CHAZ

The focus here should be defunding/dismantling the police structure and reinvesting into marginalized communities.

The police absconded their precinct (their place of duty) because they were concerned about “credible threats” the building would be bombed or blown up. Well, it wasn’t, and that’s the people’s building not the police’s anyway. I don’t see any circumstance where it would be appropriate to allow them to just waltz back in and resume operations.

Not really sure how the creation of an anarchist autonomous zone serves that goal, then again I don’t have the full picture either.

Yeah, I’d like to hear more from anyone local. 

I have been pre-occupied with managing my own business which was able to reopen this past Saturday after a 2 1/2 month shutdown, so I have not been to Capitol Hill to observe the protests in person, although I have friends who are paticipating and I follow the situation from the reports of multiple local news outlets.

As far as I can tell, the visceral reaction to George Floyd's death that had resulted in looting, arson and vandalism both in downtown Seattle and on Capitol Hill was transitioning into non-street protests and calls for police reform about this time last week, when the police used the provovlcation of a protester putting an umbrella across some barriers the police had put up around the East Precinct as an excuse to start firing off tear-gas, concussion grenades and rubber bullets.  They then labeled the situation a riot.  By the next morning, it was generally understood that if it was a riot, the police had started it with their escalation.  
 

The residents in those six blocks were apparently unable to get a good night's rest for a week, due to tear gas being used night after night.  Their nerves are understandably frayed and people are on edge.  Throw in the suspicion and fear of provocateurs and opportunists and it's a tense situation.  Their city council representative (Sawant) has been calling for the mayor's resignation for poor police oversight, but there are many protesters questioning  Sawant's political motives.  She has been pegged as an ultra-radical anarcho-socialist and has many detractors.  
 

It sounds like a sketchy scene going on up there.  News reports today cited local residents being asked to show ids proving their residence to enter the area by armed local patrols.  Unconfirmed reports today are citing instances of extortion.  Retired cops are questioning the decision to abandon the precinct, and the current chief is trying to set up a meeting tomorrow morning with protest leaders to negotiate the police returning to their station.  Governor Inslee has been accused of being non-chalant about the situation, with the accusation flying that the government wouldn't be standing pat if a group of armed right-wing militia types were claiming they controlled a neighborhood and were taking over policing.  
 

Personally, I think the idea of abolishing the police force is insanity.  I would rather have a police force that was under jurisdiction than vigilante justice.  Yes, there needs to be greater review and reforms.  The influence of the police union over determining policing policy needs to be drastically reduced, but it is also wrong to advocate for the complete dismantling of the police union.  It is a profession, and the people working in that field deserve to have a group that represents their interests.  
 

Capitol Hill has been the most self-righteous neighborhood in Seattle for the whole 15 years I've lived here and undoubtedly much longer.  Rapid gentrification has been changing that neighborhood, like most other's here over the last ten years.  I'm sure there are some there who fear that the old more militantly socialist establishment is being edged out by less egalitarian monied interests.  Radical-Chic is in vogue, and people are giddy with dreams of sticking it to the man.  My experience is that when a power vacuum occurs, eventually someone new fills it, and the desire to maintain power corrupts the original vision.  We'll see how this plays out.

Too late to edit, but that should read as "non-violent street protests" instead of "non-street protests" in the first sentence of the second paragraph of my above post. 

Police unions are definitively anti-worker, Dave. 

Which union gets called when it’s time to go bust heads when the real workers unions (the means of production kind) go on strike?

the group that represents their interest are the taxpayers, just like the military.

The trump vs Inslee part could be interesting 

Hmmm

So what are the Occupants going to do with their new patch of real estate?

Do they have plans for Bars,  Restaurants,  Flower Shoppes ?

What about the former residents,  the ones who have been paying "property tax" and "utilities",  stuff like that ??

I would imagine that some of the property owners will start getting a bit ornery with the new tenants if they haven't worked out some Lease arrangement.

This will not end well.

Agree, Thom, and what made it all start was un-well.

C'mon it's seattle not Detroit. 20 lbs of granola should quell the disturbance.

Read your history Raz.  
 

The Wobbly Riots, The WTO Riots, The George Floyd Riots.  
 

Seattle is a town with a long history of active protest.

Nothing much changes though, and the rich keep getting richer.  We're all living on Shakedown Street.

Yeah Trump never misses an opportunity to pour gas on a situation. Don't remember him being all that upset when Bundy took over that place.

