Seattle councilwoman leads Black Lives Matter protest that took over city hall

A Seattle city councilwoman reportedly led a Black Lives Matter protest Tuesday night into city hall to demonstrate the "power and uprising" taking place throughout the city.

Photos and videos of the protests purportedly led by Council member Kshama Sawant have circulated around the Internet, showing a huge throng of activists filling Seattle City Hall, chanting slogans and demanding the resignation of Mayor Jenny Durkan. Critics argue that Durkan has facilitated police brutality throughout the city during her two-and-a-half year tenure. 

Asked by the Seattle Times why she had  led the protest, Sawant reportedly told the paper that she saw it as "essential that the power and uprising evident in the streets be seen in the halls of power in Seattle."

“When you talk about black rights, you can’t leave out the horrific gentrification in Seattle," she said, placing at least some blame on Amazon.

The demonstration was one of many to take place across the country in recent weeks, as activists target local, state and national politicians in an effort to push major police reforms, including the "defunding" of police departments across the nation. 

Durkan, a Democrat, is the city's first female mayor in nearly 100 years, and its first openly lesbian mayor.