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

Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone

George Floyd

Jenny Durkan

Police

Riots

Seattle

The Department of Justice is looking into whether federal charges can be brought against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan over her failure to crack down on a so-called “autonomous zone” controlled for weeks by rioters.
Attorney General William Barr has tasked the DOJ’s civil rights division with investigating whether charges can be brought against Durkan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/us/politics/william-barr-sedition.html">The New York Times</a> reported on Wednesday evening citing two people familiar with the discussions. Barr has also asked federal prosecutors to consider charging rioters with sedition and insurrection against the United States government, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/barr-tells-prosecutors-to-consider-charging-violent-protesters-with-sedition-11600276683">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
Rioters took over several city blocks and a police precinct in the middle of Seattle for several weeks over the summer as protests and riots took place following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Durkan eventually ordered police to move into the area and reestablish order following <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/third-shooting-in-chop-sends-seattle-authorities-scrambling-even-as-mayor-says-shes-ready-to-wind-down-protest">several deadly shootings</a>.
As The Daily Wire reported at the time:
<blockquote>Although the CHOP demonstrations were largely peaceful at first, within the last week there have been three shootings, leaving at least one person dead, one in critical condition, and three others with injuries, according to reports.
Long-term residents of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood expressed their frustration with the protests to city officials last week, telling local media that they no longer felt “safe” in the “occupied” neighborhood and threatening to move their homes and businesses from Capitol Hill permanently.
The mayor, members of the city council, and other city officials continued to defend the protests, claiming that a dangerous, unassociated “element” moved into the CHOP at night, disrupting the zone’s “healing” and “educational” environment. Seattle’s Mayor Jenny Durkan even expressed hope that the protests could continue on a more part-time basis.</blockquote>
Barr’s reported push to charge rioters with federal crimes emphasizes the Trump administration’s push to reestablish law and order across America’s major cities, which have together been rocked by record amounts of damage. Insurance companies may shell out a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/riots-looting-that-followed-george-floyds-death-could-cost-2-billion-most-expensive-incident-in-insurance-history">record $2 billion</a> to businesses and individuals because of riot-related destruction.
President Trump has turned the rampant violence spawned by hundreds of out-of-control riots into a major campaign issue, painting Democratic candidate Joe Biden as a weak leader who would be unable or unwilling to crack down.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-biden-condemns-violence-in-portland-crenshaw-fires-youre-only-commenting-now-because-the-polling-told-you-to">Biden condemned violence</a> that had been plaguing the country for months in late August.
Charging rioters with breaking federal laws against sedition may be difficult because of protections guaranteed under the First Amendment.
According to The Wall Street Journal:
<blockquote>To bring a sedition case, prosecutors would have to prove there was a conspiracy to attack government agents or officials that posed an imminent danger, legal experts said. They added that there is a fine line between the expression of antigovernment sentiment, which could be protected speech under the First Amendment even if it included discussions of violence, and a plot that presented an imminent danger and could justify a charge of sedition.</blockquote>

