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Charges against Seattle's Kshama Sawant, 2 other activists dropped (VIDEO)

By Tom Yazwinski
Published  May 1, 2015 5:06pm PDT
Associated Press

Charges dropped against Seattle’s Kshama Sawant, others

Charges dropped against Seattle's Kshama Sawant, others



SEATAC, Wash. (AP) — Disorderly conduct charges against a Seattle city councilwoman and two other activists stemming from a November minimum wage protest outside Alaska Airlines headquarters have been dropped.

A SeaTac judge announced Friday charges against Kshama Sawant, a Methodist pastor and a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport worker stemming from the protest were dropped, immediately after prosecutors rested their case in the trial. Prosecutors said they plan to file an appeal.

Sawant called the decision a vindication not just for her and the other defendants, but for SeaTac voters who approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage law. The first-term councilmember said earlier this week she should have never been arrested for her participation in a wage protest.

“This is not about disorderly conduct, it’s about minimum wage,” Sawant told the judge at her arraignment Thursday. “Alaska Airlines should be on trial, not us.”

After the charges were dropped Friday, Dmitri Iglitzin, lawyer for two of the defendants (Sawant defended herself), said "The city decided to treat it like the crime of the century, yet could not prove their case,."

Sawant said, "This ruling has not only vindicated us, but has really vindicated the voters of the city of Seatac who voted in the $15 minimum wage law and all the low-wage workers around the nation who are currently in a battle for $15 an hour."

Sawant went on to say that the fight is not over, she will continue to work to ensure Seatac airport workers get what she said they're owed.

Alaska Airlines released this statement after Sawant's arrest:

“Alaska Airlines supports fair-wage jobs and voluntarily increased wages last April for more than 1,000 vendor employees at the airport, prior to the Port of Seattle or the City of Seattle taking action.

“In addition to these substantial voluntarily wage increases, Alaska has invested millions of dollars in the SeaTac community focusing on career development, education and community wellness.

“With more than 6,000 employees in the Puget Sound area, Alaska is committed to playing an active role in improving the communities in which our families live and work.”