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The CHAZ Has Become America's Fascination
The Stranger describes it as an "anti-capitalist police-free Vatican City inside Capitol Hill." The New York Times deems it "part street festival, part commune." President Donald Trump alludes to it, via tweet, as a bastion for "anarchists" who "must be stooped [sic]."
Seemingly overnight, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone—or, "the CHAZ," as everyone's calling it—has become a local and national fascination. It was only Monday that the Seattle Police Department loaded up trucks and ditched the East Precinct at 12th and Pine, the site of tear gas-clouded confrontations between officers and Black Lives Matter-inspired protesters in the days after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Protesters have since barricaded and transformed a cluster of city blocks into a mostly peaceful enclave of free food, face coverings, resistance art, educational town halls, and even some live music. Seattle Police Department chief Carmen Best says she's heard of armed people patrolling the area and businesses having to pay "protection" fees, but as of this writing, no formal police reports related to either situation have been filed.
At a time when cities are mulling the defunding and, in a few cases, abolition of their police departments, some people might be looking at Seattle's police-free movement with a mix of amusement and genuine curiosity: Is this communal version of the American experiment a blip, or is it a preview of what's to come in other population hubs this summer? For many, however, the questions are more fundamental: How long will the CHAZ (or the People's Republic of Capitol Hill, or Free Cap Hill, depending on your sign preference) stick around? And what are its aims?
Raz Simone, a local rapper, has apparently taken a leading role in declaring a several-block area of a residential Seattle neighborhood to be an independent revolutionary state called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (The CHAZ). Simone and a few friends, armed with several guns and a megaphone, have declared themselves the new police. He came to national attention on Wednesday when a video of him assaulting someone over graffiti came to light online.
[...] The president tweeted Wednesday and Thursday morning that the area has been taken over by a "Terrorist Warlord" and "Domestic Terrorists."
See also: The Future of Capitol Hill's New Autonomous Zone Is Predictable
Businesses Extorted? Armed Checkpoints on Capitol Hill? Yes, and Also Mercer Island Is for Sale
An Exceedingly Chill Day at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Friday June 12 2020, @06:27PM (19 children)
"Still"
There is a certain political movement which is making everything worse. Things were improving until Identity Politics really took over. Seriously, the endgame of Identity Politics is race war. That's what you get when you divide people up by skin color and say those with color RxGxBx are all angels and those with RyGyBy are all devils. Eventually, even those who don't buy the Identity Politics bullshit are going to have to choose to either be a subjugated boot licker or team up with their color. Equality is not an option. It's the most brain dead movement ever and so illogical -- Identity Politics is the source code for white nationalist groups ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Identity [wikipedia.org] ) -- and it seems the woke left is totally buying into that whole framework. These are the some of the dumbest morons to ever exist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2020, @06:58PM (8 children)
It is a helpful movement. It helps you identify idiocy and the weaknesses of centralized platforms.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2020, @07:56PM (7 children)
But, we already knew hemo was an idiocy?
OK, Boomer!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Friday June 12 2020, @09:05PM (6 children)
Keep going. Right now I'm a common formulation of GenX liberal (*) with a lot of disappointment in the old (Boomer) and new (Millennial) hippies who've moved from merely annoying woowooshit into fanning the flames of racial division and tribal war, but if you want to make me an enemy rather than listen to valid criticism -- if you want to force me to choose a side -- then don't be surprised if I don't choose your side because when I do the math, when I look at cancel culture and all the rest, the woke left looks way more dangerous than your average Republican (and the ones I know, are not the social issue dinosaurs you lot try to make them out to be).
So you can take your pussy hats, your knitting wars, your Raz Simones, your suppression of speech, your twitter mobs getting people fired for wrongThink -- and just stuff it where the sun don't shine.
