Seattle's public transit faced another round of turmoil this weekend as Sound Transit shut down the U-District Link light rail station Saturday night, thanks to a pro-Palestine demonstration. Officials cited "safety reasons" for the closure, which occurred from 5 p.m. until around 9:30 p.m., leading to trains bypassing the station during those hours. In response, shuttle buses were employed to bridge the gap between Roosevelt Station and the University of Washington Station, as KING 5 reported.
The protest group aimed to publicly denounce the partnership between Sound Transit and Siemens – the multinational conglomerate accused of enhancing "Israeli occupation and colonization in Palestine," a cause shared by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Answer Seattle, and the Party For Socialism and Liberation. Flyers and social media posts circulated prior to the event declared intentions to "shut it down" in the name of Palestine, and explicitly demanded Sound Transit to sever its contracts with Siemens for the light rail vehicles, per an announcement made by the organization samidounseattle and reported by KOMO News.
John Gallagher, the spokesperson for Sound Transit, stated, “We’re aware of the planned protest. While we respect the rights of protesters, our priority is the safety of our riders and staff. We’re monitoring the situation but have nothing more to report at this time.” as he told KOMO News. Despite the disruption, the closure was reportedly executed neatly, with no protestors managing to enter the station, though demonstrators could be seen outside with signs. This event follows in the footsteps of another pro-Palestine protest held two weeks prior that had shut down Interstate 5 for nearly five hours.
As it stands currently, authorities are still investigating the earlier incident. According to Chris Loftis with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), “The investigators are still gathering and reviewing evidence. Investigators will provide the King County Prosecutors Office with what they find when they feel that have a reasonable case for individuals. The Prosecutor’s Office has stated they will review each situation on a case-by-case basis. There is no target date for completion. Investigation takes the time it takes,” Loftis explained to KOMO News. WSP has stood by its actions and maintains that they acted within their capacity to what they could during the highway protest.
This latest disruption comes amid ongoing issues for Sound Transit, which is currently grappling with crowded trains and delays due to emergency light rail track repairs already inconveniencing travelers, according to KING 5's report.