Also the cops shot a woman in the chest with a tear gas grenade. From the video I saw she was standing alone in the street. Looked 100% deliberate and last I heard she was in critical condition.

I'm still wondering what these kidzz are planning to do with their newly-claimed territory of CHAZ-Land.

Are they setting up a Bagel factory,  making clothing,  sewing up fashionable Merkins,  growing Food ?

They could sub-lease the residential,  commercial and / or retail space,  but might need some paperwork to really achieve anything.

Probably yet another Heist disguised as "Revolution".  There's likely some items of value in those blocs,  which the Organizers steal while the Idiot Kidzz do the Poseur act and get bug-sprayed.

They are actually just going to watch movies:

Soon after moving in on Tuesday, the protesters hung a banner on the police precinct proclaiming, “THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE,” the Seattle Times reported. Protesters later screened Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th,” which highlights racial inequities in the justice system. At least one man with a long gun was seen in the area, the Times reported, despite a weapons ban on Capitol Hill, but the scene has been peaceful since police left the area.

Later Wednesday inside the CHAZ, protesters set up tents and prepared for another night on the streets. A funk/hip-hop group called Marshall Law Band played a concert, the Times reported, and then protesters gathered for another documentary: the 1990 exploration of underground LGBTQ dance culture “Paris Is Burning.”

Actually it's just the inevitable result of canceling burningman 

It's chill up there. Going to see my homie Raz Simone up there later tonight drop some bars on the mic.  I heard there also might be a Rusted Root reunion later this weekend. 

Will you be wearing your black bloc gear or fashion designer clothing while kicking it with the homies, jr?

Granted, this was posted on Seattle conservative KTTH radio host Jason Rantz' My Northwest site, so take it with a grain of salt.  For one, it has been posted anonymously, so there is a question of it's veracity.  Nevertheless, it does raise some interesting points on whether a distorted perception of police is being promulgated, and what some of the ramifications of that may be:

>>>>>>

A Letter From A Seattle Cop

Yesterday I was a hero, today I have a bullseye on my back.

I’ve been a cop for [several] years, and I’ve never felt so alienated by my community. I can’t go through a drive-through, and I’m scared to order at a restaurant in uniform. I’m scared because I don’t know who is going to spit in my food because they hate my uniform. It doesn’t matter who I am as a person, the second I put on my uniform, I’m just a target.

Working for an agency who lets me take my police car home every day, I’m also scared that I’m a target off duty. Everyone in my building knows that I’m a cop, and they know which door is mine. In the past that was seen as a good thing because it kept people from breaking into the parking garage, but these days I come home expecting my door to have been kicked in or notes of hate left on my door.

For those who forget what we do every day, let me tell you about what I’ve done nearly every day of my career. I’ve arrested men who have beaten women for no reason. I’ve arrested people for chronically stealing from local businesses. I’ve arrested people for robbery, rape, burglary, assault, driving drunk and high. These arrests are made to keep the community safe. It’s not just when they get caught, they repeatedly victimize all of us.

If people want no police, I encourage them to endure even just a week of lawlessness. Everything would burn. Murders would skyrocket. Ever seen The Purge?

Everyone I work with (yes…everyone) are well-intentioned people with the highest level of integrity. We all condemn what happened in Minneapolis. It was wrong. No reasonable person is defending them, even cops.

If you want to fundamentally destroy our country keep it up. Cops are walking off the job. Cops are being assaulted for wearing a uniform, and being murdered in ambush style assaults because why? People are instigated into believing a narrative about them which is just simply false.

When I go to an overdose I get there faster than the fire department because I drive a faster car. I administer Narcan and CPR to save your life faster than the fire department does. Let’s also not forget that the fire department and paramedics refuse to respond to shootings, stabbings and serious assaults without law enforcement to protect them. We start care the second we get there, not 5-10 minutes later like fire. That’s not a bash on fire, but they aren’t equipped to handle violent people.

Are you are willing to let people die in the name of ‘defund the police.’

Just a reminder to the general public, I’m the guy standing behind you at Safeway and Costco buying groceries like everyone else. I’m also the guy going for a run past you, getting gas at Shell, and buying coffee at Starbucks. I’m not wearing a uniform so you don’t know I’m a cop.

But I’m also the guy carrying a gun that you can’t see, ready to give my life for you and to protect innocent people from needless violence. That’s the character we all have.

