Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan described her city’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest area as having a “block party atmosphere” and reminiscent of the “summer of love” while slamming people who seized a government-owned wildlife refuge for “not respecting” and “trashing” the territory in 2016.
Durkan’s unearthed comments from an NPR interview reveal a clear double standard:
Commenting on the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) in 2016, where armed people seized the area’s headquarters in opposition to the federal government’s ownership of the land, Durkan heavily criticized the individuals involved. In short, so-called right wingers tried to accomplish Capitol Hill Occupied Protest’s (CHOP) goals: take property out of the hands of the U.S. government and used similar tactics such as vandalism and violence to do so.
Advising what the prosecution’s case should be, the former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington stated:
If there was ever a conspiracy, this was it. They did not come with flowers. They came with AR-15s. They did not respect the property. They dug trenches and trashed it.
Brushing off the threat CHOP – formerly Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) – poses to local businesses, residents, and law enforcement, Durkan has failed to criticize CHOP for using the same tactics as those occupying MNWR. Despite falling under mayoral jurisdiction, the six-block area recently declared itself autonomous from the U.S.
Far-left groups including AntiFa now patrol the space after the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct was abandoned and adorned with a banner declaring “THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE.”
The firm Trump critic insisted that narratives focusing on CHOP’s violence and anarchy were “not giving an accurate or truthful picture” in a CNN interview. “We’ve got four blocks in Seattle that you just saw pictures of that is more like a block party atmosphere. It’s not an armed takeover. It’s not a military junta,” she added. Durkan emphasized that her city “has block parties and the like in this part of Seattle all the time.”
“The only time we are heard is when we burn s— down. And if white America doesn’t want to get it right they are going to see more burning…”
This is Luis Marquez, the antifa militant leader from Portland. But media will tell you there are no antifa here pic.twitter.com/i6UczgHcmB
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 13, 2020
And CHOP dwellers have certainly not “come with flowers” but rather “AR-15s.” Even CNN admitted that “no doubt, some of these protesters are armed. So you have to worry about the potential for bloodshed, the potential for violence if, in fact, they’re going to try to remove these people by force.” Local news reports confirmed “armed citizens are patrolling the streets around the police station.”
“You’ll die out here man, you’ll die out here”
A citizen of #CHAZ (Chazinite) tells a street preacher
While free speech is supported in the USA
Only approved ideas are tolerated in the Autonmous Zone
Drew of @livesmattershow captured the raw moment pic.twitter.com/UPUNhM1mcK
— ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ElijahSchaffer) June 13, 2020
Residents of CHOP have also failed to “respect the property” and are guilty of Durkan’s charge of “trash[ing]” the area.
Extensive vandalism and destruction of government and privately-owned property has occurred, and law enforcement has lost their ability to protect small businesses. Even those in close proximity to CHOP have seen 911 calls go unanswered.
John McDermott, an owner of a CHOP-adjacent business who was threatened by individuals who tore down his chain-link fence, commented: “We had these guys literally threatening us with guns that they told us that if we crossed the fence line that they would kill us. I’m standing there, people are trying to talk to me, they’re trying to get interviews, I’ve got laser pointers on me from firearms. I’m trying to protect myself, my business. And we’re just completely left out there, unprotected.”
He says he called 911 “many times” and never received a response.
“This space is now property of the Seattle People.” This is @SeattlePD’s East Precinct. pic.twitter.com/3XabNM011b
— Evan Bush (@evanbush) June 10, 2020
While mainstream media outlets and Democrats glorify CHOP in lockstep, the area is a clear and present danger to Seattle residents and business owners and a cautionary tale of the radical left’s nightmarish ideals.
And it’s all happening on Durkan’s watch and, apparently, with her seal of approval.
