Seattle police, businesses brace for Black Lives Matter protest at Westlake Center

The crowd at Westlake Park on Friday won’t just be there to ooh and awe over the tree lighting.

A Black Lives Matter protest is scheduled for 1-10 p.m. at the park, with potential attendees reaching the thousands, according to the group’s Facebook page.

“IF BLACK LIVES and your life matters More than #BlackFriday Cheap deals?” the post reads. “Then JOIN US and invite Everyone.”

The protest coincides with the annual Westlake Center tree lighting ceremony, which kicks off at 4 p.m. with music and dancing. It ends at around 5:25 p.m. with the tree lighting.

Reports say the Seattle Police Department expects to have a presence in the area.

A coalition is calling on the department to “refrain from violence during Black Friday.” The coalition is comprised of the National Lawyers Guild, Public Defender Association, the NAACP and Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant.

“The coalition calls on the SPD to respect the Rule of Law and to allow demonstrations to protest in the streets of our city without fear of repression and harassment,” the coalition said in a statement.

About 4,000 people have RSVP’d on the Black Lives Matter Facebook page. Those attending will be protesting police brutality in the wake of the deaths of people of color killed by police.

The protest on Friday will be the second of its kind at Westlake Center. Demonstrators marched on the area last year, after a grand jury decision to not indict an officer in a teen’s death in Ferguson, Mo. The march forced Westlake Center to close several hours early.

Neil Fox with the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that is representing members of the coalition calling for Seattle police to refrain from violent attacks. He said people in 2014 were hit with concussion grenades and gas. He wants people to have the ability to protest in the streets safely.