Mayor of Seattle Jenny Durkan said the city is gearing up to put a lid on the police-free region dubbed Capitol Hill Organized Protest or CHOP after a couple of shootings, one of which turned out to be deadly. The mayor hinted that a great chapter in Seattle's history could be drawing to an end.
Durkan pointed out that the violent approach adopted by the people in the police-free zone does not coincide with the peaceful approach of some other protestors that have been demanding racial inequity and seeking to address police brutality. Activists created CHOP in the Capitol Hill neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, fortifying the area after police removed a raided enclosed building there.
In a news conference, Durkan said the impacts of protesters gathering at the nighttime atmosphere coupled with violence, has posed a serious threat for the city's businesses and residents. With the level of safety dropping, the impacts have increased significantly, the Mayor explained.
City leaders continue to face strong criticism over the protest area as reports of violence inside the zone continue to surface, raising concerns about how police can handle such incidents. Police have failed to enter the zone. The demolishing of the CHOP followed the demise of a 19-year-old man in a June 20 shooting, wherein another person was seriously injured.
A 17-year-old was shot in the arm on June 21 on the edge of the region. While protestors inside CHOP have mostly been non-violent and have been giving free food and playing music, the atmosphere turns dangerous at night. Business owners in the area and residents are understandably concerned about their safety and access for first responders.
Volunteer medics inside the area rushed the victims of the recent shooting to the hospital rather than waiting for police or fire department's arrival as they were gearing up before entering the zone. Keeping in line with that, Durkan said there should be no place in the city that can't be accessed by the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Police Department, Fox News reported.
Demonstrators inside the zone have issued a slew of demands that include calls to defund the police and for leaders to focus on other social-justice causes. Donald Trump took this opportunity to mock Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, claiming that CHOP is being managed by anarchists.
On June 22, CHOP members demanded changes to the area citing recent violence. A group comprising 25 volunteers and activists wrote an open letter to organizers, urging leaders to make a safe use area outside the zone, set up signage asking intoxicated people to stay away, and implement a curfew in a bid to restrict violent behavior at night.