Lawyers: In Washington, do police have the legal power to order you to vacate your property, "go inside", or "close the windows" due to nearby police actions?
In Washington, do police have the legal power to order you to vacate your property, "go inside", or "close the windows" due to nearby police actions?
Asking due to numerous reports I've seen on here, Facebook, Twitter, elsewhere of police apparently giving such orders and taking such actions with homes and private properties nearby and within blocks of Cal Anderson Park as the protests have gone on.
Additionally, there are multiple reports of SPD (with claimed authorization of "landlords" from reports) seizing command and control of rooftops nearby the protests. This seems suspect as a number of those buildings as I understand are condominiums, so what "landlord" can even authorize that? The further reports are that SPD has challenged and barred these residents from using their own rooftops.
Say I have a condo that has a patio that overlooks a protest. I'm on the patio watching. Or recording. Or just sitting reading a book. On what grounds can a cop on the street give me an order that I have to relocate to a different part of my property?
What if I have no patio, but my living room window is open, and I'm looking down on the protest, or recording it? Can a cop order me to close the window?
What if the window is closed and I'm recording through the window? Can he order me to close the blinds and curtains?
Can he order me away from that entire side of my property?
Can they order me to just... leave my home?
Posted Jun 4, 2020, 11:38 PM UTC · edited