UPDATED
Police clear Seattle's CHOP protest zone, at least 32 arrested
July 1 (UPI) -- Police in Seattle were deployed to clear the city's protest zone early Wednesday, following an executive order from Mayor Jenny Durkan calling for protesters to vacate the area.
Durkan signed the executive order on Tuesday night and police began issuing dispersal orders for "anyone who remains in the area or returns to the area," arresting 32 people, the Seattle Police Department wrote on Twitter.
Protesters had barricaded several blocks near Capitol Hill and occupied the area previously known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, for weeks after police abandoned their nearby East Precinct amid global protests against police brutality and racial injustice sparked by the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The demonstrations in the area had largely been peaceful but Durkan last week announced plans to clear protesters from the area following at least two fatal shootings in the CHOP in recent weeks.
Police Chief Carmen Best said she supports peaceful protests but on Wednesday declared that "enough is enough."
"The CHOP has become lawless and brutal," she said.
President Donald Trump has condemned the protesters, referring to them as "domestic terrorists," and Attorney General William Barr praised Best and the police department for clearing the area.
"The message of today's action is simple but significant: The Constitution protects the right to speak and assemble freely, but it provides no right to commit violence or defy the law," Barr said.
Protesters stand on barricades a block away as Seattle Department of Transportation workers remove other barricades at the intersection of 10th Ave. and Pine St., Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. Protesters quickly moved couches, trash cans and other materials in to replace the cleared barricades. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Police clear Seattle's CHOP protest zone, at least 32 arrested
July 1 (UPI) -- Police in Seattle were deployed to clear the city's protest zone early Wednesday, following an executive order from Mayor Jenny Durkan calling for protesters to vacate the area.
Durkan signed the executive order on Tuesday night and police began issuing dispersal orders for "anyone who remains in the area or returns to the area," arresting 32 people, the Seattle Police Department wrote on Twitter.
At least 100 police officers equipped with body armor, batons, helmets and weapons entered the area known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, as protesters left the area.
Police said that anyone seeking to leave the area without being arrested could exit through the south end of the zone.
Police said that anyone seeking to leave the area without being arrested could exit through the south end of the zone.
Protesters had barricaded several blocks near Capitol Hill and occupied the area previously known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, for weeks after police abandoned their nearby East Precinct amid global protests against police brutality and racial injustice sparked by the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The demonstrations in the area had largely been peaceful but Durkan last week announced plans to clear protesters from the area following at least two fatal shootings in the CHOP in recent weeks.
Police Chief Carmen Best said she supports peaceful protests but on Wednesday declared that "enough is enough."
"The CHOP has become lawless and brutal," she said.
President Donald Trump has condemned the protesters, referring to them as "domestic terrorists," and Attorney General William Barr praised Best and the police department for clearing the area.
"The message of today's action is simple but significant: The Constitution protects the right to speak and assemble freely, but it provides no right to commit violence or defy the law," Barr said.
Seattle cops start clearing ‘occupied’ zone, make arrests
JUST LIKE HONG KONG
By MARTHA BELLISLE and LISA BAUMANN
Seattle Police, at right, look on as Department of Transportation workers remove barricades at the intersection of 10th Ave. and Pine St., Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. Protesters quickly moved couches, trash cans and other materials in to replace the cleared barricades. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police showed up Wednesday in force at the city’s “occupied” protest zone, tore down demonstrators’ tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks.
Television images showed no signs of clashes between the police, many dressed in riot gear, and dozens of protesters at the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone that was set up near downtown following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Police swarmed the zone known as CHOP at about 5 a.m. and a loud bang was heard at about 6:15 a.m. followed by a cloud of smoke. At least 13 people were arrested, said Police Chief Carmen Best.
By MARTHA BELLISLE and LISA BAUMANN
Seattle Police, at right, look on as Department of Transportation workers remove barricades at the intersection of 10th Ave. and Pine St., Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. Protesters quickly moved couches, trash cans and other materials in to replace the cleared barricades. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police showed up Wednesday in force at the city’s “occupied” protest zone, tore down demonstrators’ tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks.
