Protesters In CHOP Don't Like Addition Of Concrete Barriers

Protesters In CHOP Don't Like Addition Of Concrete Barriers

First things first: Apparently the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, is now the Capitol Hill Ongoing Protest, or CHOP. The residents of CHOP had already staked out their territory by managing to drive the police out of their precinct and erecting barricades around their autonomous zone, and now Brandi Kruse of Q13 Fox News is reporting that they’re adding wood around the concrete barriers so that people can decorate them. In other words, the concrete barriers aren’t going anywhere soon. The addition of concrete barriers in #CHOP this morning is actually very significant for a couple reasons. 1) This is a clear sign that the city is letting protesters stay long term. They are specifically adding wood around concrete barriers for people to decorate.

2) Barriers help prevent cars from driving into protesters (a very real threat as we have already seen), while still allowing a lane of travel for emergency responders. -- If they’re truly autonomous, why do they need to allow access to external emergency responders? It was pretty ironic that on the first or second day of their occupation they had to call in the fire department to put out a literal dumpster fire. -- 3) This is an important step toward coexistence and the fact protesters are on board is important. The city is giving them increased safety, in exchange for increased access. People live and work in the #CHOP zone and they deserve emergency services. -- And again we ask: Did the people who live and work in the CHOP zone have any say in being annexed by a bunch of extremist protesters? Why are we not impressed with this “important step toward coexistence” with the city helping out?

They seem to have already used up all of the wall space inside CHOP with graffiti like, “Kill pigs: Eat bacon for brekkie.” It’s pretty obvious that Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is going to assist however she can with the “summer of love” going on, and Gov. Jay Inslee has proved to be clueless about the whole thing. Apparently the concrete barriers being placed by the Seattle Department of Transportation were not to the liking of CHOP leadership: SDOT got chased off just now. Protesters started feeling like the barriers are not what they envisioned or agreed to and they want a new plan. Fire Chief Scoggins came out to see what is the issue, we’ll be hearing from him this afternoon.

https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=Yg0ND0_-0h4

https://www.invidio.us/channel/UCPcnm8bpFUkoHAQopP14ksQ