An activist who claimed to have helped establish the self-declared Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a six-block area in downtown Seattle, took to Twitter to complain about the community’s food being stolen.
If only there was some group you could call when people take all your stuff. pic.twitter.com/Q6oQOogwMI
— Cam Edwards (@CamEdwards) June 10, 2020
The 18-year-old activist appears to be a transgender woman and a self-described “lesbian anarchist,” according to her now-private Twitter account. The activist tweeted Wednesday that CHAZ had invited homeless people into the zone, who promptly stole all of their food.
The activist pleaded on Twitter for people to bring an assortment of foods, including vegan meat substitutes and soy products, stating that they would “need more food to keep the area operational.”
protesters having dubbed the area around SPD East Precinct the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or “CHAZ” #seattle #Komonews pic.twitter.com/t2NPTRK2RY
— Suzanne Phan (@SuzannePhan) June 10, 2020
CHAZ, which is described as a “police no go zone,” is the latest development after two weeks of protests and riots nationwide in response to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Protests in Seattle turned violent over the weekend as rioters threw glass bottles and rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray, according to Fox News.
Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct building was boarded up and surrounded by masked protestors Monday night, and CHAZ was established around the building after the police abandoned the building. Protestors set up campsites and shelters in the area and are currently using it as a base of operations for protest groups, according to a pro-activist blog.
Protesters have put on the barricades that those coming into the area are “now leaving the USA” and entering the “Cap Hill autonomous zone” or “Free Capitol Hill.” pic.twitter.com/zGNBYAyLOg
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) June 9, 2020
Hundreds of protesters, with the help of a sympathetic City Council member, entered Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night demanding that Mayor Jenny Durkin resign if she did not defund the city’s police department, Fox News reported. (RELATED: These Are The Major Cities Enacting Police Reforms Following Wave Of Police Brutality Protests)
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best met with protestors Tuesday and said that law enforcement was committed to creating a dialogue with the protestors camping out at CHAZ. During a conversation with a protestor, Best added that the path forward is to focus on “how we can keep people safe, first of all, but also how we might find some resolution.”
Designated smoking sections have popped up. “Please consider ur neighbors’ health.” #seattleprotest #CHAZ pic.twitter.com/qMIHNur6AV
— Chase Burns (@chaseburnsy) June 10, 2020
It is currently unclear what CHAZ and the protest group in support of the zone will do in the future. Currently, the area does not have a police presence and protestors have set up street vendors, a makeshift movie theater in the middle of an intersection, and even a designated smoking section.
