A 21-year-old man who was convicted of shooting 19-year-old Horace Lorenzo Anderson inside of Seattle’s 2020 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-hill-autonomous-zone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Capitol Hill Organized Protest</a> (CHOP) zone was sentenced to 14 years behind bars on Friday.
Marcel Long <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/man-sentenced-to-14-years-in-prison-in-fatal-chop-shooting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was handed</a> down the prison sentence by King County Superior Court Judge Karen Donohue. Long will also have to provide restitution to Anderson’s family, who slammed the judge over the plea deal. 
“I don’t even know why we’re sitting up here because they made a deal that we didn’t even agree on. They wanted this deal. He wanted this deal,” Horace Anderson Sr. <a href="https://twitter.com/choeshow/status/1675018065267032064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during the sentencing hearing, pointing to Long. “We didn’t want that deal. I said take it to trial and just let God figure it out. That’s what his mom said. But instead, we were force-fed this deal and we had to take it.” 
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FATHER&#39;S FURY: Horace Anderson closed out the victim impact statements Friday afternoon in King County Superior Court. His lasted more than 30 minutes. This is a cut down version of some key moments. Like the others, Lorenzo&#39;s dad shared the pain and grief of losing his son. But… <a href="https://t.co/A0Xl1mfjRc">pic.twitter.com/A0Xl1mfjRc</a>
&mdash; Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/choeshow/status/1675018065267032064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Court documents show that the killing, which occurred during the protests in Seattle after the death of George Floyd, was downgraded from first to second-degree murder. Long was not arrested until one year after the killing. 
Long ran after Anderson and shot him after the two had an argument. Anderson did not immediately receive medical care because city responders were hesitant to enter CHOP. 
Police claimed a hostile crowd prevented them from entering the CHOP zone to clear the way for medics. Anderson reportedly had to be treated by civilians and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in the back of a pickup truck.
The city of Seattle <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/his-son-was-killed-after-seattle-police-abandoned-their-precinct-in-the-chop-zone-now-hes-settled-a-wrongful-death-lawsuit-with-the-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously gave Anderson $500,000</a> in a settlement over the incident. 
During the sentencing, Anderson’s sister yelled at Long during the family’s turn to address the court. Through tears, she said that she “hated” Long. 
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EMOTIONALLY CHARGED SENTENCING: Friday afternoon, court was temporarily halted during victim impact statements after an outburst by Donnitta Sinclair. She&#39;s the grief stricken mother of Lorenzo Anderson who was murdered by Marcel Long in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seattle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seattle</a>&#39;s CHAZ/CHOP zone during the… <a href="https://t.co/cWOiTvC501">pic.twitter.com/cWOiTvC501</a>
&mdash; Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/choeshow/status/1674951744504344576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
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At one point during the sentencing, Anderson’s mother started walking toward Long and said that she was not going to let them “disrespect my son.” After police stepped in her way, she walked toward the judge and yelled at her, video shows. Chaos ensued in the courtroom, with parties on both sides yelling and screaming at each other. 
According to the Seattle Times, prosecutors argued that Long had developmental issues, and was at the state of an 11-14-year-old at the time of the shooting. His exposure to violence growing up in his community was also considered. 
“I would like to thank you for trying to understand the mistake of a kid in the streets but most of all I’m thankful for helping me understand the life I don’t want, but one I need, by simply just wanting me to change,” Long wrote in a letter to Anderson’s family.

Memorial And Rally For Peace Held In Seattle After Violent Incidents At CHOP Zone

Family Of Man Killed In CHOP Rips Seattle Prosecutors, Judge Over Killer’s Sentence

