SEATTLE, WA - Puget Sound's main Black Lives Matter group is urging locals on Black Friday to partake in "impactful" action. BLM activists have demonstrated at Westlake on Black Friday in the past, but this year the group is encouraging more than just protest.

Here's the full statement from BLM Seattle-King County:

The BLM Seattle-King County board members released a statement on Sunday distancing themselves from another BLM group run by Miles Partman, who has been involved in BLM demonstrations in the past. Partman has called for local residents to shop at black-owned business on Black Friday.

Ahead of this Thanksgiving weekend, we, the Board Members of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, would like to thank this community for its support and remind residents that the #BlackFriday event planned by Miles Partman a.k.a. Mohawk (under the name of Black Lives Matter Seattle Original) is in no way connected to this chapter.

At its core, BLM is a movement and organization founded by Black queer womxn to raise awareness of police brutality and systemic violence towards Black and brown people. The very first Seattle chapter was Black Lives Matter Seattle, which has been incorporated into this chapter.

Miles Partman and his chapter are not (and have never been) affiliated with the national organization—donations made to the group have not been received by this chapter or the national group.

Please share this information with your communities and others who support the mission and work of Black Lives Matter.

Those who wish to donate may do so directly on our Facebook page.

In the words of journalist Marcus Green for Seattle Weekly,

"The tragedy of American movements is that—no matter how 'woke' or countercultural—once they've reached a certain mass, they revert to the mean of our society: Straight males at the top followed by everyone else in descending order depending on how closely you align with that trait."

Beyond marches and protests, there are tangible, widely accesible ways to support the movement: talking to your community, donating, volunteering, listening, and sharing calls to action.

If you're interested in finding a black-owned business in the Seattle area, find one here.



Caption: A police officer stands in front of the Nordstrom Rack store in downtown Seattle on Nov. 25, 2017, during the annual Black Friday Black Lives Matter demonstration.