Local officials in Seattle refused to crackdown on protesters occupying the ‘Capital Hill Autonomous Zone’ Friday; referring to the demonstrators as “patriots.”
“It’s simply not true. Lawfully gathering and expressing first amendment rights, demanding we do better as a society, and providing true equity for communities of color is not terrorism. It’s patriotism,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan, referring to President Trump’s labeling of the protesters as “domestic terrorists.”
Durkan has previously posted that the protest is “a peaceful expression of our community’s collective grief and their desire to build a better world.”
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said she and SPD Chief Carmen Best will not resign. "The answer is no and no. We thought about a Thelma and Louise moment…" Durkan said. #seattleprotests #CHAZ
— Liz Jones (@KUOWLiz) June 11, 2020
It's clear @realDonaldTrump doesn’t understand what’s happening on five square blocks of our City. Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill has for decades been a place for free speech, community, and self expression.
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) June 11, 2020
Read the full report at Fox News.
BATTLE for SEATTLE: President Trump Tells Local Officials ‘Take Back Your City, OR I WILL’
President Trump vowed to restore law and order in Seattle Thursday after protesters stormed city hall, demanded the mayor’s resignation, and created a six-block ‘Autonomous Zone’ in the heart of the city.
“Radical Left Governor @JayInslee and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before. Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!” posted Trump on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1270914092295950337
From Fox News:
Seattle police say they have received reports of armed guards and potential extortion in a self-declared autonomous zone that spans several blocks and includes a now-closed precinct.
“We’ve heard, anecdotally, reports of citizens and businesses being asked to pay a fee to operate within this area. This is the crime of extortion. If anyone has been subjected to this, we need them to call 911,” Assistant Chief of Police Deanna Nollette said on Wednesday.
Protesters calling to defund the police and make sweeping reforms to law enforcement tactics have declared a six-block region — spanning 13th Avenue past 11th Avenue, near Cal Anderson Park, and from East Olive Street to East Pike Street — the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ).
The region encompasses the SPD’s East Precinct, which was abandoned by cops on Monday following days of violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s death, as well as parts of Capitol Hill.
Read the full report here.
LAWLESS IN SEATTLE: Protesters Create ‘Autonomous Zone’ in City Center, ‘Extort Local Businesses’
From Fox News:
Seattle police say they have received reports of armed guards and potential extortion in a self-declared autonomous zone that spans several blocks and includes a now-closed precinct.
“We’ve heard, anecdotally, reports of citizens and businesses being asked to pay a fee to operate within this area. This is the crime of extortion. If anyone has been subjected to this, we need them to call 911,” Assistant Chief of Police Deanna Nollette said on Wednesday.
Protesters calling to defund the police and make sweeping reforms to law enforcement tactics have declared a six-block region — spanning 13th Avenue past 11th Avenue, near Cal Anderson Park, and from East Olive Street to East Pike Street — the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ).
The region encompasses the SPD’s East Precinct, which was abandoned by cops on Monday following days of violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s death, as well as parts of Capitol Hill.
Read the full report here.