UPDATE: Anti-Shell protest wraps up after Terminal 5 departure

1:57 PM: The anti-Shell protest at Terminal 5 is wrapping up; demonstrators are walking back toward the low bridge to cross it on the way back to this morning’s starting point.

2:14 PM: The SDOT camera overlooking the low bridge showed the group as it crossed a few minutes ago:

TV helicopters are back overhead to capture the scene, but aren’t likely to stay nearly as long, since it’s not newscast time, unlike this morning.

2:47 PM: The bridge is open again and demonstrators are back at the starting point. We covered the morning march in our daily traffic watch; here are a few more photos from the day and video from the T-5 arrival:

As our images show, Seattle Police had a sizable presence at many spots along the way and near the demonstration; there’s been no word of any arrests. This was the line at the T-5 entrance just before the march arrived:

And here’s our video of their arrival:

This was the last of the major demonstrations/rallies announced before the Polar Pioneer‘s arrival last Thursday. At last report, it’s still scheduled to be joined at T-5 by Shell’s other drilling vessel, the drillship Noble Discoverer, which is docked in Everett. The city’s contention that the Port needs a different permit to host oil rigs, which has been formally appealed by both interim-leaseholder Foss Maritime and the port itself, remains unresolved.

39 Replies to "UPDATE: Anti-Shell protest wraps up after Terminal 5 departure"

  • timeslid May 18, 2015 (2:10 pm)

    Again with crappy helicopters. GEESH!!!!!!!

    • WSB May 18, 2015 (2:34 pm)

      Might have been more helicopters, but KING and KOMO share one now. So you likely didn’t see more than two. Just a datapoint. I thought we might have seen Guardian One, which flew for a long while during Polar Pioneer’s Thursday arrival, but they told us they weren’t up for today’s event.

  • jetcitydude May 18, 2015 (2:11 pm)

    Did they have a permit for this protest?

  • Melinda J-S May 18, 2015 (2:20 pm)

    So perhaps the ever present helicopter will depart?! Geez, what a racket and waste of fossil fuels. Perhaps a hot air balloon could have sufficed.

  • dsa May 18, 2015 (2:43 pm)

    If the city did not give them a parade permit why are the cops blocking the street(?). And who is footing the bill for it?

  • alkiobserver May 18, 2015 (3:02 pm)

    Cheers to Shell and Foss. Keep the gears of industry rolling here in Seattle and in the shallows of Alaska.

  • Gina May 18, 2015 (3:11 pm)

    This is the type of event a drone would be ideal for. TV news.

  • skeptic May 18, 2015 (3:18 pm)

    I just got off the phone with a friend who is a senior executive at Royal Dutch Shell. He told me that after senior management witnessed this emotional protest that Shell has decided to cancel their billion dollar plans to drill for oil in the Arctic! No…Not really.

  • M May 18, 2015 (3:25 pm)

    We often complain about the lack of police presence around West Seattle to protect our families and keep us safe. Unfortunately, our police resources are wasted on these selfish protests.

    Would much rather have seen all those bike cops patrolling around Westwood village.

    Thank you protesters for distrupting our commute and wasting our hard earned tax dollars. I hope your “day off of work” was worthwhile for you.

    Meanwhile in reality, the rest of us were working hard, to earn money to support our families, our community and to pay taxes to support your Sunnyday fun walk.

  • Lesley May 18, 2015 (4:57 pm)

    Didn’t look like all those cops were needed as no one, as far as I heard, did anything to warrant arrest. So if you’re upset about the police presence, take it up with someone else, not the protestors.
    ps- I didn’t have to work today because I work on weekends. Not everyone works 9-5/M-F. Some people have personal days or vacation, or can just request an unpaid day off work. Or are students. Or are retired. Or stay at home parents and brought their kids. Or maybe their employers care about this event and actually asked them to go. You just don’t know. Quit generalizing. Your “reality” is not everyone’s.

  • onion May 18, 2015 (5:06 pm)

    Whether you agree with the points of view expressed during this protest or not, remember that the police’s job is to protect everyone’s right to free speech, and to maintain order while they are expressing their right to assemble and speak. If the police had not been doing their job, then any yahoo could have used the protesters as cover to create their own mayhem — and then we’d be pissed at the police for not protecting people or property. No confrontations or violence or arrests — I’d say the police did a pretty good job and deserve our thanks.

