Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone

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Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Maximum extent of the zoneMaximum extent of the zone
Symbols
coat of arms
coat of arms
flag
flag
Basic data
Country United StatesUnited States United States
CHAZ
Website chaz.zone (en)
View of the autonomous zone from the west
View of the autonomous zone from the west

Coordinates: 47 ° 36 ′ 55 ″  N , 122 ° 19 ′ 3 ″  W The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone ( acronym CHAZ , German " Autonome Zone Capitol Hill ") or Capitol Hill Occupied Protest ( CHOP ) was an autonomous area in the city of Seattle in the US state of Washington , which during the protests after the death of George Floyd has emerged. Protesters called it after police withdrew from the approximately six block area around the eastern police station on Capitol Hillon June 8, 2020. They declared the zone a police and state-free area and released a list of demands, including the closure of the Seattle Police Department, that would have to be struck in order for the neighborhood to be reopened.

The events around the zone were harshly criticized by US President Donald Trump , his Republican Party and the Seattle police, calling for crackdowns to restore public order. The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee , and the mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, both Democrats , put on a soothing course and willingness to negotiate.

After shooting in the autonomous zone over a period of ten days with six injured and two fatalities, Mayor Jenny Durkan had the area cleared by police on July 1, 2020. 31 people were arrested because they refused to leave the area or attacked the police.

history

Following the death on May 25, 2020 of the African-American George Floyd, who was killed during a police check, Seattle also experienced violent protests against police violence and racism . In the Capitol Hill district, which is considered particularly left-wing and has many LGBT bars and clubs, there were repeated night clashes between protesters and the police. On the night of June 8th, the police evacuated the local guard. Protesters had previously threatened to set the precinct on fire. It is unclear who gave the order to withdraw, Mayor Durkan and police chief Carmen Best later dismissed the responsibility. As a result of the eviction, the protesters built barricades to the rest of the city and declared the area a police-free zone. The police said they only wanted to enter the area if they received a life-threatening emergency call. However, with the evacuation of the local police station, the response time tripled.

On Tuesday June 9, protesters from the zone they had captured the previous day stormed Seattle City Hall, demanding the mayor's resignation if she did not withdraw funding from the police and initiate reforms. Durkan said she would support reform approaches.

When a group of police officers tried to enter the abandoned precinct on June 11, tensions arose among the demonstrators. While some tried to prevent the police from doing so, others tried to protect them.

On June 12, the protesters posted a list of 30 demands on the Internet. These included calls for the abolition of the Seattle Police Department and the court system behind it, and a ban on the use of weapons by the police until then. In addition, all trials against black people who are imprisoned for an act of violence are to be reopened, universities in Washington are to be free and prison inmates are to be given the right to vote.

On June 14th, the demonstrators announced that they would from now on call the autonomous zone “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (acronym CHOP, German “Organized Protest Capitol Hill”). This name reflects the intentions of the demonstrators better than "CHAZ", a name that comes from outside.

Negotiations with the city of Seattle on June 16 resulted in an agreement that the city would replace the self-built barriers in the zone with stronger concrete barricades and that the protesters would reduce the zone to three blocks.

One person was killed and another injured in shootings within the zone on June 20. Another person was shot in the zone the following day. Seattle police said they are investigating the case but their attempts to reach the victims of the shooting have been blocked by protesters. CHOP officials disagreed with this account, saying the police officers made their own decision not to enter the zone. When the shots fell on June 20, de-escalation teams from the CHOP were already on their way to the location. In response, Mayor Durkan announced that the city would soon withdraw the zone. She said violence should not overshadow legitimate protest.

On the morning of June 29, 2020, another shooting took place in the zone. A 16-year-old was killed and a 14-year-old was injured. After a total of at least four shootings with six injured and two fatalities, Mayor Jenny Durkan had the area cleared by the police on July 1, 2020. 31 people were arrested because they refused to leave the area or attacked the police. The following night, police officers were attacked with stones, bottles and pyrotechnics; ten other people were arrested.

Situation in the zone

"Police not welcome" sign

There are different reports about the events in the CHAZ. According to some TV pictures, the mood was calm and peaceful, and demonstrations, political discussions or readings were held. The New York Times described the scene as "half street party, half commune ". There was a self-organized hospital ward within the zone, and there was free food and cultural activities. Many street artists were also active in the area, including the slogan “Black Lives Matter” written in large letters on a thoroughfare. Even CNN described the situation in the zone as a largely cheerful street party.

The Seattle police, on the other hand, initially reported protection rackets against owners of local businesses. Police chief Best later stated, however, that this information was not secured. Fox News showed pictures of armed paramilitaries checking ID to see who was really resident in CHAZ and reported anarchist violence. The police made it clear that the demonstrators did not have the authority to carry out identity checks. The effects of the evacuation of the police station are also that emergency calls from the zone can only be processed with a significant delay. Conservative journalist Andy Ngo said it was "hard to exaggerate the anarchy in the streets".