Report: Seattle Mayor May Face Federal Charges Over ‘Autonomous Zone’ Fiasco

William Barr

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it is going after &#8220;lawless cities&#8221; that have allowed violent anarchists to loot and riot by preventing them from taking federal funding.
&#8220;My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;We’re putting them on notice today.&#8221;
The four cities that were reportedly named in a memo from the president included Portland, Seattle, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
So far, all of the Democrat mayors of those cities have responded to the news, except District of Colombia Mayor Muriel Bowser.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responded by writing on Twitter: &#8220;While @realDonaldTrump spent this year hiding from COVID-19, New York City led the fight back. Now we’re trying to recover and he’s making unconstitutional, political threats against us. Mr. President, we’ll see you in court. We’ve beaten you there before and we’ll do it again.&#8221;
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While <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> spent this year hiding from COVID-19, New York City led the fight back.
Now we’re trying to recover and he’s making unconstitutional, political threats against us.
Mr. President, we’ll see you in court. We’ve beaten you there before and we’ll do it again.
&mdash; Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1301339100188946432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler responded: &#8220;Trump threatens to withdraw federal funds, possibly including health, education, and safety net dollars Americans are relying on to get through this pandemic and economic crisis.&#8221;
&#8220;Once again, only progressive communities with democratic Mayors, which he labels &#8216;anarchist jurisdictions&#8217; – including Portland – are targeted. This is a new low, even for this president,&#8221; Wheeler continued. &#8220;He continues to believe that disenfranchising people living in this country to advance his petty grudges is an effective political strategy. The rest of us know it is dangerous, destructive, and divisive.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump threatens to withdraw federal funds, possibly including health, education, and safety net dollars Americans are relying on to get through this pandemic and economic crisis.
&mdash; Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedwheeler/status/1301341559841894401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
He continues to believe that disenfranchising people living in this country to advance his petty grudges is an effective political strategy. The rest of us know it is dangerous, destructive, and divisive.
&mdash; Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedwheeler/status/1301341561813266432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan responded by writing on Twitter: &#8220;This is the latest attempt to distract from the fact that COVID-19 has infected over 6 million Americans, killed 185,000 people, and destroyed the American economy. The only anarchy zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House.&#8221;
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This is the latest attempt to distract from the fact that COVID-19 has infected over 6 million Americans, killed 185,000 people, and destroyed the American economy. 
The only anarchy zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House. <a href="https://t.co/5NxUw6gGKU">https://t.co/5NxUw6gGKU</a>
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1301336683535716353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;President Trump cannot defund Seattle – it is unlawful. Surely the Attorney General has advised the President of the United States that he does not have the power to decide who gets funding based on his political interests,&#8221; Durkan later added. &#8220;America’s cities will not be distracted by his actions.  We will continue to work to bridge divides, rebuild our economy, address gun violence and systemic racism, and make our cities more just and equitable.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
America’s cities will not be distracted by his actions.  We will continue to work to bridge divides, rebuild our economy, address gun violence and systemic racism, and make our cities more just and equitable.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1301337512011378688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The New York Post first reported on the memo outlining the plans by the Trump administration, which specifically called out the mayors.
“While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted,” the memo said about New York City. “In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, [New York City] arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019. Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, including by cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers.”
The memo added that Bowser “allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence and destruction in late May and early June, requiring me to call in the National Guard to maintain law and order in the Nation’s Capital.”

George Floyd’s Family Attends Memorial Service And March In New York City

Democrat Mayors Of ‘Lawless’ Cities That Trump Intends To Defund Respond To His Plan

Bill de Blasio

Donald Trump

Ted Wheeler

&#8220;Mostly peaceful.&#8221; So goes the characterization of demonstrations that have routinely turned into looting and rioting for months on end, from Portland to Seattle to New York to Los Angeles.
&#8220;Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified,&#8221; read one recent ABC News tweet.
CNN called protests in Portland &#8220;mostly peaceful,&#8221; adding that &#8220;they have at times devolved into violence, vandalism, and arson.&#8221;
During riots in Los Angeles in June, as the entire county locked down, the Los Angeles Times noted, &#8220;The third night of countywide curfews followed days of massive, mostly peaceful protests &#8230; Nearly 1,200 people were arrested Sunday after police officers clashed with demonstrators and looters shattered windows and emptied stores in Santa Monica and Long Beach.&#8221;
The phrase &#8220;mostly peaceful,&#8221; then, is rather fungible. 
Consider that during the tea party protests of 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden reportedly likened tea partiers to &#8220;terrorists&#8221; — and those protests were notable mostly for people cleaning up their own litter. When anti-lockdown protesters descended on the Michigan state capitol, a columnist for The New York Times labeled them &#8220;armed rebels,&#8221; despite a complete lack of violence. When three white supremacists were arrested for plotting violence at a pro-gun rally, GQ&#8217;s Talia Lavin headlined, &#8220;That Pro-Gun Rally in Virginia Wasn&#8217;t Exactly &#8216;Peaceful'&#8221; — even though the rally saw no violence.
In truth, the category of &#8220;mostly peaceful&#8221; is a brand-new invention meant to obscure the simple fact that many of our cultural elites are fine with violence so long as those who engage in such violence have the proper goals. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the pseudo-historical 1619 Project, celebrated when critics labeled rioting and looting &#8220;the 1619 riots&#8221;; she added that destruction of property was &#8220;not violence.&#8221;
This week, Democrats grilling Attorney General Bill Barr could not be bothered to condemn violence, prompting Barr to rant, &#8220;What makes me concerned for the country is this is the first time in my memory the leaders of one of our great two political parties, the Democratic Party, are not coming out and condemning mob violence and the attack on federal courts.&#8221;
This should come as little surprise, given that those same cultural elites have cheered on massive protests in a time of a deadly pandemic, explaining that sometimes politics is just too important to stop a raging disease.
Our journey back to the 1960s is nearly complete.
Too many Americans have rejected some of the key lessons of that time — that a breakdown in law and order costs lives, that political change does not require violence — in favor of a newfound sense of purpose. These Americans will pat the violent vanguard of revolution on the head, content that they will not pay the price, all the while maintaining that those who crave law and order stand for regressive autocracy.
Thus, Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle recently informed MSNBC that federal law enforcement attempting to stop destruction of federal property in Portland actually represented a &#8220;dry run for martial law.&#8221;
With Democrats and those in the media willing to run cover for violent leftists, the thin veneer of civilization disintegrates. When violence is excused as speech and speech by the opposition labeled violence, democracies die.
With each passing day of silence by those who should know better — or worse, those propagandizing on behalf of those who engage in criminal activity — America draws closer to the brink.
More from Ben Shapiro: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shapiro-america-is-hitting-the-self-destruct-button">America Is Hitting The Self-Destruct Button</a>