My family asks me daily to quit my job because they don’t want me to be the next line of duty death. Every day I put on my uniform and am instantly angry because I think of how ignorant people are, and I think to myself, “If not me, who will answer the call.”

If you don’t want me, I hope you have another number other than 911 when the next mass shooting happens. Perhaps your neighbor will help you when you’re beaten half to death, perhaps a social worker will help you when your house gets burglarized and nothing is left. If you don’t want the police, stop calling 911.

Just like there are bad teachers, doctors, plumbers, electricians, and lawyers, there are bad cops. There always will be because there’s a human element. We aren’t perfect, and we always try to be better. But to paint with a large brush an entire group of 800,000+ people as racist, heavy handed, or murderers is such an overreach it’s deplorable.

Last time I checked, the barista that messed up your order didn’t make you hate everyone who worked at Starbucks. Call that a broad comparison, but I’m just using the same logic.

I grew up in Seattle and I’ve served this community for years. I am proud of my service and will continue to serve, even against the small loud group of people who will never appreciate the service they are entitled to every day. But I can’t live in this city anymore.

So congratulations Seattle. I’m leaving. And I couldn’t be happier. I want to be able to go home without fear of having to have my home burned, car vandalized, or family threatened.

this guy doesn't like being profiled.

>>>>> the barista that messed up your order didn’t make you hate everyone who worked at Starbucks.

and this guy is an idiot.

>>>the second I put on my uniform, I’m just a target.

Imagine what it would be like if you could never take it off. I understand a tiny sliver because at one point in my life I got sick of dealing with bullshit perceptions of who I was and cut off the hair that went half way down my back. And just like that all that negative shit I dealt with went away, and I was just another white guy. 

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digital...

<<Fox News published digitally altered and misleading photos on stories about Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in what photojournalism experts called a clear violation of ethical standards for news organizations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q6Jp4CX_kw&fbclid=IwAR3OGlCL127QgmNwz8C...

The "Yankee Marshall" streaming last night (a gun channel) 

Mayor Durkan has been saying this may turn into The Summer Of Love.  So far, it's been more like Hipster Spring.  We'll see if the CHAZ lasts until Summer.  Prague Spring didn't end prettily.

Looks like the CHAZ is out and the CHOP is in.

From The Seattle Times Live Blog:

>>>>>>

1:58 am (Saturday, 6/13/2020)

Some Capitol Hill protesters now asking the area to be recognized as CHOP

Speakers continued to share their experiences and voice their frustrations in Cal Anderson Park past 11 p.m., while other protesters spread out to start smaller conversations nearby.

Many of the speakers have started to urge the group to begin calling the space the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, rather than the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.

“We are not autonomous, we are not seceding, we are not asking for military intervention,” one speaker said, according to one livestream. “We are peacefully protesting, legally. We can do this … We are going with CHOP, for now.”

The night remained mostly peaceful, according to multiple livestreams.

The crowd briefly heated up around 1:30 a.m., when protesters started chasing a car that attempted to barrel through a barricade set up near 11th Avenue and Pine Street. The car quickly turned around to drive east on Pine Street, with a group of protesters running after it.

Several people shouted at others who were chasing the car to de-escalate the situation. No injuries were immediately reported. Within minutes, the car had left the area, and the scene quieted.

<<<<<<<
 

Meanwhile, Mayor Durkan is facing a recall petition and an insurrection from members of her city council who want to impeach her:

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/police-response-protests-fueling-petiti...

Looks like the Hipster Rebellion is in full swing:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2020/06/asheville-autonomous...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/06/1...

^  

"looks like the last thing an artisan beer sees before it dies"

wait a sec - so the far left set up their own autonomous zone, and then built a wall, tightly controlled immigration, and armed themselves?

LOL

If people want no police, I encourage them to endure even just a week of lawlessness. Everything would burn. Murders would skyrocket. Ever seen The Purge?

...

Are you are willing to let people die in the name of ‘defund the police.’

this is some straight up abusive relationship shit...as if the only options are broken, corrupt and violent police departments, or no police at all

"nobody will ever serve or protect you like i will"

Oppressor victimization. So hottttt!!!!!  It reads sort of like a goodbye cruel zone letter would.

Good riddance mr anonymous.

Dave’s customers are gonna be pissed when they find out he’s posting their photos here.

Hipsters don't buy as many records as the normies, Mice, they just like to talk about how cool they are.  

Do you ever find greasy mustache wax fingerprints on the jackets after they’ve finished browsing?

