Far from becoming six blocks of some anarchical utopia that might gleam in Noam Chomsky’s eyes, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in downtown Seattle quickly and predictably devolved into all kinds of chaos including, at times, violence and despotism. CHAZ (or CHOP for some) offered all of us a crash course on what much of current progressivism looks like when finally actualized and implemented into reality. It wasn’t pretty. Here are some of the more insane developments in this short-lived dystopia.
1. CHAZ makes radical demands
The occupiers of Seattle’s Capitol Hill sought to make many demands. Most range from naïve to outlandish.
For example, the occupants of CHAZ protesting against “systemic racism” insisted on the abolition of the Seattle Police Department, the very same department led by Carmen Best, a black woman:
“The Seattle Police Department and attached court system are beyond reform. We do not request reform, we demand abolition. We demand that the Seattle Council and the Mayor defund and abolish the Seattle Police Department and the attached Criminal Justice Apparatus. This means 100% of funding, including existing pensions for Seattle Police.”
The occupants of CHAZ also demanded “replacement of the current criminal justice system, the creation of restorative/transformative accountability programs as a replacement for imprisonment.”
Given the amount of violence and vigilantism that emerged in CHAZ (more on that below), it’s clear that no “transformative accountability programs” were offered to offending occupants in CHAZ.
2. CHAZ proves it’s not “The Summer of Love”
Amid the violence, shootings, sexual assaults, and murders, Mayor Jenny Durkin had the audacity to refer to CHAZ as nothing more than a “block party” that could turn into a “summer of love” in an interview with CNN.
In a transcript of the interview from Real Clear Politics, Mayor Durkin continually dismissed the armed occupation of six blocks of the city under her stead. Asked surprisingly pointed questions by CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Durkin dismissed the gravity of the situation out of hand:
“It’s not an armed takeover. It’s not a military junta… we have block parties and the like in this part of Seattle all the time… We could have the Summer of Love.”
Durkin’s ineptitude and casual dismissal of the occupation lead to serious, violent consequences for the city of Seattle.
Karen Ducey/Getty Images
3. The Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club
Though the occupants of CHAZ insisted on abolishing the Seattle Police Department and, ostensibly, law enforcement all over the nation, they very soon realized that some measure of law and order was necessary amid the chaos. Enter the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club (PSJBGC).
According to The Daily Beast, PSJBGC functioned as a makeshift militia alongside providing some haphazard form of security and enforcement for the occupants of CHAZ:
“Members of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club (PSJBGC)—a leftist community defense and firearms education organization that gained a spate of notoriety last year when a former member, Willem van Spronsen, set fire to an ICE parking lot—have been a constant presence. The club is often asked to provide security for protests and rallies around the Seattle area, and while their involvement in CHAZ is structured more loosely, the presence of armed civilians has raised a few eyebrows.”
The PSJBGC mission statement is as follows:
We believe in active resistance to the corrosive and destructive social effects of white supremacy, sexism, bigotry, and economic exploitation.
We stand in defense of the well-being of the community over the enrichment of the individual, and we stand in solidarity with those who share our mission for a just future.
The very same protestors demanding an end to law enforcement who rail against the NRA and the Second Amendment actively sought protection from a leftist gun-toting militia.
Sadly, the PSJBGC is not alone. According to the same piece by The Daily Beast:
“Leftist gun clubs have been on the rise, and organizations like the Socialist Rifle Association…Huey P. Newton Gun Club, Trigger Warning Queer & Trans Gun Club, and other chapters of the John Brown Gun Club have successfully introduced the issue of gun rights and firearms education into the broader leftist discourse.”
4. White protesters ordered to pay black protesters $10
Addressing a large crowd, a protester insisted that every white person in the so-called autonomous zone give a black person $10. If such an act of reparation proved financially difficult, the protester questioned their actual support of the movement.
According to The New York Post, the unnamed protester stated: “If you have a hard time giving $10, you got to think are you really down with this struggle, are you really down with the movement. If that is a challenge for you, I’m not sure you are in the right place.”
His message, of course, was met with enthusiastic applause from the mostly white crowd of protesters.
5. The homeless flock to CHAZ
It seems much of Seattle’s homeless population flocked to CHAZ given the lawlessness and inherently chaotic state of affairs.