Portland Protests Continue Unabated Despite Federal Law Enforcement Presence

SHAPIRO: The Left’s Willingness To Tolerate Violence Should Frighten All Americans

Antifa

Defund The Police

Joe Biden

Law Enforcement

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Portland

Seattle Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jenny-durkan">Jenny Durkan</a>, an outspoken opponent of President Trump, <a href="https://www.khq.com/national/seattle-mayor-on-trump-we-are-seeing-a-dry-run-for-martial-law/video_b8a15dbe-6bbb-522c-af73-d14ee44f16b2.html">accused the president</a> on Monday of sending federal forces to riot-plagued cities as a “dry run for martial law.”
Durkan appeared on CNN’s “Outfront” Monday with host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/erin-burnett">Erin Burnett</a>. “You&#8217;ve previously said you didn&#8217;t want or need help from the president or the federal government in everything that&#8217;s happening,&#8221; said Burnett. &#8220;Does anything that&#8217;s happened this weekend make you reconsider that?&#8221;
&#8220;We don&#8217;t need the help that the president&#8217;s offering, and in fact I think the president actions directly escalated and were responsible for what happened this weekend,&#8221; Durkan charged. &#8220;Many people who were interviewed by media said they came to the protest because of what&#8217;s happening in Portland.”
“The protest itself was billed as something in solidarity with Portland,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And so today I requested the Department of Homeland Security, since there was (sic) no actions directed against the federal properties here, to ask them to remove the standby team that they have because I believe it has escalated things here in Seattle. We&#8217;ve seen violence night after night in Portland.  We don&#8217;t want that happening in Seattle.&#8221;
Burnett pressed, &#8220;Some of these images, they’re ugly. A Starbucks destroyed in the protest, a construction site for juvenile detention facility set on fire. Seattle police say officers were burned when protesters threw explosive devices at them. And look, a lot of what is happening here is not peaceful. This is just violent and destructive. And the president says he thinks mayors like you are refusing his help and those stand by forces because he’s the one offering it. Does he have a point?”
“No, again, the president’s actions clearly have escalated things in Seattle and across the country,” Durkan replied. “I was just talking to a number of mayors throughout the country who saw a similar thing, that people wanting to act out against the president and his administration coming to the streets. I believe if you look at what happened yesterday and Sunday again it was peaceful. We had a number of peaceful protests, and what we’ve seen is every time this president promises to sow division he’s successful at it.”
“He’s clearly targeted cities ran by Democratic mayors, he’s said so himself,” Durkan continued. “He’s using law enforcement as a political tool. I hate to see it, Erin, but I really believe that we are seeing the dry run for martial law. This is a president that’s using law enforcement and federal forces for political purposes and that should be chilling to every American.”
Durkan pontificated how she would solve the problems of her city.
&#8220;We will continue to do, I think, the number one thing we can do to bring peace to the streets in Seattle and across America is bring more justice to the systems,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And after the murder of George Floyd, millions of people turned out across this country demanding that we do better, that we dismantle systems of racial inequality and systemic racism and improve policing and provide more community health and education and everything in a community. That’s what we’re focused on here.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/seattle-mayor-on-trump-sending-federal-agents-the-fabric-of-america-is-being-shredded-before-our-eyes">Seattle Mayor On Trump Sending Federal Agents: ‘The Fabric Of America Is Being Shredded Before Our Eyes’</a>

New Army Field Hospital Deployed At CenturyLink Field Event Center In Seattle

Seattle Mayor: Trump Sending Feds Is ‘Dry Run For Martial Law’

