'Take back your city or I will', Trump tells Seattle officials amid protests, mayor asks him to 'go back to your bunker'
President Donald Trump, late on Wednesday, June 10, demanded Seattle officials to immediately regain control of a six-block zone and a police station taken over by armed George Floyd protesters. Trump warned the state officials, saying that if they don't take back their city "now" then he will. The protesters in the region are demanding for the city's police department to be dissolved, reports state.
"Radical Left Governor [of Washington, Jay Inslee] and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before," Trump tweeted. "Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped [sic] IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!" he continued. "Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER!"
The Republican's tweets came shortly after protesters in Seattle established what they call the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" (CHAZ) as they set up barricades and armed checkpoints, and declared that police were not allowed inside the zone. A similar situation was noted in Portland where protesters removed police fencing surrounding a courthouse to spraypaint the walls there. Early reports suggested that demonstrators in Portland were also attempting to build an autonomous zone, but the crowds eventually dispersed at 2 am. Police, at the scene, reportedly fired rubber bullets and pepper balls into the crowd in an attempt to stop people from taking down the fence around the courthouse.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, shortly after Trump's tweet, slammed the president and asked him to "go back to your bunker," making a reference to the Republican hiding in the White House bunker as protests intensified outside his residence last month. "Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker," Durkan wrote in a tweet.
The CHAZ in Seattle reportedly also includes the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct along with apartment buildings and businesses. Police officials had reportedly abandoned the precinct on Monday, June 8, after receiving a threat that the station would be burned down. A sign outside the precinct now reportedly reads "Seattle People Department."
Reports state that the checkpoints of the zone are being manned by armed protesters, where they are checking identification of people and making them drink at the entrances. Authorities also received complaints that the protesters were demanding cash to enter the zone and "protection fees" from businesses inside.
Seattle Police Assistant Chief Deanna Nollette, while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, June 10, said that although Washington is an open carry state, it is illegal to threaten or intimidate others with firearms. Anti-police protesters, however, disputed Nollette's description of what was happening inside the zone. One person tweeted: "This could literally not be less true. It's incredibly open and peaceful in the CHAZ. The businesses that are open are selling flowers, turning their parking lots into med tents, putting supportive signs in their windows."
A journalist was reportedly granted entry to the CHAZ on Tuesday, June 9, and they reported that free food and medical aid was available for demonstrators on every corner inside. It was reported that food and supplies were distributed to the homeless population surrounding the area, and that protesters were organizing a garbage collection. On June 10, protesters reportedly watched the documentary 'Paris Is Burning' on a portable projector set up in the street.
There were, however, conflicting statements also made on social media as some claimed that rapper Raz Simone had established himself as a "warlord" and was patrolling with armed men.