SEATTLE, WA – Two people are in critical condition after being shot in Seattle’s “autonomous zone”.
Police said it happened early this morning at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, as it’s being called.
A spokesman for Harborview Medical Center’s Emergency Department said two males suffering gunshot wounds arrived at 6:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. EST – one right after the other.
The first came in via private vehicle and the second by Seattle Fire Department Medics.
The shooting happened overnight near 12 Avenue and Pike Street, which is about two blocks away from Cal Anderson Park.
That’s the area where protesters initially camped out in tents to occupy the area first referred to as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone – or CHAZ.
Seattle police sources tell Law Enforcement Today that people are refusing to cooperate, and that the protestors are protecting the identity of whoever is responsible for the shooting.
Since the onset of the takeover nearly a month ago, the encampment has become more difficult to manage, drawing violence and a large homeless population.
On Sunday, organizers said they’re looking to move into the abandoned East Precinct, where most of their “senior leadership” has already taken up shelter.
The Seattle Times reported that its part of an effort to secure their best bargaining chip in convincing city officials to act on police reform and other demands.
It’s not the first such shootings there.
On Friday, we were told the end is finally drawing near to what was known as CHAZ/CHOP in Seattle, as there were reportedly bulldozers that started hitting the scene in the early morning on June 26th.
At least that’s what we were told until protestors came out in full opposition.
They stopped the city crews from taking down the barricades by laying down in the road… and pulling out at least one firearm, according to KOMO.
According to self-appointed leaders of the CHOP, they won’t be giving up the occupied zone until their list of demands has been met.
SDOT shows up at Seattle’s CHOP in attempt to remove concrete barricades https://t.co/ScEFrejoIP via @Q13FOX @BrandiKruse @MayorJenny @carmenbest One of my favorite quotes: Yoda, “Do or do not, THERE IS NO TRY.”
— Pat Walker (@ermother) June 26, 2020
While rumors of a voluntary departure by inhabitants of CHOP were circulated earlier this week (more on that later), it looks like a forced ousting had been initiated – or tried to be initiated.
While it has been reported that both trucks and bulldozers were pulling away from the scene as of 7:30 a.m. on the 26th, it shows that the city and officials are serious about getting the mess known as CHOP cleaned up.
Bulldozers exiting CHOP past pike #seattleprotest #seattleprotestcomms #CHOPcomms
— ✨ Lila ✨ (@lilalololol) June 26, 2020
One demonstrator was reported as laying their body down on the street on 12th Avenue where a bulldozer was originally staged, while other trucks were seen originally lined up outside of the barricades that were established in the zone.
Protesters from Seattle’s CHOP confront construction workers and lie down in front of bulldozers https://t.co/JP2VWaocK8
— Newsyword (@1newsyworld) June 26, 2020
This comes on the heels of when Mayor Jenny Durkan forewarned that the area was going to be rightfully appropriated from those occupying the area for the last few weeks.
Crew members of the Seattle Department of Transportation, as well as SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe and Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, apparently conversed with some of the occupiers present at CHOP. The context of the conversation had with those present wasn’t divulged, but it was likely a heads up that there’s eventually going to be crews cleaning things up in the area.
There has been murmurs of some kind of agreement that has taken place where occupiers of the CHOP zone have allegedly agreed to move certain barricades to condense the size of the occupied area. However, there has been no official confirmation of said rumors.
Agreement between protesters and SDOT to move barricades at 13th to 12th and Pike. Capitol Hill area quiet now as City of Seattle bulldozers and police move out of the #CHOP #CHOPCHAZ #CHOPZone #CHOPseattle pic.twitter.com/PCGuDC4Rtd
— KarinKB (@KarinKB) June 26, 2020
The situation in CHOP is developing, please follow Law Enforcement Today for the latest on the status of the occupied area.
Here’s the report we ran earlier in the week regarding the rumors of CHOP/CHAZ inhabitants said to be voluntarily leaving the zone.
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Apparently, despite some circulating rumors, the CHAZ/CHOP occupation ongoing within Seattle is not disbanding after a Twitter account reportedly said that the area would be cleared out voluntarily.
The Twitter account @CHOPSOfficialSEA was the account responsible for making claims that CHOP would be disbanding.
From the Twitter account that claimed to be CHOP’s official account, the following was noted (in a now deleted tweet) and subsequently media outlets ran with the narrative:
“The CHOP project is now concluded. While we expect a very small handful of holdouts may try to remain in the CHOP, no further organizing will be occurring to support this presence and the number on site will be too small to be more than an annoyance for pedestrians rather than a zonal blockade.”
However, people on the ground over at the CHOP/CHAZ area claim that there’s no validity to the message delivered by the Twitter account claiming to be an authority on all things CHOP-related.
There’s been a reported presence of still-existing blockades and tents erected in the area, despite the June 24th tweet delivered.
Dwayne Stamps, one of those involved in the siege of the Seattle area stated the following:
“No, the CHOP is not shut down and it is still going on and there are a lot of people here. Still talking about the issues. It’s not shutting down anytime soon.”
Seattle CHOP protesters stand firm, deny talk of exodus from occupied zone https://t.co/jNJXS3w0zt
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 25, 2020
Another individual who is staking claim in the area known as CHOP, Taylor Bryant, claimed that the area is still being inhabited – but also conceded that the presence of people has diminished:
“The CHOP is definitely not shut down. It’s a still safe space for people fighting for racial equality. It’s definitely up and running, even if it is smaller.”
It should be noted that the term “safe space” is highly debatable, depending on who is walking through the CHOP/CHAZ area. One local journalist who simply goes by Derrick, noted that CHOP will never “shut down” because it’s a dogma before it’s an occupied area:
“The CHOP will never be shut down because it’s an ideology, not a place. The CHOP is still vibrant and very much alive. There are less people, and those who have stayed are here for the right reasons.”
While there’s no true-to-form organized disbursement within CHOP, some of what the post from the Twitter account noted is actually true – many people are concurring that people are just kind of dropping off from the occupied area.
Independent journalist Omari Salisbury reiterated that note, as he’s been covering the CHOP/CHAZ area and development since it’s inception:
“No, the CHOP is not shut down. The numbers are highly reduced, but people are here.”
Whether the CHOP occupiers are leaving voluntarily or not, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan stated on June 22nd that the city is going to be ending the occupation:
“It’s time for people to go home. It’s time for us to restore Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill so it can be a vibrant part of the community.”
While she said that police would not be involved in the initial disbursement of people present, she noted that “additional steps” would be enacted for those who decided to stay despite being told to leave.
Even if the mayor does enlist the assistance of police to clear the area when planned, the city council ruled on June 15th that police are no longer allowed to use tear gas in Seattle.
A court-ordered ban on the use of chemical irritants and projectiles by the Seattle Police Department against peaceful protesters and demonstrators has been extended through the end of September.https://t.co/J69sg8d8Ap
— KOMO News (@komonews) June 19, 2020
This has Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best rather concerned:
“No one, especially the officers, wants to be in a situation where the only options left to us ends up being our batons or our guns. Neither of which is the appropriate response to the situation we’re seeing on the Hill.”
Sounds like police, if called to the area, are going to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
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