Television images showed no signs of clashes between the police, many dressed in riot gear, and dozens of protesters at the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone that was set up near downtown following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Police swarmed the zone known as CHOP at about 5 a.m. and a loud bang was heard at about 6:15 a.m. followed by a cloud of smoke. At least 13 people were arrested, said Police Chief Carmen Best.
Protesters stand on barricades a block away as Seattle Department of Transportation workers remove other barricades at the intersection of 10th Ave. and Pine St., Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. Protesters quickly moved couches, trash cans and other materials in to replace the cleared barricades. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
“Our job is to support peaceful demonstration but what has happened on these streets over the last two weeks is lawless and it’s brutal and bottom line it is simply unacceptable,” Best told reporters.
Police tore down fences that protesters had erected around their tents and used batons to poke inside bushes, apparently looking for people who might be hiding inside.
Most protesters appeared to have dispersed several hours after the operations started and armed officers looked on from rooftops as clean-up crews of workers arrived to break down tables and tarps that protesters had set up in the zone.
Officers were investigating several vehicles circling the area after police saw people inside them “with firearms/armor,” police said in a tweet, adding that the vehicles did not appear to have “visible license plates.”
The protesters had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks and police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes with the protesters, who called for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Police said they moved in to protect the public after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued the order for protesters to leave.
An artist at left works on a piece using spray paint and chalk, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, next to a growing memorial for a 16-year-old boy who was killed nearby in a fatal shooting Monday at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
“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,” Seattle police said on Twitter. “Police have also documented robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes.
The tweet added that “suspects in recent shootings may still be in the area, and because numerous people in the area are in possession of firearms.”
Best said she supports peaceful demonstrations but that “enough is enough.”
“The CHOP has become lawless and brutal. Four shootings–-two fatal—robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area,” she said.
There had been mounting calls by critics, including President Donald Trump, to remove protesters following the fatal shootings.
Protesters have said they should not be blamed for the violence in the area.
Police tore down fences that protesters had erected around their tents and used batons to poke inside bushes, apparently looking for people who might be hiding inside.
Most protesters appeared to have dispersed several hours after the operations started and armed officers looked on from rooftops as clean-up crews of workers arrived to break down tables and tarps that protesters had set up in the zone.
Officers were investigating several vehicles circling the area after police saw people inside them “with firearms/armor,” police said in a tweet, adding that the vehicles did not appear to have “visible license plates.”
The protesters had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks and police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes with the protesters, who called for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Police said they moved in to protect the public after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued the order for protesters to leave.
An artist at left works on a piece using spray paint and chalk, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, next to a growing memorial for a 16-year-old boy who was killed nearby in a fatal shooting Monday at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle. The area has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
“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,” Seattle police said on Twitter. “Police have also documented robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes.
The tweet added that “suspects in recent shootings may still be in the area, and because numerous people in the area are in possession of firearms.”
Best said she supports peaceful demonstrations but that “enough is enough.”
“The CHOP has become lawless and brutal. Four shootings–-two fatal—robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area,” she said.
There had been mounting calls by critics, including President Donald Trump, to remove protesters following the fatal shootings.
Protesters have said they should not be blamed for the violence in the area.
Seattle police forcibly clear ‘lawless’ protest zone
Seattle Police finish their sweep Wednesday, July 1, 2020, on the north end of Cal Anderson Park, sweeping everyone off the grounds. (Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times via AP)
Protesters stand holding up their arms in front of a road blocked by police in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone early Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle. Police in Seattle have torn down demonstrators' tents in the city's so-called occupied protest zone after the mayor ordered it cleared. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A protester stands with her hand up in front of a road blocked by Seattle police in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone early Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Police in Seattle have torn down demonstrators' tents in the city's so-called occupied protest zone after the mayor ordered it cleared. (AP Photo/Aron Ranen)
SEATTLE (AP) — Wearing helmets and wielding batons and rifles, Seattle police turned out in force at dawn Wednesday in the city’s “occupied” protest zone after the mayor ordered it cleared following two recent fatal shootings.
Officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on several streets while others created a makeshift fence with their bicycles, using it to push dozens of protesters back away from the center of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone just east of downtown. The group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on several streets while others created a makeshift fence with their bicycles, using it to push dozens of protesters back away from the center of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone just east of downtown. The group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
A worker removes a rendering of a clenched fist from a Seattle police precinct Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. Seattle police showed up in force earlier in the day at the "occupied" protest zone, tore down demonstrators' tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. The "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone was set up near downtown following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
As residents in the neighborhood watched from balconies, police cleared out the protesters’ tents from the park and made sure no one was left in the park’s bathrooms.