2020

Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone

Crime

Criminal Justice

Seattle

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-chop-murder-victim-sues-state-city-demands-billions-in-damages">father</a> of 19-year-old Horace Lorenzo Anderson will receive $500,000 in a settlement with the city of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/seattle">Seattle</a> nearly two years after his son was shot and killed in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anarchy-and-chaos-journalist-describes-seattles-chop-at-night">Capitol Hill Organized Protest</a> (CHOP) zone.
Anderson’s father, also named Horace, filed a complaint in November 2021 against former Seattle Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jenny-durkan">Jenny Durkan</a>, Councilmember Kshama Sawant, and the city of Seattle. The lawsuit alleged that these city leaders encouraged CHOP zone occupants to break the law and put people’s lives in danger, which ultimately led to Anderson&#8217;s death, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/city-of-seattle-pays-500k-to-settle-lawsuit-over-death-of-man-killed-in-chop-shooting/">according</a> to The Seattle Times.
“Durkan, the lawsuit claimed, downplayed the illegal behavior and ‘celebrated the existence, message and methods of CHOP and CHOP participants’ even as police officials, including then-Chief Carmen Best, warned of increasing mayhem and violence around Cal Anderson Park,” the Times noted.
Anderson was killed after getting into a confrontation with 18-year-old Marcel Long in the CHOP zone on June 20, 2020. Another 33-year-old man was also reportedly shot in the incident.
“Bad blood between the two young men led Long to allegedly shoot Anderson on the sidewalk across the street from Cal Anderson Park, according to police,” the Times previously <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/lawsuit-filed-by-mother-of-man-killed-during-chop-anti-police-protests-dismissed-by-judge/">reported</a>.
Long was arrested after a year-long search and <a href="https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-chop-zone-murder-suspect-pleads-not-guilty">charged</a> with first-degree murder in July 2021. He pleaded not guilty.
The Seattle Police Department abandoned its East Precinct on Capitol Hill 12 days before Anderson was allegedly shot and killed by Long. The decision to leave the precinct came after 10 days of protests and rioting in the area following the death of George Floyd in late May 2020.
After Anderson was allegedly shot, evidence showed that medics did not immediately enter the CHOP zone to attend to him, citing a policy for police presence to go in first and clear the way for medics in scenes of violence. Police claimed a hostile crowd prevented them from entering the CHOP zone to clear the way for medics. Anderson reportedly had to be treated by civilians and taken to Harborview Medical Center in the back of a pickup truck.
The lawsuit against the city claims Anderson would have survived his wounds had medics been able to get to him immediately.
Two weeks after Anderson’s death, his father <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-whose-19-year-son-was-killed-in-seattles-chop-gives-emotional-interview-they-should-have-stopped-this-a-long-time-ago">appeared</a> on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News to discuss his heartbreak and frustration with the city and police department. &#8220;The only way I found out was just two of his friends, just two friends that just happened to be up there and they came and told me,&#8221; Horace said during the emotional interview. &#8220;They weren&#8217;t even from Seattle. Now, mind you, I haven&#8217;t heard — the police department, they never came …”
He added, &#8220;Someone should&#8217;ve came and knocked on my door and &#8230; should&#8217;ve been, like, coming to talk to me and let me know about my son. To this day, I really don&#8217;t know nothing. I&#8217;m still here sitting. I don&#8217;t know nothing.&#8221;

Seattle CHOP

His Son Was Killed After Seattle Police Abandoned Their Precinct In The CHOP Zone. Now He’s Settled A Wrongful Death Lawsuit With The City.

Father Of Teen Killed In Seattle's CHOP Zone Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit With City

George Floyd

Jenny Durkan

Police

Riots

Donnitta Sinclair, the mother of 19-year-old Horace Lorenzo Anderson, a black man who was shot and killed in Seattle&#8217;s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) last June, filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Seattle. According to Sinclair, there were &#8220;botched communications&#8221; between Seattle Police and Fire, which resulted in Anderson&#8217;s death.
In her lawsuit, Sinclair alleges &#8220;bad decisions, confusion, miscommunication and poor planning by city officials contributed to&#8221; her son&#8217;s death, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mother-of-19-year-old-killed-during-chop-sues-city-claims-officials-invited-lawlessness/">The Seattle Times</a> reported.
Anderson was shot while visiting the CHOP zone last year. CHOP-affiliated volunteers and medics attempted to render aid. According to Sinclair&#8217;s lawsuit, a Seattle Fire Department medic and ambulance were a little more than a block away from the scene. A <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/mother-of-19-year-old-fatally-shot-in-chop-zone-files-wrongful-death-claim-against-city/">previous report</a> from The Seattle Times indicated that &#8220;At the time, demonstrators had largely blocked off law enforcement access to the CHOP area amid demands for racial justice and calls to defund the Seattle Police Department (SPD).”
According to <a href="https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/horace-lorenzo-anderson-seattle-chop-lawsuit/281-884edc1b-dbb7-44fa-96d1-19f0ce1651b4?fbclid=IwAR0vZFqaLw8VWga6gyNnksBZGdt5hJx7QG3lo-vprop2aL9PtYZ2KRfdYuY">KING-TV</a>, &#8220;The lawsuit claims the CHOP &#8216;invited lawlessness and created foreseeable danger&#8217; and that Seattle police and Seattle Fire first responders in the area that night “failed to assist because of botched communication.'&#8221;
The attorney representing Sinclair said the city of Seattle violated Anderson&#8217;s 14th amendment rights.
&#8220;This lawsuit has two main points,” attorney Mark Lindquist explained. “Number one, the city created a dangerous environment when it deserted the East Precinct in the CHOP area. City officials left citizens without the protection of fire or police or medical and other essential services. And then number two, after Lorenzo was shot, the city didn&#8217;t get medical assistance to him even though there was a Medic One truck just a block and a half away from where he was bleeding.&#8221;
This is the latest lawsuit in a string of lawsuits filed against the city.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mother-of-black-teen-killed-in-chop-sues-seattle-nobody-cared">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, shortly after Anderson&#8217;s death, Sinclair filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle. In that lawsuit, the mother stated a &#8220;dangerous environment&#8221; was created when city officials allowed CHOP to occupy six blocks of the area and shut out police and fire.
Anderson&#8217;s father, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, Sr., also filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle and Washington State &#8220;alleging that their negligence and tolerance for CHOP led directly to his son’s death,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-chop-murder-victim-sues-state-city-demands-billions-in-damages">The Daily Wire</a> reported at the time.
According to The Seattle Times, businesses in the CHOP zone have proposed a federal class-action lawsuit against the city. They &#8220;claim the city’s tolerance of the CHOP and decision to pull law enforcement from the area cost them millions and violated their rights to live and operate safely.&#8221;
All of the lawsuits point to Seattle officials&#8217; &#8220;withdrawal of most police and fire services from a roughly six-square block area centered on the precinct and Cal Anderson Park across the street.&#8221;
City officials have charged Marcel Levon Long with first-degree murder in Anderson&#8217;s death, although he remains at large.