  • wb May 18, 2015 (5:13 pm)

    M, you should be thanking the protestors. I sure am. They are heroes. Oh, and democracy is hard work too!

    Will Shell remove their hideous equipment? They can have Bertha for free.

  • West Seattle Hipster May 18, 2015 (5:32 pm)

    Whenever I think of “saving the environment”, I remember what the great George Carlin had to say:

    .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjmtSkl53h4

  • Felix May 18, 2015 (5:40 pm)

    Wow…I never realized how many Grumpy old Curmudgeons there were in West Seattle…” Everybody… Get off my Lawn”

  • Neighbor May 18, 2015 (5:43 pm)

    I support the protestors and wish I could have joined them. I’d rather experience a traffic delay from them than the traffic delay caused by the crush of cars going to and fro to shopping malls during the holiday season. Thank you to all that showed up and made their voices heard. I have not seen any noticeable delay to traffic caused by today’s protest.

  • dsa May 18, 2015 (5:52 pm)

    The protestors were blocking traffic and access which is against the law. They should not have been allowed to have done that.

  • mr. the horse May 18, 2015 (6:06 pm)

    don’t those guys in black usually intimidate, throw tear gas and riot when they get together like this? seems like a wasted opportunity. after all, corporate media needs somthing to scare us about.

  • Stuy May 18, 2015 (6:08 pm)

    Permit yes. Selfish yes, we were all paid to be there.

  • me May 18, 2015 (6:22 pm)

    Why weren’t there TANKS flanking the huge, dangerous looking mass of protestors to protect us from them?!

  • DP May 18, 2015 (6:39 pm)

    Good lord. No kidding, Felix.

  • Lesley May 18, 2015 (7:02 pm)

    I agree, Felix. I really don’t want to believe West Seattle is secretly a haven for such negativity.

  • jetcitydude May 18, 2015 (7:07 pm)

    Seattle is utopia were everything is bliss. The laws written don’t apply here, just ask your mayor.

  • Lesley May 18, 2015 (7:10 pm)

    dsa,
    What are you feelings on how we should deal with Shell breaking the law by operating without a permit? Or selling a product that causes great damage to life, the economy, and well-being? And lying about its impacts? Where is the justice there?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev4O-uJrDaE

  • rob May 18, 2015 (7:34 pm)

    if they really want to protest the use of fossil fuel they should protest against that couple of hundred new cars that are parked down there waiting to take to our streets.

  • Smitty May 18, 2015 (7:37 pm)

    Is this finally over? I’m bored.

  • moji May 18, 2015 (7:47 pm)

    Thank you onion and Lesley!

    And dsa:
    The Polar Pioneer is blocking river access, and doing so without the proper permit to be here in the first place. With its 100-yard security buffer, it has overtaken 80% of the Duwamish head. Foss and Shell should not have been allowed to do that. Which is what at least some of the protestors are protesting.

  • Marcus M May 18, 2015 (7:50 pm)

    You figured it out, @Felix! I think the curmudgeons are overly concentrated in the pages of this blog for some reason. Either way it’s kind of entertaining

  • Yardvark May 18, 2015 (8:12 pm)

    Thank you again to all those who took the time to stand up for West Seattle today and help stall work on the illegal rig. I wish I could have joined you. You did an awesome job and it was great to hear that it was both effective and peaceful. Keep up the good work and don’t get discouraged by the folks that might disagree with you at the moment. The real point of actions like this is to provoke public debate and you certainly achieved that beyond all expectations. So well done!

  • Marcus M May 18, 2015 (8:25 pm)

    Here’s a good one for @rob and all the “but they use kayaks made out of PLASTIC!!!!”
    “If someone—or, say, the planet—is getting beaten up with a baseball bat, is it immoral to use a baseball bat to fight back? Inanimate objects that come from our inescapable oil-based economy are inanimate. They can be used for good or bad. We’re using them for good, to move the economy away from oil and stop climate change. F—ing herp derp, people.”
    From
    http://feedly.com/i/subscription/feed/http://slog.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?category=21233

  • dsa May 18, 2015 (10:38 pm)

    Lesley, The permit question has been appealed.
    moji, you group caused the “river buffer” which is meant for your group anyway since Greenpeace has a history of trespass by boarding others vessels.

