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Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby called the group s action an unproductive tactic.
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Members of a housing advocacy group were arrested in Washington state Sunday after they allegedly stormed a hotel in Olympia and occupied it while demanding better care for people living on the streets.
Olympia police said around 11 a.m., around 45 members of the group Oly Housing Now, some of whom were reportedly armed with hatchets, batons and knives and had gas masks, helmets and goggles, gathered outside the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia and made their way inside.
SWAT teams sweep homeless out of Washington state hotel that was taken over by activists
February 1, 2021 / 6:06 AM / CBS News Motel standoff ends in activists eviction
Olympia, Washington Two Olympia police SWAT teams went door-to-door at the Red Lion Hotel Sunday night breaking up what police called a forcible occupation by homeless advocates. Other officers escorted out employees who were sheltering in the basement for more than six hours, feeling trapped, police said.
The activists, from a group called Oly Housing Now, paid for 17 rooms for one night, moved in 33 homeless people and tried to arrange for them to stay indefinitely without paying, KIRO says.
Armed Homeless Activists Storm Washington State Hotel, Say Police
1 Feb 2021
Police in Olympia, Washington, repelled an armed takeover of a Red Lion Hotel by homeless activists Sunday night. Witnesses report they were armed with hatchets, batons, and knives.
At about 11 a.m. Sunday, a group of approximately 45 armed homeless activists forcibly took over the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia, according to a statement from the Olympia Police Department. The violent takeover appears to have been organized by a newly formed group officially identified as Oly Housing Now.
Employees of the Red Lion took shelter in the basement after activists allegedly assaulted one of the staff, police said. Employees called the police and reported being under threat.