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Capitol Hill Occupied Protest

Coordinates: 47°36′54.5″N 122°19′2.83″W / 47.615139°N 122.3174528°W / 47.615139; -122.3174528
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Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Street map of CHAZ and surrounding area as of December 5, 2024.
Street map of CHAZ and surrounding area as of December 5, 2024.
LocationSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Official languagesEnglish (de facto)
GovernmentSelf-declared anarchist commune and partially autonomous intentional community
Establishment
• Declared
June 8, 2020
Area
• Total
0.036 km2 (0.014 sq mi)
Membership~200[1]
CurrencyU.S. dollar (de facto)
Time zoneUTC-7

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone[2] (CHAZ[3] or the Zone), also known as Free Capitol Hill,[4] is a self-declared intentional community and commune of around 200 residents,[1] covering about six city blocks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.[5] The zone was established on June 8, 2020 after the East Precinct was abandoned by the Seattle Police Department.

History

Background

Capitol Hill is a district in downtown Seattle known for its prominent LGBT and counterculture communities. The district had previously been a center for other mass protests, such as the 1999 Seattle WTO protests.[6]

On May 29, 2020, protests began in Seattle following the murder of George Floyd.

Foundation

File:CHAZJune9.jpg
The Zone on June 9, 2020

After days of protests commemorating George Floyd and condemning police brutality outside of the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced her intent to "de-escalate interactions" and limit police presence in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Following a "police retreat,"[4] citizens erected street barricades and declared the area "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone."[4][2]

Territory

The Zone is concentrated around the East Precinct building. It stretches north to East Olive Street, east to 13th Avenue, south to East Pike, and west to Nagle Place. The southern half of Cal Anderson Park falls inside of the zone, while the northern half is contested.[7] Maps of the territory were displayed on OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia.[3]

Protesters concerned about the potential for another vehicle attack[8] used blockades and fences to construct staggered barricades at intersections.[9] The entrance of the Zone's territory is marked by a barrier reading "You Are Entering Free Capitol Hill",[4] an homage to Northern Ireland's "Free Derry".[10] Other signs declared "You are now leaving the USA."[3][11]

Internal governance

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone has no centralized system of governance, operating as a de facto anarchist region. Occupants have stated their intentions of creating a neighborhood beyond policing and a society where the police are no longer necessary.[9][12]

Demands

Representatives from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone released a list of demands on June 9, 2020.[13] The demands fell under four categories: economics; education; the justice system, and health and human services. Authors of the document acknowledged that the zone was on land that was taken from the Duwamish people, writing, "although we have liberated Free Capitol Hill in the name of the people of Seattle, we must not forget that we stand on land already once stolen from the Duwamish People, the first people of Seattle, and whose brother, John T. Williams of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe up north was murdered by the Seattle Police Department 10 years ago."

The demands include the abolition of the Seattle Police Department and for-profit prisons, an inquiry into present and historical cases of police brutality in Seattle, amnesty for protestors, a specialized 911 mental health system trained in de-escalating mental health crises, the right to vote for prisoners, the de-gentrification of the city of Seattle, electoral reform, educational reform, and the removal of monuments for the Confederate States of America.

Culture and amenities

Tents were pitched next to the former precinct in order to hold the space. The No Cop Co-op was established on June 9, offering free water, hand sanitizer, snacks donated by the community, and kebabs. The intersection of 12th and Pine was converted to a square for teach-ins, where a microphone was used to encourage people who were there "to fuck shit up" to go home. An outdoor cinema with a sound system and projector was set up[14] and used to screen open-air movies.[15] The first film shown was 13th, Ava DuVernay's documentary about race and mass incarceration.[14] Portable toilets were provided by the Seattle Department of Transportation.[14] Peaceful demonstrations have been staged and organized, including the invasion of the Seattle City Hall, demanding the resignation of Jenny Durkan.[16]

Many occupants of the Zone have adopted a pink umbrella as an unofficial emblem.[3] Homemade riot shields crafted by the protesters were stenciled with pink umbrellas.[7]

Reactions

Mayor Durkan has stated that she will "de-escalate the situation" within the Zone,[17][7] while Seattle police chief Carmen Best said that her officers would look at different approaches to "reduce [their] footprint" in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.[18] Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant spoke to the Zone occupants at Cal Anderson Park on June 8, 2020.[7] She called for the protesters to turn the precinct into a community center for restorative justice.[14]

On June 9, Senator Ted Cruz from Texas stated that the Zone was "endangering people's lives".[19]

Recognition

The Autonomous Zone has received recognition from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union and has been praised by IWW's Industrial Worker magazine.[9][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Abolish police, get Antifa: Militants take over a neighbourhood". The Daily Telegraph. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Xiaoya, Zhang (June 10, 2020). "这里是美国西雅图！示威者占领当地一个警察局，还宣布成立"自治区"！". Sohu (in Mandarin Chinese). Retrieved June 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (June 10, 2020). "'You're Now Leaving the USA': Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Declared in Seattle". Heavy.
  4. ^ a b c d Burns, C., Keiming, J., and Smith, R. (June 9, 2020). "The Dawn of "Free Capitol Hill"". The Stranger. Retrieved June 9, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Beekman, Daniel (9 June 2020). "Protesters and ACLU sue Seattle, blame mayor and police chief for 'unnecessary violence' at demonstrations". The Seattle Times. Seattle. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  6. ^ https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2019/12/wto-20-return-to-the-battle-for-capitol-hill/
  7. ^ a b c d "'Welcome to Free Capitol Hill' — Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone forms around emptied East Precinct — UPDATE". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Get In the Zone: A Report from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle". It's Going Down. June 9, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d James, J. F. (June 9, 2020). "The Birth of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone". Industrial Worker. Industrial Workers of the World. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  10. ^ Mac Cuarta, Anraoi (November 1973). "Saor Dhoire". Comhar. 32 (11): 4–9. doi:10.2307/20553451. JSTOR 20553451.
  11. ^ Crabtree, Susan (June 10, 2020). "Is Unarmed National Guard Emboldening Seattle Mob?". RealClearPolitics.
  12. ^ Ruiz, Michael (June 9, 2020). "Seattle protesters declare 'cop free zone' after police leave precinct". Fox News. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  13. ^ https://medium.com/@seattleblmanon3/the-demands-of-the-collective-black-voices-at-free-capitol-hill-to-the-government-of-seattle-ddaee51d3e47
  14. ^ a b c d Burns, Chase (June 10, 2020). "The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Renames, Expands, and Adds Film Programming". The Stranger.
  15. ^ "西雅图示威者成立"自治区"，闯市政厅要市长下台_区社区". Sohu (in Chinese). June 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Rambaran, Vandana (10 June 2020). "Seattle protesters storm City Hall, demand mayor resign after driving police out of area, declaring autonomous zone". Fox News. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Protesters Establish Autonomous Zone Around Seattle PD Building as Police Retreat". Democracy Now!. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "Live updates: Protesters establish 'Free Capitol Hill' near East Precinct". MyNorthwest. KIRO-FM. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  19. ^ Ted Cruz [@tedcruz] (June 9, 2020). "This is endangering people's lives. #ThisIsNuts" (Tweet). Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
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