What began as an attempt by Seattle Police to ease tensions after a week of protests by retreating from the Capitol Hill neighborhood has resulted in the establishment of the so-called “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” – a six-block section of town which Antifa and other activists have occupied, setting up barricades and claiming the area near the Seattle PD East Precinct as theirs.
Seattle @MayorJenny is allowing a dangerous situation to fester. #Antifa militants have taken over & created an “autonomous zone” in city w/their own rules. Police precinct abandoned. Antifa set up barricades to create a border. Calling for volunteers to provide armed guard. pic.twitter.com/ksQI4NI5kP
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 9, 2020
11th and Pine is a far different scene than last night. pic.twitter.com/D6e1zIeUbp
— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) June 9, 2020
According to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, the pullback by the police and National Guard come after police used flash bangs, pepper spray and clouds of gas just after midnight – a standoff which followed a warning from Mayor Jenny Durkan that the city had “specific information from the FBI about threats to the East Precincts and buildings in Seattle.”
Haven’t seen anything like this so far #seattleprotest pic.twitter.com/MkdyBG1EZq
— Chase Burns (@chaseburnsy) June 8, 2020
On Monday night, seven hours after Police Chief Carmen Best announced held an impromptu press conference, Durkan tweeted that law enforcement would retreat in “an effort to proactively de-escalate interactions between protesters and law enforcement outside the East Precinct.”
In an effort to proactively de-escalate interactions between protestors and law enforcement outside the East Precinct, Chief Best and @SeattlePD officers have removed barricades surrounding the East Precinct while safely securing the facility.
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) June 9, 2020
Before the pullout, Seattle Fire removed “many personal effects of the officers normally stationed in the East Precinct” as part of a “proactive effort to guard against potential damage or fire,” according to CHS, while a mobile shredding unit was seen at the precinct – ostensibly destroying sensitive files ahead of the pullout.
The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, meanwhile, sent an ominous sounding message to area businesses and organizations that warns of a “credible threat” to burn the precinct building down, notifying them that the building and nearby apartment buildings were to be assessed for possible treatment with “a biodegradable foam fire suppressant” by the Seattle Fire Department as a preventative measure. –CHS
Local rep. Kshama Sawant – a longtime critic of Durkan, said on Monday to a crowd of protesters: “What we are seeing now is an uprising. A rebellion of young people. Not just nationwide but globally.”
By Tuesday morning, protesters repurposed police barricades into a zig-zag maze to block traffic, while tent shelters were set up to help keep volunteers dry.
Activists build their own barricades to protect themselves pic.twitter.com/ilGct7ZVQ6
— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) June 9, 2020
Photos via CHS
