For my Urban Photo Diary I chose to look at the urban landscape as a setting for political contestation and expression. I photographed the Martin Luther King Jr. march and rally that took place on Monday, January 19, 2004. The event began at Garfield High School in the Central District and then marched down Yesler Way and ended in front of the Federal Building on 1st Ave.

The MLK March is a particularly inspiring event since it brings together activists from both the white and colored communities, and features a strong element of faith-based activism. Marching in the streets is powerful form of political expression and the United States constitution guarantees the right to peacefully assemble and to speak freely. Gathering together as one voice also helps inspire activists in their struggles by bringing action and community together in one place. In this instance, it connects Seattle’s current struggles with the struggles of MLK’s historic civil rights movement.

Conflicts can arise however, when issues of public safety are legitimately or illegitimately are used to control a protest. In Seattle a balance has been struck between police and protesters. Orange-vested volunteer peacekeepers serve as intermediaries who control the crowd and diffuse potential conflicts. Still, I wonder about our Freedom to Assemble when we can only protest with a permit and only in certain locations. With the recent police brutality in Miami (like Seattle’s WTO protests) demonstrating that our right to assemble is still not necessarily guaranteed, the question of “Who’s streets are they?” is still contested.