Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan could give CHOP the chop after two shootings at site in 48 hours
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who recently faced accusations of failing to stop violence, has said that the city will wind down the ‘organized’ protest zone after the two incidents of shooting, one of which saw the death of a person. On Monday, June 22, Durkan said in a news conference that officials were closely working with the community to dismantle the ‘Capitol Hill Organized Protest’ (CHOP) zone after two weeks of occupation.
The two shootings happened in the city’s protest zone in less than two days’ time in which a couple of persons were also injured besides the death. The deceased was a 19-year-old and it was suspected that the criminals fled the scene after the fatal shooting that happened in the wee hours of Saturday, June 20. Local cops said a violent crowd prevented them from reaching the victims.
The teen who was fatally shot on June 20 was identified as Lorenzo Anderson, a person of color and while some said he died because of a personal dispute, others said it was an act carried out by the right-wing. Volunteer medics who were present inside the zone took the victims of Saturday’s shootings to the hospital instead of waiting for the emergency services.
According to Durkan, a Democrat, the violence was diverting attention from changes that have been sought by several peaceful protesters who want to address the issues of police brutality and racial injustice in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. President Donald Trump has also expressed his frustration recently saying he will not allow Seattle to remain under the occupation of “anarchists” and called Durkan’s handling of the situation as “pathetic”.
The CHOP was originally known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) and became a site where the police met the protesters and used violent tactics to defeat them. After facing backlash for their action, the cops eventually withdrew their heavy presence from the area but the possibility of them returning to the same place persists.
While it was more peaceful on Monday, June 22, morning with volunteers seen handing out water and food and artists painting designs on wooden barricades, the situation became more charged in the night with demonstrators marching and armed volunteer guards keeping a vigil. They demanded defunding the police and channelizing the money for other social justice causes - something that many other cities have followed.
'Two nights of shootings have escalated the situation on Capitol Hill'
Durkan said on June 22 that “two nights of shootings have clearly escalated the situation on Capitol Hill”.
“We have been meeting with residents and small business owners to address their safety and disorder concerns, including the ability of first responders to access emergencies in the area. ... As many community groups are also urging, (the) Mayor believes individuals can and should peacefully demonstrate, but the message cannot be lost in the violence,” her officer said in a statement.
Former representative Dave Reichert, a Republican who was previously the sheriff of King County where Seattle is located, called on the city to take back control. “'Elected officials have abandoned the rule of law and their oath to protect and defend our communities,” he said in an opinion piece for Washington State Wire. “They have abandoned their law-abiding citizens and have been cowardly bullied into surrendering the East Precinct - and multiple city blocks.”
The police are set to return to the abandoned East Precinct building, Durkan said. After the exit of the police from the building, its adjacent street corners changed into a 24-hour, “no cop,” protest zone and it started making headlines even in the international media for the extraordinary situation.