A look at the Left’s new utopia without police: Seattle’s Autonomous Zone CHAZ
Last week, Antifa and various radicals took over Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, a very lefty part of the city. They told the police they were not allowed in the area, and put up barricades to keep them out. So how are things working out in this new leftist utopia?
Seattle’s far left Mayor Jenny Durkam didn’t seem to care. She said the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, or Capitol Hill Occupy Protest, has a “block party atmosphere” and could turn into a “summer of love.” It is “not an armed takeover” (despite the armed patrols guarding the perimeter).
But that’s not what Seattle’s Police Chief Carmen Best is saying — and considering she reports to the mayor, it’s saying a lot that she would come out and contradict her. "Rapes, robberies and all sorts of violent acts have been occurring in the area and we're not able to get to [them]," she warned. Emergency calls from the area have tripled. I wonder why?
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Reports from people within CHAZ say it’s overrun with homeless people and drug addicts. Assistant Chief of Seattle Police Deanna Nollette said she’s heard complaints about businesses being required to pay a fee in order to operate in CHAZ. She said victims should call 911, but it’s not clear what the police can do since CHAZ is trying to keep them out of the zone.
A video shows Antifa holding down a street preacher by his neck, hypocritically reminiscent of what happened to George Floyd, and evidence this is not about the death of Floyd. The preacher struggles and yells, “You’re choking me! I am a free citizen of the autonomous zone!” One of the militarized looking men around him says, "The autonomous zone has the right to reject you."
In another video, a gay man holds his hands around the preacher’s neck while he’s standing, taunts him that he is a gay man hugging him and kisses him on the cheek. The preacher is carrying a large sign that says “Jesus” and keeps repeating “Glory to the king.” They finally let him go but appear to be escorting him out of CHAZ. Later on he is seen on the ground yelling “This is a Jesus Christ zone!” Several men appear to be holding him down.
The occupiers pushed out a man who claimed he was a pro-life activist, saying foul things about him and calling him a white supremacist. There was zero evidence that he was. A group of people carrying American flags were chased out. The occupiers stole a flag from them and threw a drink at them. So much for all those signs posted around the area touting diversity.
One resident of the area expressed his concerns to The Daily Caller’s Shelby Talcott. “They took our rights away. That’s not okay. It’s not political.” He was too scared to give his real name, saying he had been threatened before after speaking out. He said protesters bang on his front gates at night and he hears shots being fired throughout the evening. Another resident told police that there were "tents lining my streets, barricades littered throughout the intersection by protestors, and civilians walking around with AR15s. And the noise has not stopped." A Daily Caller reporter said he could smell marijuana everywhere. One bystander told him there is no government in the autonomous zone. Handwritten signs are all over revealing the primitiveness.
A millionaire named Raz Simone is acting as warlord of the area. This is not surprising since the far left always claim they’re for the little people but want millionaires like Bernie Sanders as their leaders. Talcott told Fox News that not everyone agrees that Simone should be their leader. Some Black Lives Matter organizers say the anarchists occupying Capitol Hill have hijacked the movement. Most of the men restraining the street preacher were white.
It’s not a democracy as they claim, Simone is a dictator. There’s no First Amendment; no right to free speech, freedom of assembly or freedom of religion. Those inside can’t street preach, can’t be a pro-life activist and can’t carry an American flag and walk around as a group. Residents are forced to show IDs to show they “belong” there. People are not allowed to enter their homes and businesses without ID. It’s a totalitarian society.
And how is Antifa and other radical groups patrolling the area with guns not just another police force? Not to mention they don’t have the accountability of the police, so you never know what they are going to do.
What about the blockades and fencing around the perimeter? The far left claims it wants borders abolished. The same people railing against the police want to tear down the border with Mexico. So why are they doing exactly what they claim to oppose?
If this was really about fighting racism, and Republicans are supposedly the party of white supremacists, then why didn’t the protesters ruin a more conservative area, such as Bellevue nearby? That’s because it’s not about racism, Antifa co-opted those protests and turned them into anarchy and violence directed at the establishment. They hate the police since many, if not most, of them have criminal records and don’t want the police interfering.
Talcott told Fox News the occupiers are settling down, getting ready to stay there a long time. They’ve built a “no police co-op” where they hand out food and other items for free. However, the police intend to retake the East Precinct in that area. Just like the Occupy movement, this will eventually flame out into nothing, accomplishing nothing. The spoiled brats who live in their parents’ basements will get tired of hanging out with homeless drug addicts and move back home for showers and mom’s cooking.
Rachel is the editor for intellectualconservative.com and an attorney.
