The Seattle Police Department plans to reclaim the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” or CHAZ, currently occupied by protesters.
A spokesman for law enforcement in Seattle, Washington, told the Daily Caller that several officers are currently in its East Precinct, an area under control by activists, and plan to move personnel back once the building is assessed.
“We do have officers in the precinct,” said Mark Jamieson, a Seattle police public affairs official, to the Daily Caller. “There are plans to get all officers back into the precinct.”
CHAZ protesters have renamed the police precinct to the “Seattle People Department,” claiming it is the “property of the people” and stressing that no police would be allowed in the area, which consists of six blocks in downtown Seattle.
Occupants of the area have established clearly defined borders, marking one end with a sign that reads: “You are now leaving the USA.” The protesters published an article with 30 demands to Seattle’s government before promising to depart the area, which includes the dismantlement of the police department, the abolition of imprisonment, free public housing, and socialized healthcare.
The mayor of Seattle said she has no idea when the protesters will disperse.
During an interview with CNN host Chris Cuomo, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan jokingly stated that the area could hold a “summer of love,” alluding to a mass gathering of peace activists in 1967 in San Francisco. “How long do you think Seattle and those few blocks looks like this?” Cuomo asked. “I don’t know. We could have a summer of love!” Durkan responded.
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said there has been a dramatic increase in response time to calls since the department abandoned its East Precinct.
“Our calls for service have more than tripled,” Best said to reporters on Wednesday. “These are responses to emergency calls — rapes, robberies, and all sorts of violent acts that have been occurring in the area that we’re not able to get to.”
Before the occupation, officers typically took just over five minutes to respond to a 911 call, but the average response time has jumped to more than 18 minutes, according to Best.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to say Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said police response times, not calls to police, have tripled.
