also here just because… well immigration reform is what I’m going after but more simply I’m also here for the cause of immigrant and worker justice.”
Mohammed Yusuf, 55, Employee of OneAmerica
Why are you here? “We are here to support the causes. OneAmerica is here in a larger sense to support all the people in the march.”
Alejandra Perez, 19, Full time student at UW-Bothell
Why are you here? “I’m here because I’m undocumented, my mom’s undocumented and I’m here to fight both for my family and my community.”
Richard Burton, 51, Member of the Washington State Nurses Association
Why are you here? “Desperately important that we take a stand for immigrant rights and worker’s rights both. They’re under the gun even more than usual at this time of huge yawning wealth and income inequality and racism.”
David Dittemore, 67, Retired
Why are you here? “Income disparity, the $15 minimum wage especially but yea we gotta get our country straightened out. The rich have stolen too much money.”
Laurie Torres, 22, Coalition and Research Fellow for Puget Sound Sage
Why are you here? “It’s a bunch of things that are incredibly important. Number one, people are important. There’s this whole issue where people are invisible, people come to this country who are only wanting to make a better life for themselves and their families. There’s an issue with people who already were in this country not being able to have enough food on the table despite working two or three part time or even full time jobs and being penalized essentially for being poor by the government. This is all about taking it back and holding everyone accountable.”
Keiko Maruyama, 42, Inventory Manager
Why are you here? “My husband is facing deportation. That’s why I’m here, to let my voice be heard.” As I left her standing with her child sleeping in a stroller, she was on the verge of tears and then so was I.
The Anti-Capitalist March
Steve and George, Volunteer Medics
Why are you here? George: “We’re supporting the young people here who are expressing their political ideas and who are out in the street willing to take risks. If they happened to get injured we’re here to help them out.”
Steve: “This is the anti-capitalist march. Capitalism is having a lot of trouble and that’s why we support the march. The best indication of that is Kshama Sawant being elected to the City Council. She got 100,000 votes and not as a secret, hidden agent but as a devout socialist. I think people are ready for that kind of change, capitalism is just not getting the job done for too many people.”
Thunder, 20, and Brandon, 27, Volunteer Medics
Why are you here? Thunder: “I just want to check it out to see what it’s all about.”
Brandon: “We’ve been working as medics. We started with the immigration march and we were helping there all the way down to westlake and we went back up to SCCC for this.”
Unknown
Do you have any advice for me? “Be respectful, be careful what you show, and make sure you respect people’s wishes. If they don’t want their photo taken then don’t.”
Do you not want your photo taken? “No, we’re all good,” followed by a lovely smile and a fist bump.