A welcome placard notice is seen decorating the makeshift

CHOP Shooting Victim’s Family Slaps Seattle With A Federal Lawsuit Over ‘Botched Communications’

Far from becoming six blocks of some anarchical utopia that might gleam in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12618.On_Anarchism">Noam Chomsky’s eyes</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_Autonomous_Zone">Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone</a> (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 <a href="https://caphillauto.zone/demands.html">many demands</a>. 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 <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/who-is-carmen-best-seattles-new-police-chief/281-574736890">Carmen Best</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/2/21310109/chop-chaz-cleared-violence-explained">violence and vigilantism</a> 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, <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/06/19/43938596/chop-medic-intervened-in-a-sexual-assault-in-cal-anderson">sexual assaults</a>, and <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/seattle-shooting-capitol-hill-chop-chaz/281-48392a9e-d760-42f3-9469-c99466ed7a9f">murders</a>, 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” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXjvrkmXd4s">in an interview with CNN</a>.
In a transcript of the interview from <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/06/12/seattle_mayor_durkan_chaz_has_a_block_party_atmosphere_could_turn_into_summer_of_love.html">Real Clear Politics</a>, 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&#8217;s not an armed takeover. It&#8217;s not a military junta… we have block parties and the like in this part of Seattle all the time&#8230; 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.
<div id="attachment_116985" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116985" class="wp-image-116985" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Jenny-Durkan-974x576.jpg" alt="Seattle Mayor jenny Durkan speaks at a press conference on March 28, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. The mayor and other leaders from Washington state discussed the deployment of a new field hospital at CenturyLink Field Event Center which is expected to create at least 150 hospital beds for non-COVID-19 cases and will include 300 soldiers from the 627th Army Hospital at Fort Carson, Colorado. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)" width="700" height="414" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Jenny-Durkan-974x576.jpg 974w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Jenny-Durkan-300x177.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Jenny-Durkan-768x454.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Jenny-Durkan.jpg 1004w" sizes=" (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Karen Ducey/Getty Images</div>
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 <a href="https://psjbgc.org/">Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club (PSJBGC)</a>.
According to <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/seattles-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-chaz-has-armed-guards">The Daily Beast</a>, 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, <a href="https://pugetsoundanarchists.org/on-willem-van-spronsen-passing-from-occupy-northwest-detention-center-participants/">Willem van Spronsen</a>, set fire to an ICE parking lot—have been a constant presence. The club <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/22/if-others-have-rifles-well-have-rifles-why-leftist-groups-are-taking-up-arms">is often asked to provide security</a> 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:
<blockquote>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.</blockquote>
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 <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/seattles-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-chaz-has-armed-guards">The Daily Beast</a>:
“Leftist gun clubs have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/22/if-others-have-rifles-well-have-rifles-why-leftist-groups-are-taking-up-arms">on the rise</a>, and organizations like the Socialist Rifle Association…Huey P. Newton Gun Club, Trigger Warning Queer &amp; 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 <a href="https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/7/1/18744204/guns-gun-control-anarchism">leftist discourse</a>.”
4. White protesters ordered to pay black protesters $10
Addressing a large crowd, <a href="https://twitter.com/FromKalen/status/1271709379688087555">a protester insisted</a> 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 <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/13/protester-in-seattles-chaz-demands-white-people-give-out-cash/">New York Post</a>, 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.
<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/14/dubbed-a-lawless-state-by-some-the-chaz-or-chop-se/">The Spokesman-Review</a> 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 <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/11/a-look-inside-seattles-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/">The New York Post</a>, the homeless took food supplies in a rather unceremonious manner as <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1270989451586441218">one desperate occupant tweeted out</a> 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 <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1271638573658206213">according to another tweet</a> from inside the borders.
<div id="attachment_120230" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120230" class="wp-image-120230" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-864x576.jpg" alt="SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 12: A sign inside the âCapitol Hill Autonomous Zoneâ in Seattle, Washington on June 12, 2020. The area named âAutonomous Zoneâ was formed after Seattle Police abandoned its East Precinct during protests against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after being pinned down by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on May 25, 2020. (Photo by Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1219619076-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</div>
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 <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/local-businesses-love-the-domestic-terror-autonomous-zone-in-seattle-actually">good for local businesses</a>. In fact, all the barriers and barricades put a halt to most deliveries and supplies alongside <a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/nobody-showed-up-911-calls-bring-no-response-after-break-auto-shop-near-capitol-hill-protest-zone/O42CQ6VUXVDBHIB3334DI7LPV4/">the toll the unrest and violence took on these businesses</a>.
According to <a href="https://reason.com/2020/06/25/seattle-autonomous-zone-sparks-class-action-lawsuit-from-local-businesses/">Reason</a>, 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&#8217;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. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53224445">As the BBC</a> 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 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K0tXOBPMHA">the violent footage</a> 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. <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/end-of-chaz">The City Journal</a> 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 <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/end-of-chaz">The City Journal</a>, “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, <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/end-of-chaz">The City Journal</a> 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.”
<div id="attachment_120286" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120286" class="wp-image-120286" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CHAZ-1.jpg" alt="A sign that reads &quot;no pride without Black Queer lives&quot; is pictured as people walk in an area being called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) located on streets reopened to pedestrians after the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct was vacated in Seattle, Washington on June 12, 2020. - Seattle's mayor told Donald Trump to &quot;Go back to your bunker&quot; June 11, escalating a spat after the president threatened to intervene over a police-free autonomous zone protesters have set up in the western US city." width="700" height="467" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/CHAZ-1.jpg 594w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/CHAZ-1-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images</div>
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 <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/12/raz-simone-accused-of-acting-like-warlord-in-seattles-chaz/">The New York Post</a>: “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. <a href="https://www.bizpacreview.com/2020/06/13/chaz-has-first-political-scandal-warlord-rapper-raz-plagued-by-old-homophobic-tweets-933833">BizPac Review</a> 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 <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/24/us/seattle-autonomous-zone-protesters-leaving/index.html">decided to declare him the leader of the occupation</a> during the final days of CHAZ.
Much of CHAZ played out like some bizarre skit fit for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WboggjN_G-4">&#8220;Monty Python&#8221;</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DI6rOj8IPs">&#8220;The Kids in The Hall&#8221;</a> 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.