(*) pro-freedom, pro-gay rights, pro-choice, atheist, anti-war, anti-surveillance state, equality for all -- probably not the majority of GenX but not rare -- the type who once subscribed to Skeptical Inquirer and such.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @12:04AM (1 child)
Looks like all your beliefs are right there on the "far-right" Libertarian political platform [lp.org]. Probably the Green platform [gp.org] as well.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Saturday June 13 2020, @03:13AM
I've voted both Green and Libertarian, more Green. I do part ways with the woke-left and the libertarians/greens on open borders.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @04:56AM (3 children)
Cancel culture is a nonsense phrase, that is called "freedom of association." If some business no longer wants anything to do with some asshole that is not your business to decide whether their choice is right or wrong.
Suppression of speech? Please cite these instances of people being prevented from publishing their opinions. All I see are platforms enforcing their terms of service for PR reasons. I don't always agree, but their freedom to moderate their own platforms is their own. Amazing how these protestations only manifest when conservatives are getting the axe. Never heard such complaints from you during other such instances of institutions biased against minorities/gays/etc.
You claim to be a GenX liberal, however you're only getting bent out of shape now that bigots are getting booted from platforms. What about all the minorities jailed unjustly? Non hetero sexuality harassed? These are still real issues. Did you protest the kids in cages? Cause that is 100% more of an issue than some racist assholes losing their twitter account, or getting fired for being hateful pricks.
Maybe you should research the paradox of tolerating the intolerant. As long as Constitutional rights are not violated there is no problem, just angry assholes trying to stir up righteous anger for terrible reasons.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Saturday June 13 2020, @10:04AM
Well, I never voted for Obama. First time because I didn't believe he was the peace candidate he claimed to be. Second time because he proved he was the warmonger I thought he would be. Nor did I vote for Trump. So yeah, I've never voted for kids in cages.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @06:32PM (1 child)
oh now the Bolsheviks believe in freedom of association? what about anti-discrimination, affirmative action laws?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @11:42PM
I've never been a big fan of those either, but until we fix some of the other systemic issues they really don't bother me. There is very little impact on "white" people, other policies like H1B visas and outsourcing are way bigger so go yell at some "kings of capitalism" and advocate for worker protections and then we can talk.
Til then you're just another conservative hypocrite.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2020, @11:07PM (8 children)
Are you fucking kidding me? Identity politics was created by racist fucks now called Republicans. YOU have been the ones using identity politics to demonize the black community, virtue signal so hard that only Christians have a chance in politics. Segregation was the ultimate identity politics you twisted fuck, and the systemic racism in the US has always been about identity politics. Affirmative action was required just to give minorities a chance at success because ASSHOLES like YOU would discriminate against them while telling yourself all sorts of pretty little lies to hide that bias you so desperately don't want to acknowledge.
The real identity politics is when the color of your skin determines your chances of SURVIVING a police encounter. Police brutality has been around for a loooong time, you old fucks are only just recently starting to realize that the black community was not exaggerating in the slightest. Assholes LIKE YOU downplayed their plight, pretended it was their own fault, pretended that the systemic racism and abuse since slaves were freed has not been THE driving factor behind their community problems.
Nixon, Reagan, and even Clinton WAGED WAR on the black community, flooded them with drugs, flooded their communities with racist and abusive police.
You fucking twats think the PC movement is to blame? Hell no, that is just an excuse to make your anger and bigotry feel justified. I'm not saying you are a racist, but when you nod your head to the reporter saying how terrible the black person was, what a drug dealing criminal they were and that is why the cops ended up MURDERING them, well then you become complicit and guilty.
This is really fucking simple stuff, but you FUCKING PRICKS refuse to open your GOD DAMNED BRAINS to the truth and keep hiding behind whatever helps you maintain your psychological status quo.
Go watch the videos of Eric Garner, George Floyd, and Philando Castile being murdered without cause.
And here you say "choose to either be a subjugated boot licker or team up with their color" like the most ignorant asshole in the room? Thanks for trying to start a race war you piece of shit cock sucking conservative dipshit. Ex liberal my ass, you race baiting fuck. I can't believe you have the gall to try and inspire a race war while crying about how it is someone else's fault. You're truly a piece of shit, but I'll gladly retract my opinions if you can open that narrow minded brain of yours and realize what an ass you're being.