No, not really.  They do quite often express a reverence to media (they dig cassette tapes and VHS tapes too), that I can appreciate. Generally pleasant and charming, if somewhat doe-eyed.

CHAZ wins BLM

https://mobile.twitter.com/kylekotajarvi/status/1271317000313167872

Dave, have you been there? If not, best to just keep your trap shut instead of spreading conservative misinformation, and making fun of the protesters.

As Resistance Grows In The Streets, The State And The Far-Right Becomes More Unstable And Afraid, Pushing For More And More Violence In Return.

>>>>> “If we sit together in vigils, fend off attacks from saboteurs and would-be killers, remain united under pressure and refuse to condemn the movement’s stated objectives, and the buffoonish cutthroat tactics of the police don’t stop the protests from pressuring the government, it would mean lots of these freaks are out of a job. Not content to mutilate journalists and prevent the truth of their actions being revealed, police have spread misinformation to entrap protesters, baited demonstrators with crates of bricks, lied to the media, and leaned on Democratic governors to assist in their campaign of violence. They need this movement to either disappear, or be suckered into surrender with repulsive PR stunts. If that involves killing citizens, gaslighting the media, visiting random violence of perceived political enemies, partnering with white nationalists, or even coordinating with the military and making protests functionally illegal – whatever it takes to make us afraid of standing up to them. Under the Thin Blue Line mythology is a bunch of cartoonish marauders shaking down the peasantry and crying foul if they get smoked in a fight they started.

If they lose, it’s a cataclysm. We would question why representatives who allow us to be killed in the streets deserve legitimacy. Why should it take this much rage to get the attention of the public? How can a government that unilaterally suppressed any political will but its own call itself a functional representation of their constituents? People would wonder why the TSA is a necessary body if they fail most of their own internal tests; why we still live under a more massive and invasive surveillance apparatus than did the people of the USSR or Nazi Germany; why our nation’s labor-funded disaster-preparedness agenda is anemic to the point of uselessness, yet the nation’s wealthiest are earning billions during a pandemic. If we reject the curfew and yet remain bonded in solidarity, while the police ride down on us with horses and batter our skulls with clubs while “keeping the peace,” we might realize we can break the law, yet remain righteous. We live under a government which denies our votes, kills our loved ones, tortures our children, neglects its citizens to enrich its aristocracy, wages war on the world, and tells us it’s part of a peacekeeping natural order that shouldn’t be disturbed. The only way to stop this new wave of unrest is to buy it, crush it, or make it vanish, and few representatives seem compelled to act on our behalf in any way. They will try literally anything to end this movement tomorrow. <<<

plagarized from:

https://itsgoingdown.org/bunker-down-why-the-elites-need-the-protests-to...

Point taken, JR.

I support this movement in spirit.  I kept my shop closed yesterday in solidarity.  I have tried to share perspectives from both sides, as years of growing up in D.C. turned me into a cynic and apolitical in outlook.  An artist friend of mine who has been a key figure in transformational activism in Seattle for decades called me out on my cynicism, and encouraged me to grow past it.  My back is finally feeling better this morning after 10 days of hell.  I'd like to go visit the Hill and see for myself.  Maybe I'm a political agnostic?  I want to believe.

Cher's son has really made a name for himself!

This was pretty well-written and gives an objective perspective of the state of things in the CHAZ/CHOP zone on Capitol Hill.  

https://www.city-journal.org/seattle-chaz

These are the credentials of the author:

Christopher F. Rufo is a contributing editor of City Journal and director of the Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth & Poverty. He’s directed four documentaries for PBS, including his new film, America Lost, which tells the story of three “forgotten American cities.” Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WvCK5Cgxc3Y

It's All Over Now Baby Blue

12-28-83

San Francisco Civic Center 

So what a Great Idea !!

Bunch of bumblefucks gather to steal other people's property and shit up the place.

Then they rob and shoot each other and elect King Raz of Chaz. So Anarchist !!

It's blatantly obvious that the "Three Letter Agencies"  provided the Donuts and Coffee for the whole bullshit scenario
(Maybe some $$$Cash for mayors and councilfolk)

Everyone somewhat 'Normal' thinks "Wow that is really quite Stupid."

Yet another heist at the taxpayer's expense.

Actually I feel pity for parents of stupid kids that might have wandered there thinking "Ooohh we can change the world !!"

Only to get caught up in yet another Stupid Media Event.
 