Seattle Announces It Will Phase Down CHOP Autonomous Zone

KHAN: The 8 Most Insane Things That Happened In Seattle’s Radical ‘Autonomous Zone’

Antifa

Black Lives Matter

Seattle Democrat Mayor Jenny Durkan is reportedly going to shut down the &#8220;CHOP&#8221; zone in her city following an increasing spate of violence in the area, which is largely occupied by fringe activists.
&#8220;Faced with growing pressure to crack down on an &#8216;occupied&#8217; protest zone following two weekend shootings, Seattle’s mayor said Monday that officials will move to wind down the blocks-long span of city streets taken over two weeks ago that President Donald Trump asserted is run by &#8216;anarchists,'&#8221; Q13 FOX Seattle <a href="https://q13fox.com/2020/06/22/seattle-mayor-jenny-durkan-says-police-will-return-to-east-precinct-after-weekend-shootings/">reported</a>. &#8220;Durkan said at a news conference that the violence was distracting from changes sought by thousands of peaceful protesters seeking to address racial inequity and police brutality. She said the city is working with the community to bring the &#8216;Capitol Hill Occupied Protest&#8217; zone to an end.&#8221;
The news comes after three people were shot in the police-free area in recent days. At least one of the people shot, a 19-year-old, died as a result.
Durkan suggested that the shootings were a reflection of a &#8220;gun violence&#8221; problem, writing on Twitter, &#8220;In the past two nights, three different people have been shot at the CHOP. Two were injured, and one has tragically died. Any incidents of gun violence in our city are deeply concerning to me, Chief @carmenbest , our residents, businesses, and the greater community.&#8221;
&#8220;This is unacceptable,&#8221; Durkan continued. &#8220;We have worked hard to address gun violence in our city &#8211; particularly among our youth &#8211; yet this Saturday morning, a 19 year old tragically lost his life. As a mother of a 19 year old, I cannot begin to imagine the grief his mother and family are feeling.&#8221;
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This is unacceptable. We have worked hard to address gun violence in our city &#8211; particularly among our youth &#8211; yet this Saturday morning, a 19 year old tragically lost his life. As a mother of a 19 year old, I cannot begin to imagine the grief his mother and family are feeling.
&mdash; Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1275233876768522240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Earlier this month, Durkan appeared on CNN where she suggested that the zone could stay up all summer, calling it a &#8220;summer of love.&#8221;
WATCH:
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This exchange actually happened on CNN about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAZ</a>&#8230;&#8230;.
Chris Cuomo: How long do you think Seattle in those few blocks looks like this? 
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D): I don&#39;t know. We could have the summer of love! <a href="https://t.co/ApIDfMN9RD">pic.twitter.com/ApIDfMN9RD</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1271249933765656578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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President Donald Trump responded to the controversial remark by writing on Twitter, &#8220;Seattle Mayor says, about the anarchists takeover of her city, &#8216;it is a Summer of Love&#8217;. These Liberal Dems don’t have a clue. The terrorists burn and pillage our cities, and they think it is just wonderful, even the death. Must end this Seattle takeover now!&#8221;
Durkan replied: &#8220;Seattle is fine. Don’t be so afraid of democracy.&#8221;
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Seattle is fine. Don’t be so afraid of democracy. <a href="https://t.co/o26PkJnYhA">https://t.co/o26PkJnYhA</a>
&mdash; Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1271575306587889665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Washington Democrat Governor Jay Inslee claimed a couple of weeks ago that he has &#8220;not heard anything about&#8221; the area, which at the time was called &#8220;CHAZ,&#8221; or &#8220;Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.&#8221;
Inslee was asked during a press conference, “Governor, I’d like to ask you about what’s going on Seattle, there’s this thing called the capital autonomous zone, what’s your thought about the fact that the protesters have taken that over and are not allowing people to come and go freely?&#8221;
“Well that’s news to me,” Inslee claimed. “So, I’ll have to reserve any comment about it. I have not, I have not heard anything about that from any credible source, not that you’re not credible, it’s just like before I espouse an opinion, I should know of which I speak.”
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Gov. Inslee on so-called &quot;autonomous zone&quot; on Capitol Hill: 
&quot;That&#39;s news to me&quot;. <a href="https://t.co/L3LT86Zxgq">pic.twitter.com/L3LT86Zxgq</a>
&mdash; Rebecca Perry ☀️🕶️🌊 (@Rebecca_Perry) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rebecca_Perry/status/1270857416955981825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.
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Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

