Ah, “the Soviet of Washington,” named as such by James Farley, FDR’s Postmaster General and political fixer. It was one of only two states that experienced general strikes, and there was a large contingent of the International Workers of the World in that state. That led to the slaughter in Centralia just after World War I.
Most of the violence was by armed citizens or by business owners who hired armed thugs to break up strikes and protests.
Perhaps the WA State Constitution 2nd Amendment “rka” wording give a true clue to what was happening early in the State's history.
“......Article I, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution states: “[t]he right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”.......”