100 Years of Activism
2012–14: Seattle Pushes for Legal Weed and a $15 Minimum Wage
And paved the way for dozens of other cities and states that have since followed suit.
2012 Pot goes legal
On November 6, 2012, Washington voters approved Initiative 502, making this state the first (along with Colorado) to legalize the sale and possession of marijuana for recreational purposes. It was the culmination of decades of campaigns by Washington activists, including former Seattle police chief Norm Stamper.
Then-mayor Ed Murray signing the $15 minimum wage bill into law.
Image: Courtesy City of Seattle
2014: Seattle adopts the $15 minimum wage
Pushed by unions and powered by activists who demonstrated at fast food chains to make it an impossible-to--ignore issue, the $15-an-hour minimum wage ordinance was passed by the city council on June 2, 2014. Other cities followed Seattle’s lead.
