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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: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2020, @06:33PM (11 children)
So zero reports of violence, let alone military grade weaponry. You're stupid.
Also, isn't this the sort of citizen group action 2A supporters are always defending? But now that some liberals are doing it in defiance of police brutality it is suddenly super dangerous and deserving of military style crackdown?
Lol, this is great seeing the conservative ideology melt down under the harsh light of reality. As usual the liberals are the brave, the conservatives are the cowardly boot lickers LARPing it up, to the amusement of everyone else.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 12 2020, @11:31PM (8 children)
Since when are automatic weapons not considered military grade?
The Chaz, Chuz, Chex, whatever, have guards with automatic rifles at the entrances.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday June 12 2020, @11:32PM
They should be using zorchers.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Saturday June 13 2020, @01:20AM (4 children)
could you provide a citation to support that claim please?
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Saturday June 13 2020, @02:46AM (1 child)
Here's a photo of a CHAZ 'border guard' with what I presume is a semi-auto. Close enough.
https://klch.q-mediadigital.com/partner-news/dispatch-from-chaz-tweets-call-for-guns-gatorade-and-cigarettes-as-cops-struggle-to-figure-out-whos-in-charge/ [q-mediadigital.com]
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @04:28AM
(Score: 3, Informative) by Kalas on Saturday June 13 2020, @06:53PM (1 child)
*("fake news" as those sorts are so fond of both saying and consuming)
(Score: 2) by Kalas on Saturday June 13 2020, @07:08PM
And here I wish I bothered reading all the hidden replies first. Looks like I was beaten to the punch in pointing this out, but sure enough I was right about exactly what put the idea in the guy's head.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @03:18AM
I'm not a supporter of Chaz or Raz, but I would be extremely shocked if they carried automatic weapons. It is almost a certainty that they're carrying semi-automatic weapons.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 13 2020, @07:00PM
you're a fucking moron.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by qzm on Saturday June 13 2020, @03:50AM
I wonder how you would feel if your residence or place of work was inside the zone.
Let alone if you (gasp) owned anything in there..
If they had gone out to some national park and set up their 'autonomous zone' it could be different.
Or are you full communist, and believe property is theft?
I am betting that these 'protesters' would be less than happy if, after going home, they found all their personal property looted and gone.
It took them one whole day to ask for charity 'oh dear, the homeless people took all our food, could someone PLEASE send us vegan meat substitutes and tofu!'
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2020, @09:49PM
https://twitter.com/htrtu_/status/1272275016688775184 [twitter.com]