‘SUMMER OF LOVE’ OVER: Seattle Mayor To Dismantle ‘CHOP’ Zone After Violence, Reports Say

The “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ), which is now calling itself the “Capitol Hill Occupied Zone” (CHOP), apparently created a “black-only racially segregated area” with white residents of the zone guarding the perimeter so non-blacks could not enter.
https://twitter.com/zionist_report/status/1274337412181823489
The idea of segregated spaces for blacks only has been promulgated on college campuses for some time; a 2019 <a href="https://www.nas.org/reports/separate-but-equal-again/full-report">NAS study</a> stated, “About 46 percent (80 colleges out of 173 surveyed) segregate student orientation programs; 43 percent (75 colleges out of the total) offer segregated residential arrangements; and 72 percent (125 colleges out of the total) segregate graduation ceremonies.”
In 2016, the University of Connecticut created the Scholars House, short for for &#8220;Scholastic House of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars.&#8221; Its director, Prof. Erik Hines, stated, &#8220;It&#8217;s a living and learning community that will be a section of a dorm, and house about 50 students. It aims to help black males with class work, and provide them with mentorship, counseling, and prepare them for graduate school,” as NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/03/06/468903152/university-of-connecticut-creates-scholars-house-to-keep-black-men-in-school">reported</a>.
In 2017, a student organization at the University of Michigan called &#8220;Students4Justice” demanded that administrators create a space for students of color, writing in their list of demands, “Create a permanent designated space on central campus for Black students and students of color to organize, and do social justice work. This is not the same as Trotter Multicultural Center, because we want a space solely dedicated to community organizing and social justice work specifically for people of color.”
The University <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5tQ5leBiSiCeHM1TERFMm5DLTg/view">replied</a>, “There are currently identifiable cross-cultural spaces on campus. The Connector that connects West Quad in the Union is an example of cross-cultural spaces. The multi-cultural lounges in residence halls also serve as cross-cultural spaces. University Housing implemented a multi-year plan to update all 11 multicultural lounges.”
After a firestorm of criticism erupted from Student4Justice’s demands, Vikrant Garg, one of Students4Justice’s organizers, told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/03/01/a-group-demanded-a-space-for-students-of-color-now-they-say-theyre-being-called-racists/">The Washington Post</a>, “I think it’s just been a really interesting firestorm. Because we asked for a space for students of color, people automatically assumed that no white students would be allowed, whereas that’s never explicit in the language. That was never an agreement, never anything that we thought about.”
A June 16 <a href="https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/06/city-of-seattle-responds-to-the-capitol-hill-organized-protest/">blog post</a> from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan stated:
<blockquote>The Capitol Hill Organized Protest has emerged as a gathering place where community members can demand change of their local, state, and federal government. Capitol Hill and Cal Anderson Park have long been a gathering place for justice. While there have been inaccurate and misleading depictions of the CHOP from the President and some national media, the City believes first amendment activities can continue while also maintaining public safety and allowing access for residents and businesses who operate in the area … The City is committed to maintaining space for community to come together, protest and exercise their first amendment rights.</blockquote>
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Protests Continue Across The Country In Reaction To Death Of George Floyd

