Leftist militants armed with hatchets, knives, batons take over hotel in radical hub of Olympia, Washington — and SWAT is called in



Several dozen leftist militants armed with hatchets, knives, and batons forcibly took over a hotel in the radical hub otherwise known as Olympia, Washington, Sunday.

What are the details?

Those inside the Red Lion hotel began calling 911 around 11 a.m., saying a group was attempting to forcibly take over the hotel, the city's statement said. Police were told that the employees felt threatened by the group and that an employee allegedly was assaulted.

The group was identified as Oly Housing Now, a homeless activist group, and its members had gas masks, helmets, and goggles, apparently in preparation for a confrontation, the statement noted. Police estimated about 45 members of the group were inside and outside the hotel.

At the time of the occupation, approximately 40 hotel rooms were booked with bystanders — and those guests sheltered in their rooms during the occupation, the statement said. Hotel employees sheltered in the basement through the afternoon and part of the evening.

But before the occupation, the group had reserved 17 rooms occupied by homeless people. The group had occupied the 4th and 5th floors and were placing black tarps on the windows as police arrived, cops told KING-TV.

Police added to the station that a Thurston County judge granted a search warrant for first-degree burglary, trespassing, and conspiracy to commit burglary. By 6:30 p.m., Olympia police with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office and Washington State Patrol's SWAT team entered the hotel and began making arrests, KING reported.

Image source: KING-TV video screenshot

As of Sunday night, 12 people had been arrested, the station said, adding that the SWAT team conducted a room-by-room search and employees and guests were escorted safely out of the building.

The city's statement noted that the homeless people in the hotel rooms were directed to social services and won't be allowed to stay at the hotel.

"Making sure our unhoused residents have access to safe and affordable housing has been Olympia's priority for more than a decade," Mayor Cheryl Selby said. "Olympia has led on responding to homelessness, on coordinating shelter and other basic needs. The tactics used today by Oly Housing Now are unproductive and won't make the mission more attainable."

Officials clear out large homeless encampment engulfing town's city hall over fears of violence by 'agitators' from Portland



City officials in Bellingham, Washington, ordered the removal of a homeless encampment ahead of schedule after reports of possible violence by "outside agitators" from Portland and other cities.

Bellingham is located about 90 miles north of Seattle, with a population of about 89,000 people.

Bellingham Police and Public Works crews removed the encampment from the city hall and the library on Thursday. They were assisted by law enforcement officials, including some members of the U.S. Border Patrol.

Officials said that public workers were being harassed and that the growing encampment was engulfing the city buildings.

The encampment had grown over several months, but officials had set a deadline for Friday when they would forcibly tear down the camp. They moved up their schedule after hearing several reports of outside "agitators" planning to travel to Bellingham to resist the closure of the camp.

"We initiated the clean up early because we received credible information from multiple sources that caused us to accelerate our plans," said Mayor Seth Fleetwood in a statement.

"Our civic center was becoming the target of agitators far more intent on mayhem than working toward any social good," he continued. "More specifically, we received information regarding certain groups known to have a history of confrontation. They put out a call throughout the Northwest to gather in Bellingham on Friday."

Bellingham Police Department Chief Flo Simon said that there were as many as 100 tents in the encampment on city land. Police had responded to calls from the encampment in recent weeks that involved attacks with a baseball bat, a hatchet, and sticks. Simon said that a propane tank ignited a fire at the site as well.

Officials were confronted by the homeless and activists during the removal. Four people were arrested during the skirmishes with police. Three officers were assaulted.

At one point, a man threw himself under a moving dump truck. He later claimed that he was just trying to retrieve his table.

Activists also unsuccessfully tried to block the action with a barricade made of palettes.

Police said they will be ready if the protest by outside agitators at the city hall planned for Friday materializes.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Protesters and police clash over Bellingham homeless encampmentwww.youtube.com