9 arrested during protest at new King County Youth Detention Center construction site

SEATTLE  — Nine demonstrators who tried to block construction activity at the site of a new $210 million juvenile justice complex were arrested Friday, Seattle police said.

"Three adult women had breached a security fence and entered the construction site" at 14th Avenue East and East Remington Court, police said in a news release. "The women were chained together and refused to leave when asked. This is the first time that protesters entered the construction site with intent to disrupt planned construction activity."

In addition to those arrests, three women and three men who were blocking the entrance to the construction site were also taken into custody and booked into the King County Jai.

Friday's protest was part of ongoing opposition to the new King County youth jail and court complex.

Organizers with the No New Youth Jail Coalition want King County Executive Dow Constantine to halt construction and to put more resources toward providing social services for young people rather than locking them up.