  • Eric May 19, 2015 (5:07 am)

    You just don’t get basic logic, do you Marcus? It’s not about whether the petroleum based plastic boats are being used for good or bad that is the issue. It’s the fact that they’re being bought and used at all that is!

    The absolute disconnect that people do not see their very own contribution to the very issue they are protesting is absolutely amazing, and then try to rationalize and justify their own contributions to the problem as if their own contribution to the problem is somehow exempt, because they’re protesting. If people really want change, then one of the first things to do is for the person to look at ways to help stop contributing to the problem they are protesting.

  • Wsgal May 19, 2015 (6:28 am)

    Thank you West Seattle Hipster for reminding me of the genius wisdom George Carlin gifted us with to broaden our insights on this topic. He is sorely missed but his 30 year old skits still make perfect sense, even now- we are still trying to save the bees.

  • West May 19, 2015 (8:38 am)

    No matter what side of the debate you are on, everyone should be glad that we live in a country/society where people are free to express themselves….even if, God forbid it makes your commute a tiny bit longer on one particular day.
    Also, it is perfectly possible and acceptable for protesters to acknowledge our dependence on fossil fuels when they use plastic boats and drive them to the water while still urging our government and major corporations to find alternatives.

    I work on average of 60 hours a week and pay taxes and I took the time to protest….because I feel strongly about the cause and feel strongly about the North Pacific fishing fleet which is a 32 billion dollar industry that supplies the Pacific Northwest with countless more jobs then shell/foss is providing the city, which would be devastated by any type of “accident” in the arctic.
    It was a peaceful protest geared to raise awareness.
    Thanks to everyone involved, it is good to have a voice instead of just being another sheep in the herd. If your really concerned about your commute or a bag being pulled over your head…be angry at wsdot and sdot. (And the city)..everything they touch lately turns to s***!

  • CanDo May 19, 2015 (9:02 am)

    George Carlin was likely correct. This planet will adjust… without the humans who have the capability of damaging ourselves to the point of extinction.

    Thanks for posting the comparison of big tobacco industry’s attempts at deceiving the public to the fossil fuel industry’s same attempts. The problem is that the fossil fuel industry is so huge and we’ve become so reliant on it, that it’s difficult to overcome. Just imagine where we would be today if 1/2 the oil industry’s quarterly profits for the past 20 years were put into research on clean, affordable energy and products.

    Yes, the protests weren’t done in a perfect manner.. some used plastic boats, some had gas motors on their wooden boats and some even wore petroleum based clothing. That’s how pervasive petroleum has become in our society. It is almost impossible to avoid petroleum based products and petroleum based fuels. But, regardless of the curmudgeons in West Seattle snorting and proclaiming disdain for those who would voice their concerns, the conversation about adverse effects from both climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels needs to happen on a large scale. These protests, however imperfect, bring that conversation to the forefront.

    So where do we go from here? Instead of bashing those who are marching to express their concern, how about posting what can each of us can do or have done to make a small difference? We can sit back and say it’s bull, we can say it’s too big to fight so why bother, we can feign disinterest when actually we’re afraid of disturbing our comfort zones or we can actually begin to take small steps to wean ourselves from this vast addiction to fossil fuels and products. I will personally pledge to purchase more recycled products, purchase more bio-degradable products and if I am ever in the position to afford it, I will purchase an electric vehicle and install solar.

  • West May 19, 2015 (10:26 am)

    Very nice “CanDo”….
    I completely agree, you said it better then I did
    :)

  • wb May 20, 2015 (8:43 pm)

    For a huge and timely reality check, head south to Santa Barbara.

    http://abcnews.go.com/US/photos-show-extent-santa-barbara-oil-spill/story?id=31178169

    Shell, move along now.

  • G May 21, 2015 (8:47 pm)

    I just got back from a drive from Carmel down Route 1 to LA along the coast. No one is panicking. Thankfully, only about 21,000 out of the 100,000 gallons exited into the ocean, and from what I could see none south of SB. Not minimizing the seriousness of the spill, it’s small amount of oil as spills go. This is not an ecological disaster; stricter oversight is needed, though.

Sorry, comment time is over.