For weeks, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan allowed protesters to camp out in the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” or CHAZ — later the “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” zone or CHOP. The self-styled government of their new autonomous zone forced police officers to leave the department’s East Precinct and prevented law enforcement from reentering.
By most standards, CHAZ/CHOP has been an exercise in lawlessness. But Durkan bent over backward to accommodate what she tried to construe as a peaceful expression of citizens’ frustration. It took multiple shootings, reported rapes, robberies, and an angry crowd of protesters showing up at her doorstep for Durkan to do what she should have done weeks ago and restore order.
The Seattle Police Department finally stepped in this week, removing the CHAZ barricades and arresting protesters who resisted. Unfortunately, it took the death of a 19-year-old shooting victim for Durkan to realize that it might have been a poor choice to surrender to the mob.
But even now, she is refusing to admit that her actions (or rather, her lack of spine) created this disaster in the first place:
For weeks, we have had incredibly peaceful demonstrations on Capitol Hill. Thousands of individuals came together to call for change, and their message has been heard loud and clear: Black Lives Matter. We must continue to live up to this moment in our nation’s history.
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) July 1, 2020
Durkan was warned repeatedly (including by this publication) that her abetting of this secessionist enclave would result in violence. But she failed to see the anarchy for what it was. Seattle’s citizens have suffered for it. Four shootings in 10 days within this six-block zone led to at least one death and multiple injuries. Businesses within the zone reported robberies, losses, and extortion.
Any reasonable government would have preserved order and put down protesters’ attempts to thwart it. Durkan did the opposite, allowing protesters to create an environment in which chaos was king.
In the end, it’s her fault.
