by Catherine Smith
Demonstrators who marched through Downtown Seattle Wednesday night, vandalized the storefront of the original Starbucks store as they made their way through Pike Place Market, the police department said.
Video showed several people clad in black, some carrying umbrellas, running up and smashing windows around 7:15 p.m. as part of an hours-long demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Joe Biden and law enforcement.
Glass was left strewn across the nearly 50-year-old coffee shop, which is home to the first Starbucks location that would eventually become the worldwide brand. The store opened in 1971 and is a frequent tourist stop.
The original Starbucks. A tourist favorite. I can't be the only one completely mind boggled that Seattle's elected leaders LITERALLY DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANY OF THIS. They genuinely do not. https://t.co/SYNcwwepy9
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) January 21, 2021
“It’s rough to see, we love our neighborhood,” Angeliqu Harbin told a KOMO News reporter Wednesday night. “And this is a place people come — it’s a great destination. It just makes me sad to see the window looking like that.”
The group reportedly consisted of several dozen people. Police arrested three people during the demonstrations, including one accused of burglary and theft at the Starbucks.
Seattle’s William Kenzo Nakamura Courthouse and an Amazon Go store were also among buildings vandalized by protestors, according to KOMO News.
On the same night, in nearby Portland, rioters attacked a Democratic Party headquarters and several other buildings, resulting in clashes with police.
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Catherine Smith reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Original Starbucks” by John Anderson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