On Friday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who celebrated the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-seattle-mayor-says-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-could-turn-into-summer-of-love">comparing it</a> to the “Summer of Love,” ripped President Trump’s use of federal forces to quell the chaos in her city, snapping, “The fabric of America is being shredded before our eyes.”
CNN host Chris Cuomo began the segment by complaining about the federal forces on the ground in Seattle, “They were not asked to come. That&#8217;s how it&#8217;s supposed to work. The State leaders are supposed to ask for Federal help.”
Cuomo welcomed Durkan by referencing her much-criticized comment. “So much for the &#8216;Summer of Love,&#8217; I mean, this just keeps getting worse and worse,” he said.
Durkan stated that Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf “believes he did not have all the information when he spoke to me” about sending troops to Seattle.
“So, he&#8217;s a cover guy, Wolf,&#8221; Cuomo replied. &#8220;Well, look, it all depends. One thing you can — that&#8217;s consistent about this President is inconsistency.”
Durkan admitted that the federal agents were on standby. She posited that despite the fact that the Federal Protection Service is only called out if there is a specific threat, Seattle could resemble Portland.
Then she hurled these charges against federal officers: “[Y]ou have seen the introduction of a significant number of Federal agents who, night after night after night, have escalated violence and have had a fight, a running fight on Portland that has created there a public safety risk …”
Ironically, in June, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-liberal-portland-mayor-slaps-seattle-for-lawless-chop-debacle"> slammed Durkan&#8217;s Seattle</a>, asserting:
<blockquote>I do not want an autonomous zone set up in Portland. I&#8217;m watching what&#8217;s going on in Seattle, and I&#8217;m not impressed. I think it&#8217;s a distraction from the larger movement, and the movement is justice for black people. What I&#8217;m hearing coming out of Seattle concerns me. Armed people walking around in the autonomous zone? People being asked to show their papers and demonstrate where they&#8217;re from at the entrance to the autonomous zone? Businesses being potentially shaken down to be allowed to operate within the autonomous zone? So if you&#8217;re asking if that&#8217;s something I support, let me be unequivocally clear: I absolutely do not support that. And I do believe that it&#8217;s a distraction from the larger movement, which is to support and uplift black voices in our community.</blockquote>
Durkan said to Cuomo that the president &#8220;has also said that he&#8217;s targeting cities led by Democratic Mayors, and I think that&#8217;s absolutely true.&#8221;
&#8220;He is leveraging his power, just as you said before, for his own purposes,&#8221; she alleged. &#8220;Instead of giving us the help he needs (sic), he wants to send in Federal forces and Federal agents to escalate tensions. Not only do cities not need it, America doesn&#8217;t need it. This is one of the most dangerous escalations.&#8221;
&#8220;I was a Federal Prosecutor,&#8221; she asserted. &#8220;I know how important it is for Federal Law Enforcement to work with Local Law Enforcement. As the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer, as U.S. Attorney, I know that that&#8217;s an important relationship.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen anything like this, in my career, where Federal agents are sent in, not even, not with the cooperation of Local Law Enforcement, but over their objection,&#8221; she pontificated. &#8220;It&#8217;s unprecedented, and it&#8217;s the wrong way to go. The fabric of America is being shredded before our eyes, Chris, and it worries me greatly.&#8221;
Cuomo then championed the protesters, concluding, &#8220;This is the stuff of autocrats, and we&#8217;re going to have to see if the institutions of this society and the will of people in these jurisdictions is enough to fight it back. We&#8217;ll see.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan: &quot;The fabric of America is being shredded before our eyes.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Q4DQ07ptap">pic.twitter.com/Q4DQ07ptap</a>
&mdash; The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1287078661208891394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America

Seattle Mayor On Trump Sending Federal Agents: ‘The Fabric Of America Is Being Shredded Before Our Eyes’

