A couple of store displays were the only known casualties of a Monday evening protest in downtown Olympia that ended with a march from Fourth Avenue to Capital Mall, according to the Olympia Police Department.
Approximately 200 people assembled at Heritage Fountain park at about 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota over the weekend.
A smaller group of about 100 protesters eventually broke off from the main assembly and marched on Fourth Avenue towards Capital Mall, with Olympia police officers providing traffic control.
The protesters entered Capital Mall and marched down the main promenade before exiting the store.
Some of the group splintered off inside, with roughly 75 to 80 protesters continuing the march to the Target in the 2900 block of Harrison Avenue NW, according to the Olympia Police Department.
Target stores in the Minneapolis area have been accused of allowing ICE to stage in there parking lots and near stores. The company also still faced public backlash, boycotts and a class action lawsuit in 2025 over its decision to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Target issued a memo to its employees on Jan. 22 stating that the company “does not have cooperative agreements with any immigration enforcement agency,” according to reporting by TheStreet, but acknowledged government officials have legal authority to be in public areas.
Olympia officers did not follow the protesters inside the store on Monday.
Target staff later informed police that the protesters had knocked over a couple of store displays and possibly triggered a fire alarm, but no significant property damage was reported and no arrests were made.
The protesters exited the store and marched back to Heritage Fountain to rejoin the larger protest, which ended at approximately 9 p.m., according to the Olympia Police Department.
A spokesperson for the department called the protest “relatively peaceful” in a phone call with a reporter Tuesday afternoon.
Some on social media claimed that protesters were throwing rocks and otherwise damaging property downtown, though there wasn't evidence of such activity.