Black Lives Matter.
If that statement makes you upset then you are a bigoted moron, full stop.
(Score: 1, Troll) by hemocyanin on Friday June 12 2020, @11:35PM (4 children)
Back in 2016 when I was at the Democrat County Convention as a Bernie delegate from my precinct, I remember a point when the organizers were divvying up some sort of position and they were saying stuff like "we need X females, Y peoples of color, preferably female, also need Z indigenous" blah blah blah -- you really don't understand how divisive and ugly that looks do you? As if the sum total of our worth can be summed up by skin color and whether you have an innie or outie between your legs.
You also forgot to include how Obama's bailing out of the banksters and stomping of the people in the financial meltdown, had a big impact on black home ownership rates.
Anyway, I'm not an "ex liberal" -- my views have remained the same -- but the danger I see to unity, equality, opportunity, prosperity and peace, comes more from the woke left. Given that, I'm sure as heck not voting for you lot or anyone adjacent, and though usually I vote 3d party and my conscience, it is starting to make sense to vote lesser evil and actively vote for your direct opponents. It's a really gross place to be, but that's where we are at.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @01:44AM (3 children)
Nice crafted persona, now fuck off you disingenuous dog whistling twat.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Saturday June 13 2020, @02:58AM (2 children)
Winning hearts and minds yeah? You should include a trump donation link to make it even easier.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @10:16PM (1 child)
Lovely, your response to the hard truth is a threat?
We already have all the hearts and minds we need. Now if only we could fix all the electoral processes the Republicans have subverted then democracy could actually work.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Sunday June 14 2020, @12:37AM
Threat? It's self defense.
You come from a tribe that is destroying people's lives over the most ridiculous things. You scream and swear, call everyone racists and nazis, accept weird shit on blind faith and crusade against others who point that out. Yes, you are dangerous. Yes, that means I may make temporary alliance with those who are less dangerous. I doubt I'm the only one, but keep screaming and burning (figuratively and literally) and don't be surprised if people give you the reputation you deserve.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @06:54PM (2 children)
I admit my bias in private matters, including enterprise, and at the same time i don't support unfair, and unconstitutional excuses for state violence and oppression like the illegal drug war and the prison industrial complex that profits from it. I would rather live in an ethno-region/limited state, but that doesn't mean i support unfair actions towards other races in this current multicultural carcass of a nation. Politicians and business people of my own race are largely to blame for the problems my race faces, not other much less influential people. The descendants of African slaves that were brought here against their will and who prefer to live among their own should be given free passage back home and/or given their own state on the continent, perhaps with a non-agression and mutual protection pacts offered. Al Sharpton says "let us succeed or fail, but get the boot off our neck"? i agree, as long as they get their straw out of our smoothy, as well. Give parts of the southwest to the Mexicans who have all but reconquered it through breeding. Have one region for people who actually want to live in a multicultural USA. I don't think the international criminals that run the world will let the remaining Aryan people have an ethnostate without a fight, but if something isn't done soon, race war/civil war will break out in the USA and China will own the west coast of the USA and Canada.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @08:41PM (1 child)
LMFAO. White is not a race. It's a skin color. Are you Iranian? Why the hell are you calling yourself Aryan then? Go back to Germany and join AfD, GTFO of the melting pot if you don't like it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @06:07PM
No, i'm not from Iran you retarded fuck. I am racially related to the Aryans that remain there. Caucasoid->Aryan branch. (Last i checked the Cultural Marxists at Wikipedia haven't censored that info yet. You can go read it for yourself.) This is what is commonly referred to as white. It can be both a skin color and a designation for a specific race. It's called a "word" and words can have more than one meaning.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Saturday June 13 2020, @04:44AM
Yep, those racist fuckwits whose entire ideology IS identity politics are going to get us all killed!