Bellevue, WA City Council bans targeted residential protests after harassment campaigns against US House rep

On Tuesday night, the Bellevue City Council voted 6-1 to approve a new ordinance restricting targeted protests outside private residences following years of radicals targeting the home of Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). Smith is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Ordinance 6917 makes it illegal for groups of three or more people to specifically target an individual with a protest at their home. Violations can be prosecuted as gross misdemeanors.

The measure comes after anti-Israel, Muslim, and far-left activists have repeatedly gathered outside Smith’s Bellevue home since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Protesters have vandalized Smith’s property, used bullhorns late at night, gathered outside the residence as early as 3 am, and even burned flags in his driveway.

Activists aligned with Marxist former Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant have also repeatedly targeted Smith following her announcement that she would challenge the longtime Democrat for his congressional seat.

Tuesday’s council meeting drew concerned residents arguing the demonstrations had crossed the line from political protest into harassment and intimidation. One of Smith’s neighbors told the council, “I have witnessed the mobs that come up to his house. They intimidate the neighborhood, they wake you up in the middle of the night with bullhorns. I don’t think any of that is reasonable political discourse.” The resident added that protesters had threatened him directly.

Opponents of the measure, including activists wearing keffiyehs and holding signs protesting Smith and Israel, argued the ordinance infringed on First Amendment rights. Members of the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America and other activist groups urged the council to reject the proposal, claiming the ordinance was overly broad and could criminalize political assembly. Activists tried to pack the chamber, but very few even showed.

Last year, several protesters affiliated with Workers Strike Back disrupted one of Smith’s town hall events at Renton Technical College, leading to arrests and an assault investigation involving Sawant’s husband, Calvin Priest, who allegedly injured one of Smith’s staffers.

Councilmember Naren Briar cast the only vote against the ordinance. Briar was endorsed by the terror-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the anti-Israel advocacy group, the Muslim Association of the Puget Sound, during her 2025 campaign.

Bellevue police maintained a presence in the chambers and, at one point, had to escort an activist from the podium. The vote was the last item on the agenda, and as the meeting dragged on, the few activists began to leave. Scattered boos and jeers from remaining protesters could be heard after the final vote.