‘Say no to Blue Angels,’ new billboard says in Seattle

Before the Blue Angels roar over Seattle, some are calling for the end of the air show. The U.S. Navy pilots have been performing at Seafair since 1972, with their show this year in the first weekend of August.

SAY NO TO BLUE ANGELS,” a new billboard says in big letters, unveiled Tuesday afternoon along Rainier Avenue South near Rose Street South. As cars drove by, cowbells rang and people with the Airshow Climate Action coalition hung up signs that read: “Demilitarize Seafair.”

Those at the event voiced concerns over the jet show due to health and environmental impacts.

To many, the Blue Angels are the Navy’s most awe-inspiring recruiting tool. The squadron has “the unique ability to highlight the importance of naval aviation while honoring its historical significance,” according to a message from Commanding Officer Adam Bryan. “We proudly represent the heritage, agility, flexibility, and importance of naval aviation to 21st-century warfighting.”

Breck Lebegue, a doctor for the Air Force for over 30 years, wrote an op-ed for The Seattle Times last year hoping to bid the Blue Angels farewell.

“I realized that fossil fuel is making the Earth heat up too much, and it’s causing harm to the climate, to people’s health and their lives, so I’m doing something about it,” Lebegue said Tuesday.

Kimberly Larson, a community organizer in Seattle, created a petition with over 5,000 signatures calling for the end of the Blue Angels show.

Aedan McCall, the main designer for the billboard, lived on Mercer Island for over 10 years, where the Blue Angels fly overhead. McCall said they experienced the “fallout effects” of the show.

McCall said it’s a reason they ended up leaving Mercer Island.

“The sheer amount of carbon emissions the Blue Angels create — 670 tons in one weekend — is immense and wasteful on top of being a big display of U.S. militarism, McCall said.