Chris Cuomo

At least a dozen Seattle police officers were injured on Sunday as rioters attacked multiple police precincts, a municipal court, an Amazon building, and a Starbucks.
The Seattle Police Department said the rioters “were responsible for a significant amount of property damage to government buildings and private businesses” and that “at least a dozen officers were injured.”
SPD said that “Arson/Bomb detectives” were involved in the department’s investigation into the attacks by the extremists, which SPD said “appeared to be very organized and this appeared to be a very concerted effort at property damage of certain businesses and government facilities.”
SPD <a href="https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2020/07/19/significant-property-damage-officers-injured-during-protest/">highlighted</a> the following from the attacks:
<ul>
<li>The group headed south to the Seattle Police Headquarters and Seattle Municipal Court where they broke windows and spray painted both buildings. The demonstration then marched northbound on Third Avenue, where some businesses were targeted by individuals with more smashed windows, looting, and graffiti on the walls.</li>
<li>The group eventually made it to the West Precinct and some individuals attempted to break into the building. Protesters threw rocks and bottles at the officers who were outside defending the precinct. An unknown person or persons threw multiple large mortar-type fireworks at officers from a close range. Multiple officers were injured by the fireworks thrown at them. Two of the officers suffered lacerations and abrasion injuries while a third officer sustained burns to his neck area and needed to be treated by the Seattle Fire Department. He was later transported to the hospital. A total of twelve officers were injured.</li>
<li>The march then made its way up to Capitol Hill, where individuals in the group committed more property damage and looting. A small fire was set inside one of the businesses after the windows were broken out.</li>
<li>Eventually the group went to the East Precinct where several individuals smashed out the front windows. A large, mortar-type firework was thrown inside the lobby of the precinct, causing a small fire. The fire was extinguished quickly. Officers located another unlit large mortar-type firework nearby.</li>
</ul>
Local journalist Katie Daviscourt tweeted a video that showed an Amazon Go building being attacked and wrote: &#8220;Antifa Militants and Black Lives Matter rioters are breaking into Amazon Go Downtown Seattle. This protest has turned into a riot.&#8221;
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NOW: Antifa Militants and Black Lives Matter rioters are breaking into Amazon Go Downtown Seattle. This protest has turned into a riot. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeattleProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeattleProtest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AntifaDomesticTerrorists?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AntifaDomesticTerrorists</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/seattleriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#seattleriots</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> <a href="https://t.co/RH8u56fCGP">pic.twitter.com/RH8u56fCGP</a>
&mdash; Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@KatieDaviscourt) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1284964180819234816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Seattle Police Department tweeted out photographs of some of the damage, writing: &#8220;Demonstrators went from Westlake Park to the Municipal Courthouse and then headed back north to the West Precinct&#8230;leaving behind a trail of property destruction. These are criminal acts, not peaceful protests.&#8221;
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Demonstrators went from Westlake Park to the Municipal Courthouse and then headed back north to the West Precinct&#8230;leaving behind a trail of property destruction. These are criminal acts, not peaceful protests. <a href="https://t.co/7GYkDxAg9s">pic.twitter.com/7GYkDxAg9s</a>
&mdash; Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeattlePD/status/1285011374897127424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeattleProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeattleProtests</a> &#8211; Damage done to <a href="https://twitter.com/SeattlePD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SeattlePD</a> East Precinct just now as protesters move across Capitol Hill. <a href="https://t.co/IPYbWBilkz">pic.twitter.com/IPYbWBilkz</a>
&mdash; Omari Salisbury (@Omarisal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Omarisal/status/1285014476790489088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Other videos that were posted online showed severe damage at Starbucks and other stores.
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Antifa wrecked a Starbucks in Seattle during an anti-ICE &quot;protest.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ALXgkfjc3l">pic.twitter.com/ALXgkfjc3l</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1285006579712946179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Sunday, Antifa militants in Seattle attacked several Starbucks cafes, looted a Walgreens and an Amazon Go. In the Starbucks on Broadway and E Denny Wy, the militants set off a smoke bomb after smashing the windows and wrecking the interior. <a href="https://t.co/UU7rS8tyB1">pic.twitter.com/UU7rS8tyB1</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1285165122013458438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has yet to issue any kind of a statement about the violent riots, the destruction of property, the attacks on government buildings, or the at least dozen police officers who were injured.

France’s Coronavirus Death Rate Continues To Slow But Country Remains On Lockdown

Dozen Seattle Cops Injured As Rioters Attack Multiple Police Buildings, Court Building, Amazon, Starbucks

Black Lives Matter

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 aria-describedby="caption-attachment-116985" decoding="async" loading="lazy" 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 aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120230" decoding="async" loading="lazy" 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 aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120286" decoding="async" loading="lazy" 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’

A Washington state judge has approved a petition to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan to move forward with collecting signatures.
King County Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts issued the ruling on Friday, granting the “Fire The Mayor” campaign 180 days to collect the over 50,000 signatures needed to recall Durkan.
“Jenny Durkan’s abuses of power, lack of foresight and failure to protect the public — and the peace — in Seattle leaves us with no choice,” said Elliott Harvey, the lead petitioner and the chair of the Committee to Recall Jenny Durkan. “This is exactly the kind of case a recall is intended to address.”
“Twenty years is a sufficient time frame to gain the hindsight needed to respect the legal rights and protections of the public,” Harvey added in a <a href="https://www.recalldurkan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/FTM-Recall-Approved-Press-Release.pdf">statement</a> released by the campaign.
In order for a recall election to take place, the Fire The Mayor campaign must gather signatures equal to 25% of the total number of voters in the last mayoral election, which was nearly 225,000 votes. The campaign needs roughly 56,200 votes to trigger a recall election.
The campaign was launched by “a Capitol Hill-based organization of students, losers, lovers, bartenders, writers, artists, and fundraisers with BIPOC management, Wheelchair users, Deaf organizers, and LGBTQIA representation,” according to the campaign’s website.
In her ruling, Roberts threw out six of the seven charges the petitioners brought against Durkan, leaving one accusing the mayor of allowing police to use weapons such as tear gas against protesters amid the pandemic.
Protests and riots have rocked Seattle since the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, while he was in custody by the Minneapolis Police Department. Durkan gave wide-latitude to activists for over a month in Seattle’s Capitol Hill district. The protesters took over several city blocks, including a police precinct, in an effort to “dismantle systemic racism,” as one leading activist <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-protesters-we-are-here-to-dismantle-systemic-racism/281-5029ffa8-5cad-46c1-ac7b-b75b597b043e">described</a> it.
Durkan&#8217;s chief of staff Stephanie Formas responded to the judge’s ruling on Saturday, saying that the mayor “consistently has acted to protect the City’s public health and safety and to respect the constitutional rights to peaceful protesters.” Formas added that Durkan believes Police Chief Carmen Best “has exercised her challenging duties lawfully and appropriately to protect the public peace,” according to <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/king-county-superior-court-judge-allows-petition-to-recall-mayor-jenny-durkan-to-move-forward/">The Seattle Times</a>.
Durkan may appeal Roberts’ ruling, though the mayor’s office has not indicated whether it will do so.
Roberts also approved a ballot synopsis that reads: “As alleged by [the petitioners], shall Jenny Durkan be recalled from office for misfeasance, malfeasance, and violation of the oath of office, based on the following charge: Mayor Durkan endangered the peace and safety of the community and violated her duties under state and local laws and her oath to uphold the federal and state constitutions when she failed to institute new policies and safety measures for the Seattle Police Department after learning of the use of chemical agents on peaceful protesters as a means of crowd control during a public health emergency,” according to The Seattle Times.

