SWAT teams forcibly removed homeless activists, some allegedly armed with hatchets and knives, from an Olympia, Washington hotel Sunday night.
The activists were with a group calling itself Oly Housing Now. They occupied the lobby and 17 rooms at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia, Wash, according to a report from Fox News.
From Fox News:
The group on Saturday night purchased one night at the hotel and moved 33 homeless people in, reports said. By mid-day on Sunday, at least 35 members of the group gathered in the lobby and outside the hotel.
OPD later estimated about 45 members of the group inside and outside of the hotel.
The activists released a list of demands early Sunday and pledged to remain in place until Thurston County committed funds for permanent housing.
“Employees reported that some members of the activist group inside the hotel were armed with items such as hatchets, batons, knives and had gas masks, helmets, and goggles apparently in preparation for a confrontation,” according to a press release from the Olympia Police Department.
Jason Rantz of KTTH radio reported on Twitter that activists attempted to “agitate a conflict” with law enforcement officers at the scene.
Rantz was later the target of online harassment for his coverage of the incident.
WIBC host Tony Katz discussed the story on his program Monday. Click the link below to hear Tony’s full commentary.
