The Long Hot Summer is a term that has been used historically to refer to times of turmoil in America. During the 1900s, in the 50s to 70s, American authorities would use the term to describe seasons in which minority communities rose up against police brutality by rioting, protesting, and demanding change due to police murders.
The following is an account from the author as to how he found himself in the midst of riots, and his understanding of what happened. Beginning in Olympia and Seattle, this account describes the rage that ignited across the Pacific Northwest starting in May 2020, and ending two years later with nightly uprisings from Portland to Seattle.
The burning of the Third Precinct in Minneapolis changed the world. The murder of George Floyd ignited a rage not seen for generations. And the fires reached the Pacific Northwest in tandem. This is a history of how activists stood up to police brutality in their community in the midst of the global pandemic.