Seattle ‘Autonomous Zone’ Creates Black-Only Segregated Area

Segregation

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, whose leftist proclivities were on ample display in 2018 when he instructed Portland police officers not to respond after leftists set up camps outside an ICE office and reportedly trapped ICE employees inside the building, had a distinctly different response on Thursday after leftists tried to set up an “autonomous zone” in the area in which he reportedly lives, approving of police clearing the protesters from the area.
KOIN reporter Elise Haas noted in a tweet that included video of the incident: &#8220;Portland Police are moving in on protesters in the &#8216;Patrick Kimmons autonomous zone,&#8217; which is reportedly outside Mayor Wheeler’s residence. They’ve called it a civil disturbance and asked people to stay inside.&#8221;
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Portland Police are moving in on protesters in the “Patrick Kimmons autonomous zone,” which is reportedly outside Mayor Wheeler’s residence. They’ve called it a civil disturbance and asked people to stay inside. <a href="https://t.co/LwAKogsKzM">pic.twitter.com/LwAKogsKzM</a>
&mdash; Elise Haas (@EliseKOIN) <a href="https://twitter.com/EliseKOIN/status/1273596141615984641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Portland Police Department tweeted:
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PPB is declaring a civil disturbance and unlawful assembly from NW 11th east to NW Park Ave and NW Irving south to NW Everett St. If you do not live inside a dwelling in this area, leave immediately to the west. If you do not leave you are subject to arrest or use of force.
&mdash; Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/1273593849424707585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The area of NW 11th east to NW Park Avenue and NW Irving south to NW Everett Street is closed. We are requesting Portland residents in this area stay inside their residence and shelter in place.
&mdash; Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/1273595928918626305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Wheeler not only wanted the “autonomous zone” gone, he even acknowledged that the Seattle &#8220;autonomous zone&#8221; “CHOP” had some problems of its own.
&#8220;I do not want an autonomous zone set up in Portland,&#8221; he told reporters Thursday. &#8220;I’m watching what’s going on in Seattle and I’m not impressed. I think it’s a distraction from the larger movement; the movement is justice for black people. I’m not in Seattle, obviously, but what I’m hearing out of Seattle concerns me: armed people walking round in the autonomous zone; people being asked to show their papers and demonstrate where they’re from at the entrance to the autonomous zone? Businesses potentially being shaken down to be allowed to operate within the autonomous zone?&#8221;
&#8220;So if you’re asking about something I support, let me be unequivocally clear: I do not support that and I also believe it’s a distraction from the larger movement, which is to support and uplift black voices in our community,&#8221; he said.
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Portland Mayor <a href="https://twitter.com/tedwheeler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tedwheeler</a> was in the Pearl District this morning after PPB cleared an area that protesters had deemed an autonomous zone. Wheeler was asked if he&#39;d support such an area being established in the city, here is his response <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LiveOnK2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LiveOnK2</a> <a href="https://t.co/zGRKVeJvqI">pic.twitter.com/zGRKVeJvqI</a>
&mdash; Evan Bell (@evanbellKATU) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanbellKATU/status/1273651053741748224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In 2018, the National ICE Council, the union representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees, asked state and federal officials to open a criminal investigation of Wheeler over how he directed police to respond to ICE protests, as <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2018/10/ice_union_seeks_criminal_inves.html">Oregon Live</a> reported. The protest <a href="https://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/tns-occupy-ice-portland-oregon.html">lasted</a> 38 days.
In August 2018,  GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana introduced a <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-wordpress-client-uploads/wweek/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/20195604/Cassidy-ICE-Portland-resolution.pdf">resolution</a> calling on Wheeler to resign. The resolution slammed Wheeler for refusing to order the police to take action when &#8220;a mob of leftwing activists recently surrounded an ICE office in southwest Portland, Oregon, trapping ICE employees inside the building.&#8221; Cassidy wrote:
<blockquote>Whereas the Mayor of Portland, Oregon, Ted Wheeler, barred the Portland Police Bureau from coming to the aid of ICE employees, stating, ‘‘I do not want the @PortlandPolice to be engaged or sucked into a conflict, particularly from a Federal agency that I believe is on the wrong track . . . If they are looking for a bailout from this mayor, they are looking in the wrong place.’’; whereas the ICE office in southwest Portland was shut down for days due to threats and occupation; whereas leftwing activists have similarly harassed and threatened ICE employees and targeted ICE offices for closure around the country;
Whereas the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council’s representative stated in a letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler that ‘‘[y]our current policy forbidding Portland law enforcement agencies from assisting employees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency who request law enforcement assistance while at or away from work’’ leaves ‘‘them vulnerable to violence, harassment and even death . . . Your policy has created a zone of terror and lawlessness. We ask that you end your policy of not responding to calls for police services from ICE employees immediately. Our membership has been the subjected to threats of physical violence and harassment since you announced your policy,’’ and whereas the President of the Portland Police Association, Daryl Turner, stated, ‘‘There is no place for personal, political bias when it comes to providing public safety services to our communities. In that respect, our Mayor, who is also our Police Commissioner, has failed miserably” … the Senate calls on the Mayor of Portland, Oregon, Ted Wheeler, to immediately resign.</blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler

