On May 1 approximately 300 protesters assembled near the south entrance of Black Lake and Harrison Avenue in Olympia Washington as part of the May Day Protest Activity. The protesters began moving toward downtown Olympia and the 5th Street Bridge around 4:35 PM but returned to a vacant lot on Black Lake Boulevard without major incident.

Organizers kept their word and did not take over any intersection nor block traffic that did not have an alternative route. I thought this was a nice way of creating a celebratory atmosphere, freeing up an area for creative and social interaction (building a community garden in an open lot), yet not bowing to authority that many see as oppressive.

All was calm until police decided to disperse the crowd. As armored riot police moved in, the once festive atmosphere turned nearly confrontational.