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Police in Seattle converged on the city’s protest zone early Wednesday, making arrests and sweeping through streets that demonstrators had occupied for weeks to protest police brutality and systematic racism.
Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order for protesters to vacate the area, and police said they were in the area Wednesday to enforce the order.
The decision to clear the area, first known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ, then the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or CHOP, comes after a string of violence in the area.
At least two fatal shootings occurred in the CHOP in recent weeks, and police say other shootings, robberies and violence have occurred since protesters first took over the area after police abandoned their East Precinct nearby.
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Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said she supports peaceful protests but “enough is enough. The CHOP has become lawless and brutal.”
Seattle police said on Twitter that it had made at least 13 arrests and officers were responding to the area with “additional protective gear” as they believe suspects in recent crimes may be in the area and others may be armed.
Officers tore down fences, cleared trash and poked around bushes in the CHOP on Wednesday. Most protesters had left several hours after police began clearing the area around 5 a.m. A loud bang was heard at about 6:15 a.m. followed by a cloud of smoke, though there were no clear signs of clashes between police and protesters.
The occupation of the several block area in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood began in early June following several tense nights of protest outside the police precinct. Seattle, like many other cities around the United States, saw large demonstrations immediately following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Police removed their barricades from the precinct and abandoned the building after officers used tear gas on demonstrators despite the mayor issuing a ban on the chemical irritant.
Once police left, protesters moved the barricades, blocked off several blocks and declared the area a police-free autonomous zone.
For days, the area saw people openly discussing issues of racism and systematic inequality. People gave speeches, painted murals and handed out snacks. A community garden was set up at a park in the area, too.
Durkan initially defended the protest society from attacks by President Donald Trump, who called the demonstrators “Domestic Terrorists” and demanded the city clear the area.
However, Durkan and the city’s police soon became critical of the area, too, and asked people to leave following the violence.
Durkan said last week that the city would start trying to dismantle the CHOP as nearby businesses and property owners filed a federal lawsuit against the city last Wednesday. The suit claims officials have been too tolerant of those who created the zone and that officials have deprived property owners of their property rights by allowing the zone to continue existing.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes and William Cummings; The Associated Press
Follow USA TODAY’s Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller
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