A member of the Seattle City Council wants the city to leave the police-free zone occupied by protesters in “community control” permanently.
Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, a socialist, said she would introduce a bill that would ensure a precinct in the area of the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” or CHAZ, remains out of police control.
“The movement, led by a multi-racial community of youth, won a major victory, forcing Seattle police & the big business-backed establishment to leave East Precinct. The movement was undaunted in the face of horrific violence from Mayor Durkan’s police,” Sawant tweeted. “Congratulations, solidarity!”
“Our movement needs to urgently ensure East Precinct is not handed back to police, but is turned over permanently into community control,” she wrote. “My office is bringing legislation to convert East Precinct into a community center for restorative justice.”
Our movement needs to urgently ensure East Precinct is not handed back to police, but is turned over permanently into community control.
My office is bringing legislation to convert East Precinct into a community center for restorative justice. https://t.co/YGSOG0MXU3
— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) June 12, 2020
Sawant’s legislation would turn the police precinct into a community center. Set up earlier this week, CHAZ extends six city blocks around the precinct. It is unclear whether Sawant’s legislation would only cede the precinct or if the “autonomous zone” would remain in place permanently.
Law enforcement officials are worried about not having a permanent presence in the area. “Our 911 response time has tripled from what it was before we had officers not working out of this precinct,” one officer told a protester.
CHAZ has functioned as its own country by securing its borders with armed guards and hanging a sign at the entry points that says: “Now leaving the USA.” The area formed after police abandoned a precinct that was surrounded by protesters advocating against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
