Seattle protest demands ‘Justice For Christian Nelson & Jack Paleli!’

Seattle, WA – On May 25, George Floyd Day, a day for drawing attention to police brutality, the Seattle Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) led a rally and march through the streets of South Seattle to demand justice for Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli.

In September 2025, Seattle’s federal consent decree was lifted after 13 years. The consent decree was an order placed on the Seattle Police Department in 2012 by the federal government to force them to report to and be reviewed by the federal government due to their excessive use of force and brutality. Not even three months after the decree was lifted, SPD had already killed two men. Those men were Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli. Both were suffering through mental health crises when they were killed.

The Seattle Alliance refused to ignore their murders and has been campaigning for justice for Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli since they were killed.

The march began near the Othello light rail station, where Christian Nelson was killed, and kicked off with speeches from allied organizations.

Elaine Simons, a member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability and the foster mother of Jesse Sarey, who was killed by former Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson, said, “They are killing our loved ones here in our state, and we have to remember that we need to be united.”

Though the rain was pouring, the energy was high. Just before the march officially got moving, SAARPR member Jonathan Toledo read a statement from Christian Nelson’s mother, Amanda, in which she said about her son, “My son promoted love. My son was a bridge to bring people together. My son is not the lies that have been portrayed; he is more than that.” Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli deserved to live.

Fueled by this injustice, the march kicked off and chanted all the way to the SPD South Precinct building. At the front of the march was a banner that read “Justice for Christian Nelson & Jack Paleli!” and passing cars honked their support. When the march reached the police building, it congregated in front as the last speeches were given.

The final speech was given by a SAARPR member who said, “As an immigrant, I was never surprised by how deeply repression runs in the U.S. But the level of repression and racist violence under the guise of safety that people experience here has shocked me to my core. So far this year, the police have killed 466 victims across the U.S., 14 of those here in Washington, and three of them here in Seattle. If our representatives and officials care, why are these officers not jailed? They should be held accountable.”

#SeattleWA #WA #ChristianNelson #JackPaleli #SAARPR #InjusticeSystem