Private security guards hired to keep trespassers and protesters out of Cal Anderson Park in Seattle during overnight hours reportedly left during their first shift Tuesday after being verbally harassed.
The park has been closed since June 30, after protesters took over the area to create the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) did a sweep of the park on Tuesday so the city could begin making repairs to the damaged field house. During their search, officers and park staff found a machete, a hatchet, makeshift shields and homemade spike strips, according to the SPD.
Officers recover weapons, shields, and spike strips during park cleanup. https://t.co/5buRUpPQNk pic.twitter.com/ZPPzPuoVJA
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) September 2, 2020
Jaguar Security Firm was then supposed to guard the park between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., according to company owner Ricky McGhee.
However, McGhee, a Veteran, told the Daily Caller he and two of his employees were immediately confronted by a group of people with “sticks and pipes” who tried to “intimidate” his team.
“The heckling didn’t bother us, that comes with the territory,” McGhee told the Caller. “We weren’t concerned about the heckling. Our job was to ask them [the protesters] to leave because the parks department and the Seattle Police had removed them earlier.”
McGhee said he called police to alert them to the large crowd of protesters and was told by police that he and his two private guards should walk to the edge of the park to wait for officers to arrive.
“We had lethal weapons, we didn’t have tasers. Our job was to ask anyone in the park to leave, and we never got the chance to do that. The crowd outnumbered us and possibly the police,” McGhee said. By his account, there were at least 100 protesters.
McGhee said some protesters had stick and pipes, and that some began shining lights into their eyes.
McGhee said his team did not flee the scene, but were asked by the police to leave.
“I believe the police thought that the park was closed, I believe they thought that my company would be able to handle it. The police felt they didn’t have enough people for backup,” McGhee said.
“The city of Seattle is a great place to live, but right now you got some disruption going on and we were hired because we’re experts, we’re professionals. My guys, we did a great job, we really did a great job.”
Jaguar Security did not return to the park Wednesday.
Seattle Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Rachel Schulkin said the city was working with Jaguar on a nightly basis, according to Fox News.
“Jaguar Security opted to leave the park on Tuesday evening as the large crowd of protesters was not responding to requests to disperse, continued to harass the security guards, and out of a desire to not escalate the situation,” she told Fox.
This comes as business owners in the area seem to have become increasingly frustrated with the ongoing protests. Louise Chernin, CEO of the Capitol Hill Business Alliance, told KOMO News that the community is in a “crisis.” (RELATED: Seattle Business Owners Blast City Leaders After Latest Vote To Defund SPD)
“I believe it’s a sign of a community in crisis,” said Chernin, who added members of the group are concerned about the situation in Cal Anderson Park. “How do they retain the safety for their business, but also be supportive of what’s going on in their community?”
The Caller has reached out to Rachel Schulkin for comment but at time of publication had not received a response.