Protester calls on Seattle mayor to resign

Judge Green-Lights Petition To ‘Fire’ Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan; Mayor’s Office Defends Her Actions

On Wednesday, the same day that Horace Lorenzo Anderson, whose son was killed in Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (CHOP) zone, <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 on Fox News</a> and stated bluntly that Seattle’s authorities should have &#8220;stopped this a long time ago,&#8221; Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted of the CHOP zone, “For weeks, we have had incredibly peaceful demonstrations on Capitol Hill.”
On Monday King 5 reported: “Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best is condemning the latest round of violence that claimed the life of a teenager near the &#8216;Capitol Hill Organized Protest&#8217; (CHOP) zone early Monday. It was the <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/seattle-shooting-capitol-hill-chop-chaz/281-48392a9e-d760-42f3-9469-c99466ed7a9f">fourth shooting</a> in or near the CHOP zone in the past 10 days. A 16-year-old boy died from the shooting and a 14-year-old boy is in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.”
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/third-shooting-in-chop-sends-seattle-authorities-scrambling-even-as-mayor-says-shes-ready-to-wind-down-protest">reported</a> on June 24: “Seattle&#8217;s Fire Department responded to a third shooting in Seattle&#8217;s Capitol Hill neighborhood late Tuesday, transporting two victims who engaged in gun violence on the edges of the CHOP ‘autonomous zone.’ … within the last week there have been three shootings, leaving at least one person dead, one in critical condition, and three others with injuries, according to reports.&#8221;
On June 20, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/one-dead-one-critical-in-early-morning-shooting-at-capitol-hill-protest-zone/">The Seattle Times</a> reported that one person was killed and another injured in an early morning shooting that followed a vocal disagreement among protesters: &#8220;Seattle police homicide and assault detectives are investigating an early morning shooting in the Capitol Hill protest zone known as CHOP that left one person dead and another in critical condition. Seattle police said a 19-year-old man was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center. A second man suffered life-threatening injuries. Police have not identified the victims.&#8221;
On June 11, during a joint press conference with Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best, Durkan <a href="https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-seattle-mayor-compares-armed-occupation-of-her-own-city-to-a-block-party">compared the takeover</a> by protesters of a six-block area they named the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” to a “block party.” Despite reports that some of the protesters were armed and extorting residents of the area, Durkan stated, “We&#8217;ve had blocks of Seattle and Capitol Hill shut down every summer for everything from block party to Pride; this is really not that much of an operational challenge.”
On Wednesday, Durkan posted a thread on Twitter that began with this statement: &#8220;For weeks, we have had incredibly peaceful demonstrations on Capitol Hill. Thousands of individuals came together to call for change, and their message has been heard loud and clear: Black Lives Matter. We must continue to live up to this moment in our nation’s history.&#8221;
Durkan simultaneously stated there were &#8220;incredibly peaceful demonstrations&#8221; with this admission: &#8220;But the recent public safety threats have been well documented. These acts of gun violence resulted in the tragic deaths of two teenagers, with multiple others seriously wounded. Despite continued efforts to deescalate and bring community together, this violence demanded action.&#8221;
She followed that admission with another acknowledgment of reality: &#8220;Our conversations over the weekend made it clear that many individuals would not leave, and that we couldn’t address these critical public safety concerns until they did.&#8221;
She then pontificated, &#8220;I’ve said from the beginning that Capitol Hill has a rich history of being at the epicenter of protest and change. No city, including Seattle, will dismantle centuries of systemic racism overnight. But we must act now. We must answer to history.&#8221;
&#8220;Undoing centuries of systemic racism will not happen overnight, but I believe Seattle can lead the country in addressing injustices and ensuring everyone, regardless of their race, can achieve their full potential,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Racism is hard-wired into our institutions and permeates throughout our society. We can only bring to undo the trauma and injustice by centering the voices of to send who have been most affected, and that is what we will continue to do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
For weeks, we have had incredibly peaceful demonstrations on Capitol Hill. Thousands of individuals came together to call for change, and their message has been heard loud and clear: Black Lives Matter. We must continue to live up to this moment in our nation’s history.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1278444971733979137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Our conversations over the weekend made it clear that many individuals would not leave, and that we couldn’t address these critical public safety concerns until they did.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1278446048118276099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I’ve said from the beginning that Capitol Hill has a rich history of being at the epicenter of protest and change. No city, including Seattle, will dismantle centuries of systemic racism overnight. But we must act now. We must answer to history.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1278446886098210818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Racism is hard-wired into our institutions and permeates throughout our society. We can only bring to undo the trauma and injustice by centering the voices of to send who have been most affected, and that is what we will continue to do.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1278450950135599105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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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 with 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>.