More than three dozen people were arrested, charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession.
More than three dozen people were arrested, charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession.
l “Our job is to support peaceful demonstration but what has happened on these streets over the last two weeks is lawless and it’s brutal and bottom line it is simply unacceptable,” Police Chief Carmen Best said.
One protest organizer, Derrek Allen Jones II, said some demonstrators attempted to stay but were surprised by the early intervention by officers who were “trampling everything I seen in sight, flipping tables.”
“People were trying to hold their ground but you could see the cops literally storm through people’s beds while they were sleeping. And literally say ‘If you don’t get out, we will force you out or arrest you,’” he said.
One man dressed in black was peacefully led away in handcuffs and other demonstrators sat on the wet ground until their small group was handcuffed and detained.
Police also tore down fences that protesters had erected around their tents and used batons to poke inside bushes, apparently looking for people who might be hiding. One officer took down a sign saying “We are not leaving until our demands are met: 1. Defund SPD by 50% now. 2. Fund Black Communities. 3. Free all protesters.”
After police evicted the protesters, heavy equipment was used to remove concrete barriers, cart away debris from the encampments while officers strung yellow caution tape from tree to tree warning people not to reenter.
’I was just stunned by the amount of graffiti, garbage and property destruction,” Best said after she walked around the area.
Seattle police take over and re-enter the East Precinct early Wednesday, July 1, 2020 after the area around the police station was occupied by protestors for the last month. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times via AP)
“The recent public safety threats have been well documented,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. ”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.”
Durkan also said while she supported the police in making arrests Wednesday, she doesn’t think many of those arrested for misdemeanors should be prosecuted. She also said she was committed to work that would dismantle systemic racism and build true community safety.
“Events in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone this morning, while necessary, should not diminish the cause of racial justice,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in an emailed statement.
Best said in addition to the fatal shootings, robberies, assaults, violence and property crimes have occurred in the area in the last few weeks. She said she wanted police to move back into the precinct so officers could better respond to needs in the area. Protesters have said they should not be blamed for the violence in the area.
Protesters hold hands in front of a line of police officers blocking a street Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. Seattle police showed up in force earlier in the day at the "occupied" protest zone, tore down demonstrators' tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. The "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone was set up near downtown following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
There had been mounting calls by critics, including President Donald Trump, to remove protesters. A group of local business owners sued the city, claiming that officials abandoned the area and made it impossible to run businesses because there was no police or fire protection.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr praised Best for what he called “her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle.”
“Chief Best has rightly committed to continue the substantive discussion while ending the violence, which threatens innocent people and undermines the very rule-of-law principles that the protesters profess to defend,” he said in a statement.
Seattle Black Collective Voice, which was formed by people in the protest zone, said previously that their work would continue even if they were forced out of that area. On Wednesday afternoon the group said via Twitter, “We don’t end with CHOP.”
___
Full Coverage: Racial injustice
Associated Press video journalist Aron Ranen in Seattle and writer Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, contributed to this report.
Police In Riot Gear Raid Seattle’s Autonomous Protest Zone At Mayor's Order
One man dressed in black was peacefully led away in handcuffs and other demonstrators sat on the wet ground until their small group was handcuffed and detained.
Police also tore down fences that protesters had erected around their tents and used batons to poke inside bushes, apparently looking for people who might be hiding. One officer took down a sign saying “We are not leaving until our demands are met: 1. Defund SPD by 50% now. 2. Fund Black Communities. 3. Free all protesters.”
After police evicted the protesters, heavy equipment was used to remove concrete barriers, cart away debris from the encampments while officers strung yellow caution tape from tree to tree warning people not to reenter.
’I was just stunned by the amount of graffiti, garbage and property destruction,” Best said after she walked around the area.
Seattle police take over and re-enter the East Precinct early Wednesday, July 1, 2020 after the area around the police station was occupied by protestors for the last month. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times via AP)
“The recent public safety threats have been well documented,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. ”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.”