Eastern Police Station sign under CHAZ

Small business owners with operations in the affected city blocks reported property damage from vandalism and looting, and lost sales of $ 200 million. A group of business owners, a locksmith, a tattoo parlor, a handyman, the operator of a Mexican restaurant and the owner of a coffee shop have been suing the city of Seattle for breach of its protective obligations since June 2020 because the police made emergency calls during the period the area did not respond and did not intervene against vandalism and looting. Politically, the plaintiffs also oppose campaigns to withdraw funds from the police and insist that the city administration's security function must be guaranteed. The New York Times quoted an ethnic gay cafe operator from the Middle East who had moved to Seattle from Texas to live in liberal society that the occupiers had barricaded residents and set up armed checkpoints . He added that a large number of the activists were whites: “Taking up the black movement and transforming it into a white occupation is an expression of white privilege as it can only be. [...] And that's exactly what they did. "

The unclear leadership situation in the zone also led to some tension. Rapper Raz Simone, who has been identified by several media outlets as a leader of CHAZ, has been accused by other activists of acting like a police officer himself.

Reactions

In Washington

On June 10th, Governor Inslee said that he knew nothing about the occupation in Seattle, for which President Trump attacked him. The governments of the city and Washington state are counting on a dialogue with the demonstrators. The police tried to negotiate with the leaders of the demonstrators in order to prepare a return of the police to the area. Police Chief Best said the actions of a minority should not lead to the community being deprived of police services. Governor Inslee said the protests in the CHAZ were mostly peaceful. He hoped that there would also be a peaceful solution to the situation. Mayor Durkan said the protesters were harmless and should be negotiated with.

Caleb Heimlich, leader of the Republican Party of Washington, which is in opposition in the state, described the situation as "utter lawlessness." He himself saw how police officers who tried to return to their workplace were forced by the demonstrators not to enter the CHAZ. Secretly, Inslee and Durkan criticized sharply for not being ready to enforce the law.

The chairman of the Seattle Police Officers Guild complained in an interview with Fox News that the city government has lost all will to enforce the law and the police have deprived the police of any opportunity to defend their bases. The CHAZ activists are bad for peaceful demonstrators and the police are ready to negotiate. The Seattle police chief, Carmen Best, was also angry about the developments. She accused the city of giving in to public pressure in evacuating the town despite information that anti-government groups were planning to destroy the police station.

Kshama Sawant (2015)

The demonstrators received support from city council member Kshama Sawant from the Trotskyist Party Socialist Alternative , which represents the third district of the city. On June 8th, she led the storming of the town hall by demonstrators that she had unlocked them to symbolize that it belongs to the people. Sawant was seen as a possible leader of the CHAZ demonstrators, she supported the demand to turn the abandoned police station into a community center and called on the demonstrators not to let the police back into the neighborhood under any circumstances.

National

President Donald Trump described the protesters from the zone on Twitter as "ugly anarchists" and "terrorists" on June 1 . He asked Governor Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan to end the protests and threatened to do so himself. He also called Inslee and Durkan radical left that their policies had contributed to the situation. Inslee responded by accusing Trump of being incapable of being a head of government in keeping out of Washington’s affairs. Military threats from the White House would not be accepted. The leader of the Democratic Party of Washington, Tina Podlowdoski, also criticized Trump. Everything he does is shameful. Denny Heck (D), Congressman for Washington, claimed the majority of the CHAZ protesters were peaceful and said he understood their motivation.

The Association of Republican Governors' communications director issued a statement harshly tackling Inslee. He is not even able to run a hot dog stand and cannot protect his citizens from anti-fascists and anarchists who are trying to break away from the US. Florida House of Representative Matt Gaetz (R) said Antifa had made Seattle their capital and the US should never leave their communities to the mob. The African American Community Advisory Council, which is responsible for communication between the African American community and the Seattle Police Department, said the CHAZ protesters perverted the message of Black Lives Matter and were booed for it. It also criticized Mayor Durkan as a coward.

Similar events

On June 12, 2020, protesters in Nashville , the capital of Tennessee , tried to set up an autonomous zone like the CHAZ around the state parliament building. The governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee (R) announced that a procedure like the one in Seattle will not be allowed. He will "not tolerate lawlessness, autonomous zones and violence," but declared his support for peaceful protests.

Attempts were also made in Portland , Oregon , to create an autonomous zone around the home of Mayor Ted Wheeler (D). In the late evening of June 17, a group on Instagram proclaimed the Patrick Kimmons Autonomous Zone , named after a black man who was killed by police in Portland in 2018. The demonstrators protested, among other things, against Wheeler's refusal to ban the use of tear gas during police operations. They were also disappointed with a city council decision to cut the Portland Police Department budget by $ 16 million in anticipation of a cut of more than $ 50 million. The attempt to establish the zone was ended after a few hours by the police, who tore down the barricades and tents of the demonstrators on the morning of June 18.

See also

Web links

Commons : Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

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