Despite Violence, Seattle Mayor Durkan Praises CHOP Zone: ‘We Have Had Incredibly Peaceful Demonstrations’

Violence

Seattle law enforcement officials launched an effort early Wednesday morning to retake the Capital Hill neighborhood that fringe activists occupied for weeks. The law enforcement action comes after multiple people were shot and two teenagers killed.
&#8220;Due to ongoing violence and public safety issues in the East Precinct/Cal Anderson Park area. Mayor Jenny Durkan has issued an executive order to vacate the area,&#8221; the Seattle Police Department said in a statement Wednesday morning. &#8220;Seattle police will be in the area this morning enforcing the Mayor’s order.&#8221;
&#8220;Since demonstrations at the East Precinct area began on June 8th, two teenagers have been killed and three people have been seriously wounded in late-night shootings,&#8221; the department added. &#8220;Police have also documented robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes.&#8221;
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Since demonstrations at the East Precinct area began on June 8th, two teenagers have been killed and three people have been seriously wounded in late-night shootings. Police have also documented robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes.
&mdash; Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeattlePD/status/1278297815433637888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Journalist Andy Ngo, who covers extremists on the political Left, wrote: &#8220;Tons of trash and junk remain on the streets of CHAZ. Despite promises to hold the territory by any means necessary, protesters didn’t put up much resistance this morning. CHAZ was retaken by police in a matter of minutes.&#8221;
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Tons of trash and junk remain on the streets of CHAZ. Despite promises to hold the territory by any means necessary, protesters didn’t put up much resistance this morning. CHAZ was retaken by police in a matter of minutes.
&mdash; Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1278305868597964800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The fringe activists had taken over the area after protests and riots broke out across the country in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.
President Donald Trump had suggested that the streets needed to be dominated by law enforcement officials and that the mayhem needed to be ended quickly.
&#8220;How long do you think Seattle in those few blocks looks like this?&#8221; CNN&#8217;s Chris Cuomo asked Seattle Democrat Mayor Jenny Durkan last month.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Durkan responded. &#8220;We could have the Summer of Love.&#8221;
President Donald Trump responded to Durkan&#8217;s remarks 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;
&#8220;Seattle is fine,&#8221; Durkan responded. &#8220;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; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1271575306587889665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Durkan has since changed her tune after demonstrators showed up at her home earlier this week.
The mayor’s office <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/seattle-mayor-defended-activists-in-chop-zone-as-having-summer-of-love-then-they-came-to-her-house">responded</a> by releasing the following statement at the start of the week:
<blockquote>Seattle has a long tradition of peaceful protest and advocacy for progressive change, and Mayor Durkan strongly supports those rights. Mayor Durkan will continue to listen to leaders in Seattle’s Black community. She is working hard to translate the calls for change into real, tangible systemic changes to policing and all the other systems needed for strong and healthy communities. She has prioritized these as Mayor, with investments in housing, education, youth opportunity, and economic equity. She proposes investing an additional $100 million into the Black community.
Mayor Durkan and her family are in the state program to keep their address confidential because of the death threats mostly related to her work as Seattle’s U.S. Attorney under President Obama. Instead of working to make true change, Councilmember Sawant continues to choose political stunts. Tonight she did so without regard for the safety of the Mayor and her family. The Mayor was not even home — she was working at City Hall. Seattle can and should peacefully demonstrate but should not put families and children at risk.</blockquote>
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 with 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>.

