Sandy MaloneSeattle, WA – Black Lives Matter activists attacked the Seattle NBC affiliate on Thursday and demanded the news station stop broadcasting information about violent protesters who get arrested.
The protest at the KING television station in Seattle began in the afternoon on Oct. 29 after investigative reporter Chris Ingalls tweeted out a teaser for a news story about protest arrests that would air that evening.
“WHO ARE THEY? @K5Investigators poured over nearly 100 arrest records from the Seattle protests. Who are the people that are allegedly looting, setting fires and turning violent? Our investigation finds some surprising answers, tonight on @KING5Seattle at 6:30,” Ingalls tweeted.
The backlash against Ingalls on social media was swift and full of outrage from people who accused KING of doxing the people who had been arrested rioting and looting during “peaceful” protests.
In fact, all of the source information used by Ingalls in his report was gathered from public records, KING reported.
Information from almost 100 arrest records was used to create the report that showed 48 percent of the people the Seattle Police Department arrested during the riots were white, 18 percent were black, and the race of 28 percent of those arrested wasn’t listed or was undetermined, KING reported.
Only 32 percent of those arrested were from Seattle.
WHO ARE THEY? @K5Investigators poured over nearly 100 arrest records from the Seattle protests. Who are the people that are allegedly looting, setting fires and turning violent? Our investigation finds some surprising answers, tonight on @KING5Seattle at 6:30. pic.twitter.com/VVfHmw3ws3
— Chris Ingalls (@CJIngalls) October 29, 2020
A group of protesters gathered in front of the television station located in the 1500-block of 1st Avenue, South and tried to occupy the lobby.
Videos posted to social media showed that some of the protesters brought small children with them to demonstrate.
Lovely environment for children. Can someone find these kids father and notify him of their mother's abuse and child endangerment? At KING5 in Seattle. SPD on scene and now being harassed. They sent one officer. #Seattleprotests pic.twitter.com/0TiPwdpZSD
— Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) October 30, 2020
Outraged activists demanded that KING pull the story from its broadcast lineup and accused the station of putting protesters’ lives in danger by broadcasting the already publicly-available information.
Black Lives Matter Seattle issued a threat of a lifetime ban on interviews with its organization if the television station dared to report the news.
If @KING5Seattle airs that story tonight. It will be a lifetime ban from interviews from us and from our protetests. #seattleprotestcomms #Seattle #Seattleprotests
Kick king 5 out of any protest you see them at.
1. Endangering the public
2. Lack of journalism intergerty pic.twitter.com/lkOEu5HUKS— BlackLivesMatterSEA (@BLMSEA206) October 30, 2020
Video showed the protesters screaming at police officers who were trying to keep the building secure.
Now they're getting arrested. pic.twitter.com/nhf75iOtYj
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 30, 2020
Another video showed a protester going after a woman who was filming the chaos on her cell phone.
The video showed the protester snatched the phone from the hand of the woman briefly and then was arrested by the Seattle police, while she screamed about them protecting a “white woman.”
Welp, I was all pro-police brutality until today, when Seattle BLM changed my mind with their King 5 protest today ;)😂😂😂 Out here snatchin phones, mamas teach your babies
Next time remember to bring a protest sign to your protest, lets people know why you out snatchin phones
— David Bowiescock (@DavidBowiesCock) October 30, 2020
Many responses to the protesters’ shenanigans on Twitter were not very sympathetic.
After a group of agitated Socialist looters and protestors personally gave their enlightened opinion to the management of #KING5, one must ask, do they want their protests filmed and how do they want to get their ranted message out?! #SeattleStrong!
— Vito (@Atreides09) October 30, 2020
Despite the protest, threats to dox KING reporters, and the ultimatum from Black Lives Matter Seattle, KING rant the investigative story on its evening news.
Of the more than 200 arrests that have been made since the protests began, more than 100 have been dismissed and the prosecutor’s office has held off moving forward on the others.
The Police Tribune reached out to Ingalls at KING for comment but hadn’t heard back at publication time.
Holly Matkin
