Seattle Space Needle Goes Dark To Show Solidarity For 'Black Out Tuesday' (PHOTOS)
As social media went dark yesterday with #BlackOutTuesday, the Seattle Space Needle followed suit by turning all of its lights off. What is typically a well-lit and bright landmark upon the city's nighttime skyline was nothing but a shadow in the distance. The iconic staple signaled its support for the citizens who are protesting systemic injustice and the death of George Floyd.
The Seattle landmark typically waves a flag at the top to signify its solidarity, whether it be with Seattle sports teams, the LGBTQ+ community, and #BlackLivesMatter, but only rarely do they shut down their entire lighting system.
At 10:58 p.m. last night, the Space Needle staffers sent out a tweet saying:
"Tonight, in solidarity with those standing up against the systemic injustices, racial inequalities, and violence affecting the black community, the space Needle will remain dark. Black Lives Matter."
Seattle protesters gathered downtown for the fifth night in a row, starting in downtown Seattle and making their way east to the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The protests remained peaceful until right before midnight, according to reports from King 5 News.
The last time the Space Needle went dark was back in May of 2017, honoring the death of Seattle's beloved rock musician, Chris Cornell.
However, it only shut the lights off for about an hour.
*Mayor Jenny Durkan agreed to meet with the Seattle Community on Wednesday, June 3, to discuss growing concerns.
Over the weekend, the Office of Police Accountability received over 12,000 misconduct complaints about officers over the weekend.
So far, it appears that the Space Needle is the only Seattle landmark to have participated in #BlackOutTuesday; however, many Seattle businesses and organizations issued statements and plans of action on social media.
There is no further information on if the Space Needle will continue to stay dark as protests continue this week.
*This article has been updated.