Police in Riot Gear During WTO Protests

Seattle Police Retaking Capitol Hill Neighborhood Occupied By Leftist Activists For Weeks

Seattle Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan previously defended the left-wing activists who camped out in a so-called &#8220;autonomous zone&#8221; for a couple of weeks, saying that they were having a &#8220;summer of love.&#8221; Durkan&#8217;s rhetoric about the activists, including a councilwoman who&#8217;s helping lead them, changed dramatically after they showed up to her home to &#8220;protest.&#8221;
Durkan had announced last week that Seattle was going to begin dismantling the &#8220;CHOP&#8221; zone after multiple acts of violence broke out in the police-free area, including multiple shootings.
After Durkan announced that the area would be getting closed down, far-left Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant reportedly led a protest at Durkan&#8217;s home, the address of which is confidential due to security concerns.
The mayor&#8217;s office initially responded by releasing the following statement at the start of the week:
<blockquote>Seattle has a long tradition of peaceful protest and advocacy for progressive change, and Mayor Durkan strongly supports those rights. Mayor Durkan will continue to listen to leaders in Seattle&#8217;s Black community. She is working hard to translate the calls for change into real, tangible systemic changes to policing and all the other systems needed for strong and healthy communities. She has prioritized these as Mayor, with investments in housing, education, youth opportunity, and economic equity. She proposes investing an additional $100 million into the Black community.
Mayor Durkan and her family are in the state program to keep their address confidential because of the death threats mostly related to her work as Seattle&#8217;s U.S. Attorney under President Obama. Instead of working to make true change, Councilmember Sawant continues to choose political stunts. Tonight she did so without regard for the safety of the Mayor and her family. The Mayor was not even home — she was working at City Hall. Seattle can and should peacefully demonstrate but should not put families and children at risk.</blockquote>
On Tuesday night, Durkan&#8217;s office released a <a href="https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2020/06/after-defundspd-speech-in-front-of-her-home-durkan-calls-for-city-council-to-investigate-expel-sawant/">letter</a> she sent to Seattle City Council President M. Lorena González in which she called for an investigation into Sawant and suggested that Sawant needed to be expelled from the city council. Durkan called for an investigation into the following incidents:
<ul>
<li>Relinquishing authority of her office and disregarding City employment and hiring rules. In Councilmember Sawant’s case the media has uncovered documents suggesting that she may have effectively delegated decisions regarding hiring and termination of City employees to an outside political organization. According to the documents, the National Executive Committee and the Seattle Executive Committee of the Socialist Alternative party had authority over staffing decisions for the City Council office. At least one employee was allegedly fired as the result of a decision of the Executive Committee of this political organization, and that employee protested that the firing was the result of political retaliation.</li>
<li>Using her official office and equipment to promote and raise money for a ballot initiative (or other electioneering), and for failing to comply with public disclosure of all funds raised and spent in those activities including a website registered to her husband and promoted by Councilmember Sawant. While the SEEC (and possibly the PDC) continues to investigate, I believe it is imperative that Council conduct its own inquiry. This is important for public confidence and because it could also impact Council’s work on proposed related revenue ordinances pending before Council, as one is explicitly tied to the proposed ballot initiative. The public has a right to know that public resources of the Council are not being used in violation of campaign and ethics laws.</li>
<li>Using her official position, gave access to City facilities to admit hundreds of individuals at night into City Hall when it was closed to the public because of COVID-19 and failing to follow the City’s COVID-19 precautions for the visitors. Her actions put the safety of individuals and City workers at risk, and it led to janitorial staff making complaints about the incident because of safety concerns.</li>
<li>Using her official position and possibly staff to encourage attendants at a rally she led on June 28, 2020 to illegally “occupy” City property, the East Precinct, at a time the City has been trying to de-escalate the situation and ask individuals to depart because of violence in the area. Days earlier, members of the Black community had asked that this facility be restored as an active police facility, particularly in light of the fact it was created at the request of the Black community by actions of former Councilmember Sam Smith to serve the Central District. We have had a series of devastating gun violence around this location, including early yesterday morning on Capitol Hill.</li>
<li>Using her official position to lead a march to my home, despite the fact that it was publicly known I was not there, and she and organizers knew that my address was protected under the state confidentiality program because of threats against me due largely to my work as U.S. Attorney. All of us have joined hundreds of demonstrations across the City, but Councilmember Sawant and her followers chose to do so with reckless disregard of the safety of my family and children. In addition, during or after Councilmember Sawant’s speech at that rally, her followers vandalized my home by spray-painting obscenities.</li>
</ul>
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 with 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>.

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