The Spokesman-Review reported: “At any given moment, the six-block zone is home not only to activists of various political leanings and objectives, but people experiencing homelessness or other personal challenges, who have flocked to the park because it feels relatively safe.”
Unfortunately, the influx of homeless men and women led to a shortage of food. According to The New York Post, the homeless took food supplies in a rather unceremonious manner as one desperate occupant tweeted out for help while sure to include the very specifics of her dietary demands:
“The homeles [sic] people we invited took away all the food at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. We need more food to keep the area operational. please if possible bring vegan meat substitutes, fruits, oats, soy products, etc. – anything to help us eat.”
If that wasn’t enough, the homeless also besieged some attempts at community gardening according to another tweet from inside the borders.
Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
6. Local businesses pay the price
Most local businesses didn’t fare well at all under CHAZ and Mayor Durkin’s “summer of love.” Already stricken with disaster under the COVID-19 lockdowns, many businesses were handicapped even further by the thoughtless occupants and the ensuing mayhem.
The Left tried in vain to paint the protests and occupations as good for local businesses. In fact, all the barriers and barricades put a halt to most deliveries and supplies alongside the toll the unrest and violence took on these businesses.
According to Reason, many local businesses are now suing the local government over CHAZ:
“More than a dozen businesses and property owners are suing the city of Seattle over its tolerance of, and alleged support for, an ‘autonomous’ protest zone in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The city’s approach, they argue, has led to lawlessness, property damage, and a decline in commerce and property values.”
Again, Mayor Durkin’s response the occupation was an absolute travesty to the local businesses that relied on her leadership never mind the city itself.
7. Violence becomes the main order of business
At night, violence characterized much of CHAZ. As the BBC pointed out, CHAZ was “largely peaceful during the day… But at night, the area is said to become tense…”
The Seattle Police Department even documented some of the violent footage from the area.
Far from being a so-called “safe space,” CHAZ devolved further into chaos with each passing day with no evident rule of law in place. The City Journal rightly points out:
“As it turns out, however, maintaining public order is a complex undertaking and can’t be replaced by academic symbolism. BLM activists might despise George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, but a regime based on the principles of Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ibram X. Kendi, and Robin DiAngelo doesn’t work too well. As CHAZ’s experience demonstrates, when left-wing radicals shift from protest to governance, things fall apart.”
Sadder still, according to The City Journal, “the homicide rate in the CHAZ turned out to be 1,216 per 100,000—nearly 50 times greater than Chicago’s.”
Even more tragically ironic, The City Journal also reported that all six shooting victims in CHAZ were black men:
“Over its 24-day history, the autonomous zone saw two gun homicides and four additional shooting victims. All the identified victims were black men — precisely the demographic for whom the CHAZ had claimed to offer protection. In the absence of a legitimate police force, armed criminal gangs and untrained anarchist paramilitaries filled the void.”
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
8. The “Warlord”
Solomon “Raz” Simone, a Seattle-based rapper of some repute, took it upon himself to maintain some semblance of order in the early days of CHAZ. Armed with an assault rifle and a growing posse, Raz and his crew attempted to police the streets.
According to The New York Post: “A charismatic rapper has emerged as the assault-rifle-toting leader of a protester rabble that took over the streets around a now-vacant Seattle police precinct — a ‘cop-free’ encampment that has been allowed to remain for four days and counting.”
Raz’s attempt at law enforcement quickly mutated into apparent despotism. Occupants accused him of trying to become the de facto “warlord” of CHAZ.
Many also discovered old tweets from Raz that showed some evidence of homophobia, further delegitimizing his attempt at wearing CHAZ’S organic, recycled crown. BizPac Review reported: “…Simone is now under fire for old homophobic tweets found on his Twitter account which have left him on the defensive.”
The very people Raz sought to protect seemingly undermined his efforts toward becoming some progressive despot. Still, as some consolation, CNN decided to declare him the leader of the occupation during the final days of CHAZ.
Much of CHAZ played out like some bizarre skit fit for “Monty Python” or “The Kids in The Hall” on steroids. Sadly, the violence leaves little room for satire at the moment. What CHAZ demonstrates, however, is that much of the supposed idealism fueling so many of these protests all over our nation is nothing but delusion and nihilism masquerading as a cause.