Stu

Is it getting close to time to take another six months vacation

or at a minimum put down the Bottle

Its a fucking ridiculous catastrophe.

Lord Of The Flies

Still it's no Chicago  - 

Chicago saw its highest number of gun violence victims in a single weekend this year with 104 people shot across the city from Friday evening to Monday morning, 14 of them fatally. Five of those killed were minors.

That's an over-reach.  You're just getting spun by the media, and have no idea what is happening here.   
 

There is a lot of momentum in this city to address racial disparity, budgeting of public funds, and police profiling.  The CHOP phenomenon is a reflection of social activists wanting to address a multitude of issues (wealth disparity, lbgtq inequality, homelessness, affordable housing, mental health treatment, drug policy and treatment).  They bit off more than they could chew, and are diluting the original focus of the movement.  There are many wise, experienced and committed community activists involved with this movement.  They are aware of the importance of seizing the momentum and maintaining the focus, and will not sacrifice that to maintain an occupation that was never their goal to begin with.

A catastrophe would be if everyone decided that striving for social justice isn't worth the effort and we returned to the status quo.  That's not going to happen.  We're not in Kansas anymore.

This is a pretty accurate unbiased summary of the current situation on Capitol Hill:

https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2020/06/capitol-hill-protest-zone-shi...

So Dave --

Knowing that you live there in Seattle,

Have you gone to visit and hang out there at chaz - chop zone ?

I have not.  I wish I'd gone the first week it happened, but I had my hands full reopening my business.  I also was in the throes of a 10 day lower back pain flare-up and not feeling up to moving around too much.  By the time that subsided, the atmosphere on Capitol Hill was changing.  It was starting to sound like a tourist attraction, which was what the BLM leaders were advocating against.  I like the suggestion that CHOP is more of an idea than a fixed place.  Getting territorial and violent will not lead to productive change, but maintaining meaningful dialogue and advocating for elected officials to effectively address social needs will.

>> Chicago saw its highest number of gun violence victims in a single weekend this year with 104 people shot across the city from Friday evening to Monday morning, 14 of them fatally. Five of those killed were minors. <<

All of those guns were purchased legally at some point. We need a robust buy-back program to clear the streets of these guns.

It's not quite Tiannemen Square, but the city of Seattle has bulldozers, front-loaders and garbage trucks massed on Capitol Hill this morning to disassemble what remains of the CHAZ/CHOP physical infrastructure.  The city is facing a class-action lawsuit being brought  by realtors, property owners and business owners in the neighborhood that will proceed if their grievances about access and lack of police presence and law enforcement aren't addressed by today.

Some protesters have continued to stand their ground, while many have urged the participants to keep the focus on the BLM agenda by moving the protests and not distracting the message.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out today.

Hoping for a peaceable solution and progress on positive social change and justice.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.king5.com/amp/article/news/local/protes...

SDOT has now removed their equipment from the area.  
 

I would imagine the lawsuit will now proceed.  It's hard to see how the Mayor will survive this.

Mayor Jen Durkin sang in Mickey Hart's band with Kimock and George Porter in 2008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHk_fKJcpb0

https://apnews.com/aac9a186e851763d60123ad1a4a20471
 

This morning at 5 a.m., the Mayor sent the police in to reoccupy the East Precinct on Capitol Hill in Seattle.   They have arrested at least 23 protesters who refused to vacate the premesis. And are in the process of disassembling all of the barriers to the neighborhood.  
 

Mayor Durkan has also begun proceedings to censure and potentially remove City Council Member Kwasha Sawant from office for actions including leading an unauthorized group into city hall and a march to Durkan's house, an address that is supposed to remain private due to her status as a former District Attorney.

CHAZ/CHOP looks like it's been haz/canned.

Here's the NPR report:

https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/20...

This part is so Seattle:

>>>>

There are large clusters of police on every side, on the perimeter of the CHOP, some with bicycles, very heavily outfitted, some have coffee at this point in the morning."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/seattle-police-move-clear-capitol-h...

NBC News coverage with more video links.

From hopes of utopia to now a cleared out shithole; late stage capitalism eats anything in its path.

Did you Seattle zoners go and hang out there?  Mayor said it was gonna be "Summer Of Love".

Then I guess after they started shooting each other,  they invaded the mayor's personal lawn space,  which was Un-cool.

My guess is that the Media mouthpieces (Leader King Raz McChaz et al) got the hell outta town after the shootings,  because that doesn't look very Utopian.