Durkan also said while she supported the police in making arrests Wednesday, she doesn’t think many of those arrested for misdemeanors should be prosecuted. She also said she was committed to work that would dismantle systemic racism and build true community safety.
“Events in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone this morning, while necessary, should not diminish the cause of racial justice,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in an emailed statement.
Best said in addition to the fatal shootings, robberies, assaults, violence and property crimes have occurred in the area in the last few weeks. She said she wanted police to move back into the precinct so officers could better respond to needs in the area. Protesters have said they should not be blamed for the violence in the area.
Protesters hold hands in front of a line of police officers blocking a street Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. Seattle police showed up in force earlier in the day at the "occupied" protest zone, tore down demonstrators' tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. The "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone was set up near downtown following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
There had been mounting calls by critics, including President Donald Trump, to remove protesters. A group of local business owners sued the city, claiming that officials abandoned the area and made it impossible to run businesses because there was no police or fire protection.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr praised Best for what he called “her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle.”
“Chief Best has rightly committed to continue the substantive discussion while ending the violence, which threatens innocent people and undermines the very rule-of-law principles that the protesters profess to defend,” he said in a statement.
Seattle Black Collective Voice, which was formed by people in the protest zone, said previously that their work would continue even if they were forced out of that area. On Wednesday afternoon the group said via Twitter, “We don’t end with CHOP.”
___
Full Coverage: Racial injustice
Associated Press video journalist Aron Ranen in Seattle and writer Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, contributed to this report.
Police In Riot Gear Raid Seattle’s Autonomous Protest Zone At Mayor's Order
What began as a “No Cop Co-op” has “become lawless and brutal,” Seattle’s police chief said. The area has gained national attention.
By Natalie Daher
Published on 7/1/2020
People kneel in front of a line of Police officers on bicycles as Seattle Police retake the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) area, including their East Precinct, in Seattle, Washington, on July 1. | Reuters
The police-free protest zone in Seattle that has drawn the ire of President Trump was raided by police on Wednesday morning after thousands of people have occupied it since early last month.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an emergency order for cops to clear out the zone due to “unlawful assembly,” a week after she announced a forthcoming shutdown along with Police Chief Carmen Best.
The city’s police arrived in riot gear to clear out a stretch of several blocks that’s been dubbed “CHOP,” or the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area. Seattle police said that at least 23 people were arrested during the dispersal.
Seattle police were supported by local FBI and the Bellevue police department, the Seattle Times reported.
Police have cleared #CHOP to Pike @KING5Seattle pic.twitter.com/0GUSkZkFA0
— Michael Crowe (@MichaelReports) July 1, 2020
Protesters have occupied the zone since early June, when police vacated a precinct in the area and demonstrations over the death of George Floyd swept the nation. The New York Times has described CHOP as “part-commune, part-street festival,” and the scene has been reminiscent of the 2011 Occupy protest.
Early Wednesday, a Twitter account that appears to be associated with the zone wrote: “It’s time to officially end the #Seattle #CHOP. We’re commanding all protestors to leave Capitol Hill and let normal operations resume, effective immediately.”
The group’s demands have included defunding and abolishing the police, providing reparations for police brutality victims, and decriminalizing acts of protest, according to a CHOP website. (The area was previously also called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ.)
t’s time to officially end the #Seattle #CHOP. We’re commanding all protestors to leave Capitol Hill and let normal operations resume, effective immediately. Stand by for more details. #chazcomms #chopcomms #CHAZCHOP #seattleprotest
— Seattle CHAZ/CHOP Official (@CHAZSeattle1) July 1, 2020
Durkan has attributed her order to empty the zone to violence in recent weeks. Best said in a statement that at least four shootings have occurred in the area, leaving two dead. The Chief also cited other “robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes" in the area.
“As I have said, and I will say again, I support peaceful demonstrations,” Chief Best said in a statement. “Black Lives Matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community. But enough is enough. ”
Best added: “The CHOP has become lawless and brutal.”
In early June, the protests in Seattle attracted President Trump’s attention, and he clashed on Twitter with Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee after he demanded they intervene. Durkan replied: “Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker.”
On June 23, Twitter flagged as abusive a tweet in which President Trump threatened “serious force” against any protesters who tried to set up an autonomous zone in Washington, D.C.
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