Democrat Portland Mayor Who Kept Police From Responding To 2018  ICE Protests Shuts Down ‘Autonomous Zone’ Near His Home

Portland

On Tuesday, as he prepared to talk to protesters in the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” in Seattle, MSNBC reporter Vaughn Hillyard got himself into deep trouble when he attempted to portray the zone as a peaceful, idyllic atmosphere, characterizing it as “almost like a street festival-type atmosphere.” The comment precipitated one protester to get in Hillyard’s face, yelling, “Shame on you for saying that,” while back in the studio, the MSNBC anchor, eager to show MSNBC had not “mischaracterized” the zone, pleaded for a chance to placate the angry protesters.
Hillyard started by saying to MSNBC anchor Joshua Johnson in the studio, “This is a part of the conversation, Joshua, and we heard here in these streets, is the extent to which it has been peaceful since Monday, after more than a week of clashes between the demonstrators and the police, now you’ve seen essentially almost like a street festival-type atmosphere, a street festival-type atmosphere with a very —&#8221;
&#8220;No!&#8221; An angry male protester interrupted. &#8220;It is not a street festival!”
Hillyard managed to finish, &#8220;— with a very intentional purpose.&#8221;
The angry man snapped, &#8220;It is not a street festival!&#8221; Then, pointing his finger directly at the cameraman, the protester repeated, &#8220;It is not a street festival!&#8221; Jabbing his finger into the reporter’s chest, he snapped, &#8220;DO NOT SAY THAT! SHAME ON YOU FOR SAYING THAT!&#8221; Pointing back into the camera, he shouted, &#8220;Learn right now. It is not a street festival!&#8221;
A female friend of the angry man interjected, &#8220;Do you know what our voices sound like from the tear gas police attacked us with?&#8221;
&#8220;You have to understand, some traumatizing things happened here,&#8221; she said. &#8220;All of us are suffering from PTSD in our own country. From our own country. It is NOT a street festival!&#8221;
&#8220;It is not!&#8221; the angry man repeatedly exclaimed.
Back in the studio, Johnson said, &#8220;Vaughn, it’s okay. Let her finish. Let her finish. Let her finish.&#8221;
&#8220;One thing to listen to: It is not a street festival!” said the angry man, waving his finger in the air.
Johnson then asked Hillyard, &#8220;Would you ask him if I can put a question to him since we mischaracterized —&#8221;
Pleading plaintively with the angry man, Vaughn said, &#8220;Can we put a question to you here?&#8221;
&#8220;Please,&#8221; said the protester.
Johnson then issued an apologetic statement to the angry protester: &#8220;I hear him in terms of saying it’s not a street — would you just let him know, cause we have to move on — but would you just let him know that we hear him 100% when he says &#8216;This is not a festival&#8217; because we saw what happened in Seattle. We do have to keep going — and I want to — just let him know we are going to talk about this future of defunding the police, but just let him know that we hear him loud and clear: this is not a festival; this is a social movement. But Vaughan, thank you for giving him room to speak his mind. That’s NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard in Seattle; that conversation’s going to continue there and we will talk more about the future of what these zones are going to look like as the hour goes on.&#8221;
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WATCH: MSNBC Reporter Says CHAZ Idyllic, Like A ‘Street Festival.’ Protesters, MSNBC Anchor Rebuke Him Hard.

