NEWS GLEAMS | Pro-Palestinian Protesters Shut Down I-5; Alaska Airlines Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 Airplanes

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Shut Down I-5 Over the Weekend

A coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations joined forces on Saturday, Jan. 6, to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Demonstrators shut down northbound I-5, beneath the Madison Street and Spring Street overpasses, for over four hours. An estimated 200 individuals blockaded the freeway, waving flags, chanting, and marching in circles for hours until they finally linked arms and sat on the road. They were supported by hundreds more who partook in similar actions on the overpasses above the main thoroughfare.

Northbound traffic was directly affected, and southbound traffic was affected indirectly as cars slowed to view the action. At its largest point, the backup spanned to 6 miles, according to the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which halted northbound traffic by shutting down the freeway between I-90 and I-520. It also helped route northbound cars in the opposite direction so they could turn around and be diverted toward an eastbound I-90 exit.

The solidarity rally on the overpass included community leaders, such as Ijeoma Oluo and Shelby Handler, and Arab community members. The Seattle Clearsky Native Youth Council performed a solidarity song, and demonstrators placed over 100 shrouds on the overpass "representing the over 12,000 murdered Palestinian children in Gaza," rally organizers said in a press release.

Around 1:22 p.m., the Washington State Patrol (WSP) showed up to speak directly with the protesters. Following hours of apparent negotiations, no arrests were made. The Seattle Police Department posted that it issued two dispersal orders with half an hour in between, though the demonstrators claimed they never received the dispersal orders. By 5 p.m., the demonstrators eventually departed the freeway and joined their counterparts on the freeway overpasses. Twelve vehicles were abandoned on I-5, which eventually reopened after those vehicles were towed.

Controversy was sparked by video of a northbound ambulance seen on-site during the demonstration, with conservative media outlets suggesting that life-saving aid may have been blocked, but firsthand accounts shared with the Emerald note that the ambulance was responding to a minor car accident on I-5, around where protesters had stopped the vehicles. WSP reported that no injuries were sustained during the protest.

Alaska Airlines Grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 Airplanes Following Post-Takeoff Accident

Shortly after taking off from Portland International Airport on Friday, Jan. 5, Alaska Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing after a "door plug" of one of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes blew out midair. Because Alaska Airlines flights do not utilize one of the Boeing 737 MAX 9's potential exit doors, a door plug transforms what would be a functional exit into a sealed wall. The unexpected blowout resulted in a gaping hole in the sidewall of the aircraft and rapid decompression of the main cabin, which forced passengers to put on their oxygen masks. No one was seriously injured because the seats closest to the blowout were empty and passengers had their seatbelts on. It is suspected that the incident could have had more serious consequences, such as passengers being potentially sucked out of the hole.

Alaska Airlines immediately grounded its entire Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet until the Federal Aviation Administration could conduct inspections. Passengers of canceled Alaska Airlines flights will automatically be moved to the next available flight; they can also request a change or refund without incurring fees. United Airlines, the only other carrier to use the craft, also temporarily suspended its fleet; the airline said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it is working directly with its customers to address alternative travel options.

According to CBS News, Alaska Airlines "canceled 160 flights Saturday, impacting roughly 23,000 passengers [and] another 170 flights on Sunday, impacting about 25,000 passengers. As of Monday morning, "Alaska Airlines had canceled 141 flights, or 20% of its scheduled departures, while United Airlines had canceled 226 flights, or 7% of its departures, according to FlightAware, which tracks commercial plane flights."

This incident builds on other recent controversies with the MAX 9 aircraft, which is the larger of the two versions of the Boeing MAX 737 that are in circulation. The model was previously grounded between March 2019 and December 2020, following two fatal crashes — one with Lion Air in October 2018 and one with Ethiopian Airlines in March 2019 — that showed evidence of failure due to the same technical malfunction.

Immediately following the accident, Boeing stocks fell dramatically. The door plug was found in the backyard of a schoolteacher's home in Portland, Oregon. Airline representatives believe it will offer crucial details as to why the accident took place.

Archives at Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple Damaged Due to Arson

The Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple is closed indefinitely after a New Year's Eve arson damaged parts of its facilities and destroyed a portion of its archives, which date back 120 years. In a statement on its website, the temple wrote, "At 10:00 p.m. on December 31, 2023, an intruder broke into the temple and sought refuge in the basement. Shortly after, the individual committed arson, resulting in considerable fire and water damage to the basement area. The smoke and water damage extended throughout the entire temple, prompting its closure to all."

A 42-year-old man, Waylon James Williams, was charged by King County prosecutors with three felony counts of first-degree reckless burning, second-degree burglary, and residential burglary. He was caught on the temple's security camera attempting to open its front door. He was later seen exiting the building and was arrested by Seattle police after breaking into a nearby home. Williams is presently in King County Jail and will be arraigned on Jan. 17.

In the charging documents, Williams said he has paranoid schizophrenia and believed he was being followed by the federal government. He entered the temple to seek refuge. Williams said the fire began after he threw around alcohol bottles and propane tanks that he found in the basement.

After firefighters initially stopped the fire, embers reignited, thus causing more damage two days after the initial blaze. Nobody was injured in the incident, but important archives were damaged. As reported by The Seattle Times, "Just outside the room where the fire began were the temple's physical archives, which date back to 1901 when first-generation Japanese Americans founded the temple. The current location was built during World War II in 1943, and the destroyed archives contained documents from when temple members were detained in incarceration camps."

The temple also wrote that some of its decorations from its annual Bon Odori Festival were destroyed. It is collecting donations to benefit temple restoration, which can be made via check or on its website.

📸 Featured Image: Pro-Palestinian protestors demanding an end to the siege in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire, march from the Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Pike Street to the Olive Way overpass to stand in solidarity with the people occupying the northbound lanes of I-5 on Saturday, Jan. 6. The protestors declared "No Business As Usual Under Genocide." (Photo: Susan Fried)

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