The media characterized it as a peaceful protest, the mayor called it a “block party,” journalist Andy Ngo of Quillette described something much worse.
Speaking with Fox News on Monday, Ngo recalled his time spent in Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (The CHOP), describing a place with two different personalities, one by day and one by night: a quasi “Jekyll & Hyde” type of situation.
Though the CHOP appears relatively peaceful during the day, Ngo said the “criminal elements come out” at night.
“Unfortunately, last night that was made very clear, when one person on a microphone and a loudspeaker was able to sic a mob of probably more than 100 people to chase down this business that was several blocks away. They just all descended on it. It was pure anarchy,” Ngo told Fox News, referring to CHOP’s dual nature.
“They pushed up against the fence and all rushed in. It could have been extremely violent,” he continued. “Fortunately it wasn’t, according to what I heard from the owner and staff. They had detained one of the comrades of this camp for alleged arson and theft. And, because of that, all [of] his comrades came to help get him out.”
“[The] police never came,” he added.
Ngo provided video of the incident on Twitter:
A man on a microphone sicced a large mob on the Car Tender autoshop near the Seattle “autonomous zone.” They broke down the fence. The owner said he apprehended an arsonist before all his comrades showed up to try & free him. Police never came. #CapitolHillAutonomousZone #antifa pic.twitter.com/hf4lYzm2rF
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 15, 2020
Defenders of CHOP say that businesses in the area are sympathetic to the cause, with some even providing food and services to the squatters, and though that might be partially true, Ngo maintains that other businesses are not so enthusiastic.
“For example, there’s a Trader Joe’s nearby who announced just a few days ago that they’re closing indefinitely because of security and safety issues,” said Ngo. “So, when you take that and you also see all [of] the businesses that are boarded up, that no cars can drive into this area — I don’t see how the few anecdotes of positive experiences of some owners could be the representative voice.”
“Particularly when there are now some dissident voices coming out to speak and they’re having to do it anonymously because of threats of retaliation,” he added.
Ngo also recalled seeing people openly carrying weapons, from handguns to rifles to batons. Lack of medical care, drug use, and homelessness are also rampant in the CHOP.
“At night, it’s a completely different vibe than during the day,” Ngo said. “You see vagrants come there. Some of them are dealing with mental and health [crises]. There was an ambulance that was called yesterday. The fact that police are not going in should tell you quite a lot. And, this is what my own sourcing had told me last week is that if anybody needs help you actually have to leave the physical zone and go return to the U.S., let’s say, to get help.”
“So, this is a now one-week experiment in anarchy and chaos, and those who live there have to fend for themselves,” he concluded.
This past weekend, Ngo shared additional footage from the CHOP, which showed the sidewalks and storefronts covered top to bottom with profane, anti-police graffiti. Take a look:
This is what’s been done to the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle by those in the “autonomous zone.” #antifa #BlackLivesMatter #CapitalHillAutonomousZone pic.twitter.com/rScE82WxFK
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 14, 2020
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