Seattle turns up the heat on Attorney General Gonzales

On June 27, around 40 protestors turned out on very short notice to protest outside an 8:30 a.m. speech by U.S.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales was speaking at a public forum sponsored by Technet NW, a consortium of technology companies, and the Discovery Institute, a right-wing think tank that is known for promoting the “theory” of intelligent design.

Demonstrators came from as far as Olympia to join the protest, which was initiated by ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) in Seattle as part of the “Turn Up the Heat” campaign. Demonstrators focused on the issues of civil rights and civil liberties, exposing Gonzales’s support for torture.

The crowd gathered outside the Seattle Westin Hotel in downtown and received a very positive reception from the many workers walking to work, waiting for the bus and driving. At 9:15 a.m., Gonzales’s speech was over. Demonstrators gathered around the driveway of the hotel, but Gonzales and his entourage were hustled out the delivery exit.