Defund The Police

MSNBC

Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant said she would be introducing legislation on Monday that would “ban the use of all chemical weapons and crowd-control, so-called crowd-control weapons against protest movements and to ban chokeholds.”
Sawant, a self-proclaimed socialist, made her announcement on CNN Friday during an interview with host Brianna Keilar, <a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/article/national/susan-jones/seattle-council-member-introducing-bill-ban-all-crowd-control-weapons">reported</a> CNS News. Sawant called the demonstrators who have taken over six square blocks of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, now called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) a “rebellion” that “is incredibly inspiring to the vast majority of American people.&#8221;
She then accused President Donald Trump of threatening those “who are courageously protesting against police violence, threatening them with further escalation and military targets. I think it is a &#8212; we have to absolutely reject this idea.”
Trump has actually denounced the violent riots that have sprung up alongside the protesters.
&#8220;And, in fact, in that spirit on Monday, I will be bringing in legislation to vote to ban the use of all chemical weapons and crowd-control, so-called crowd-control weapons against protest movements and to ban chokeholds,&#8221; Sawant continued.
&#8220;It&#8217;s extremely important that we take this historic moment to win a real victory against police violence, defund by at least 50 percent and fight for an independently elected oversight board over the police,&#8221; she added, according to CNS.
Sawant went onto claim that “every night,” the Seattle Police Department is “inflicting incredible brutality and violence, horrific against the peaceful protest movement led by black and brown people.” She claimed she was “tear-gassed and maced” the night before.
Sawant called Trump a “coward” and then blamed Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan for the “violence against the peaceful protest movement.”
She went on to say:
<blockquote>This rebellion happened in the first place because police departments in city after city after city have been murdering black and brown people, exacting systematic violence against people with impunity. This has happened with impunity. Not a single police officer so far has been prosecuted under Mayor Durkan, for example, in Seattle.
Eight black and brown community members have been murdered at the hands of the police. Not one police officer has been prosecuted. We need to change the status quo.
That is why our movement is demanding that we defund the police by at least 50 percent and divert those funds for community programs, for restorative justice so we begin to address this systematic racism, what we need beyond that.</blockquote>
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-police-chief-challenges-democrat-mayor-says-rapes-robberies-occurring-in-chaz-with-force-unable-to-respond">said last week</a> that the protests in CHAZ are anything but peaceful, saying that “rapes, robberies” and other violent crimes are occurring in the area but that her police officers are unable to respond due to the demonstrators hurling projectiles at them and barring their entrance.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Kshama Sawant

Seattle City Council Member To Introduce Legislation Banning Use Of ‘Crowd-Control Weapons’ Against Protesters

The six-block area in Seattle surrounding the East Precinct known as the &#8220;Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone&#8221; now reportedly has an armed community patrol.
As Kim Kelly, the labor columnist at Teen Vogue, writes at <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/seattles-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-chaz-has-armed-guards?ref=scroll">the Daily Beast</a>, “Comparisons have predictably been drawn between CHAZ and the Occupy movement, but in the place also known as Free Capitol Hill, there is one crucial distance: this time, some of the protesters are armed.”
Kelly notes that members of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club (PSJBGC), a leftist organization, “have been a constant presence.”
Among members of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club in 2019, according to police, was 69-year-old Willem van Spronsen, who allegedly attacked an ICE center before he was fatally shot by police after he allegedly pointed a rifle at authorities. Spronsen “allegedly approached the center around 4 a.m. Saturday, manipulating what looked like an AR-15-style rifle and setting fire to a building owned by the detention center. Police said surveillance video shows he placed flares strategically — including underneath a 500-gallon propane tank — ignited his own car so it would explode and threw molotov cocktails at nearby buildings,” according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/07/19/ice-detention-center-attacker-killed-by-police-was-an-avowed-anarchist-authorities-say/">The Washington Post.</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/us/tacoma-detention-center-shooting.html?auth=login-email&amp;login=email">The New York Times</a> reported in 2019 that van Spronsen, &#8220;who was armed with a rifle, was throwing unspecified ‘incendiary devices’ at the Northwest Detention Center.&#8221; The incident, a Tacoma Police Department spokeswoman said, &#8220;could have resulted in the mass murder of staff and detainees housed at the facility.&#8221;
Kelly, who says she is a member of the Socialist Rifle Association, breathlessly refers to the “past several days of [the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone&#8217;s] remarkable existence,” writing that it has “struck fear into the hearts of conservative politicians and right-wing media pundits (including the president.)”
&#8220;Right-wing media has worked itself into a lather over the specter of armed leftists patrolling the area’s makeshift borders, but that hysteria only underlines what activists see as their profound misunderstanding of both leftist gun culture and what exactly these people are defending themselves against,&#8221; she writes.
The goal of the group, she claims, is to &#8220;discourage white supremacist groups, accelerationist boogaloo bois, and violent gangs like the Proud Boys from trying to harm the people inside.&#8221;
&#8220;There have been individuals with weapons — open carrying is legal in Washington State,&#8221; a spokesperson for Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan’s office told the Daily Beast. &#8220;While the CHAZ is within the area of the City currently under a weapons ban, the Emergency Order establishing the weapons ban does not mandate enforcement. It gives officers the option to take certain actions (i.e., confiscate weapons) if they deem it necessary.&#8221;
&#8220;The City will continue to assess the area on a regular basis and work with community and other stakeholders on a path forward that allows individuals to demonstrate, businesses to continue their operations, and preserves public safety for local residents,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;Officers in the East Precinct have continued to respond to calls. [Seattle Police] Chief [Carmen] Best and Command Staff have been on site at the East Precinct including yesterday, and some personnel are now staffing the precinct.&#8221;
“We don’t want to exacerbate or intensify or incite problems that are going to lead to harm to the officers or the people who are standing by. We know that several are armed. We want to make sure that we are being very thoughtful about how we respond,&#8221; Chief Best told <a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/spd-chief-wants-officers-return-east-precinct-soon-possible-has-no-timeline/LXBKXAHKFRCCPKRJAMT36VD7PE/">KIRO 7</a>.
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