I’m kinda surprised here – the Seattle mayor really did toss a lot of resources to clear out the CHAZ CHOP zone, and they are really cleaning it up. They’re painting over graffiti and sand blasting as much as possible. Check it out:
In fact, the Seattle PD arrested another two dozen, adding up to more than 50 arrests already:
Police say they arrested 25 more people overnight near the former occupied protest zone in Capitol Hill after protesters clashed with officers again and refused to leave the area.
That’s in addition to the nearly three dozen people who were arrested Wednesday morning when police moved in and dismantled the CHOP, which had been the center of controversy and violence for more than three weeks.
Police say they used blast balls and pepper spray Wednesday night after protesters in the crowd started throwing bottles at officers.
Protesters had been occupying several blocks surrounding the SPD’s East Precinct building for three weeks before they were forced to leave Wednesday. SPD abandoned the precinct June 8, allowing the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupid Protest) to move in.
I mean, who saw that comin?
The protesters SAY they are not done and are looking for other spaces to “occupy”:
“It’s not a building that’s going to make us get what we want, it’s the people,” CHOP organizer Malcolm H. said. “The people have their ways of making things happen and when we come together as a collective voice, people hear us.”
As for what’s next, Malcolm said they would definitely march and consider occupying a different space.
“Occupying the space around the East Precinct was never the goal of putting on that pressure, and that pressure does not end when they move back into the building,” said Tarika Powell, an organizer for Black Collective Voice, a group born out of the CHOP movement.
She said while the pressure by organizers will not end, she believes what will end is the city’s concern over violence in Black communities, seen during two weeks of shootings in and around CHOP.
“Those young men are going to migrate back to South Seattle and south King County where no one cares and no one speaks on what’s happening there,” she said.
“They’re only speaking on it now because it’s happening in a wealthy white area of Seattle and can be used as political theater against CHOP.”
Powell said protestors’ demands to defund police and fund Black communities will help interrupt that violence. It may be the final curtain on the East Precinct occupation, but it’s not over for the people who spent weeks occupying the space.
But that’s a lot of talk and I just don’t see it happening. Seattle has been embarrassed and humiliated, and hopefully they’ve learned a tough lesson from all of this. We shall see.