Trump zones out on dismantling Seattle ‘autonomous zone’
Who said 2020 couldn’t get more chaotic?
Pandemics, police, and protests were preeminent, but they have now given way to “proletariat” pandemonium, as anarchists, communists and wannabe warlords (interspersed with partying Millennials and Generation Z’ers) have commandeered a section of Seattle and declared it an “autonomous zone.”
Sure, it seems to be all rainbows and lollipops for those barricaded inside a six-block area around the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, with “free” food, film screenings, no police, no rules - and no government. But before likeminded folks attempt to emulate this in other cities, perhaps they should look at the real picture inside the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ): No protection from criminals; no legal recourse; no true medical care; no proper sanitation removal; no showers; almost no toilets (with streets doubling as bathrooms, creating a stench made pungent by the summer heat); vastly increased response times for 911 calls (if those calls are answered at all); and public and private property destroyed at will.
And that’s just for starters.
Once the novelty of playing house with hundreds of strangers wears off, the radicals and those following them will learn that their social justice utopia doesn’t quite stack up when compared to a warm shower, hot meal, and a bed that isn’t a sidewalk.
As social experiments go, this is a monumental failure for extreme leftism. No surprise there - but that’s a political discussion. Far more important is that this flagrant disregard of the law was permitted to take place, let alone continue, for over a week. That abomination is an indictment of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and President Donald Trump.
Here’s a look:
1) The CHAZ is so rudderless that, quite comically, its “inhabitants” can’t even agree on what to call their “movement.” First, it was CHAZ. That didn’t sit right, so then it became CHOP - Capitol Hill Occupied Protest. But that didn’t work either, so the “O” now stands for “Organized” though “Out-to-Lunch” might be more appropriate.
Farcical names aside, this situation poses a significant threat. U.S. citizens have been victimized by a militant group, and American soil has been compromised.
According to Seattle police, there are reports that residents have been forced to show identification as a condition to enter the zone and return to their homes, and some business owners have been forced to pay “protection fees” - a fancy way of saying extortion. Some entering the zone have been stopped by armed “guards,” while others have been physically attacked for carrying the American flag. And all have been deprived of government services for which they paid.
The police station inside the zone was vandalized and stripped bare of equipment, and streets are littered with huge painted messages (which will cost a fortune to remove). And in the irony of all ironies, armed Antifa units are reportedly “patrolling” the area, which makes them, by definition, “police.” And here we were told that CHAZ was a “copfree zone.”
Let’s be clear: This is not akin to Cuba or Venezuela, because those governments would never allow such insurrection. It is closer to drug cartel warlords who control regions through violence and intimidation. And it must end. Enough is enough.
2) For the last four years, all we’ve heard about is impeachment, impeachment, impeachment. The Left finally succeeded, but their strategy backfired when the president emerged from it stronger than ever. But even Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh isn’t in the clear, as shameless Democrats, including former presidential candidates and numerous congressmen, want him impeached.
Yet the two elected officials truly deserving of impeachment - Mr. Inslee and Ms. Durkan (who referred to CHAZ criminals as patriots) - are getting a free ride with nary a peep about removing them. How is that possible? This isn’t just some random government building that was taken over, but an entire neighborhood. Both leaders have allowed a major American city in their jurisdiction to be controlled by armed insurgents, and both have permitted Washington residents (and yes, American citizens) to be stripped of their constitutional rights. The CHAZ occupiers have broken scores of laws, and threaten the stability of the entire region, so the abject failure of both leaders to end the anarchy is on full display. If impeachment isn’t used on those grounds, what’s the point of having it?
3) Since CHAZ organizers engaged in criminal acts, some bordering on terror, their demands should be ignored and no negotiations should occur, as doing so gives them a legitimacy which they don’t deserve.
Some of the CHAZ issues may well be valid. But when you decimate the rule of law simply because you don’t like it, and seize American territory by intimidation and force, you forfeit your right to be heard. Far from legitimate civil disobedience, CHAZ is a slap to all who do it the right way, from the Civil Rights movement to today’s peaceful demonstrations. If the criminal element in CHAZ wants the world to hear their beefs, they can write their treatises in prison. Because that’s where they belong.
Failure to arrest and prosecute will set a dangerous precedent. As it stands, because no one has acted to end the madness (a “victory” for the anarchists), it has emboldened other to contemplate doing the same thing. But if you think a rag-tag group in Seattle is bad, just wait for coordinated, well-funded agitators to turn it up a notch in cities across America - all at the same time.
4) Most Americans, of every race and color, oppose CHAZ because they realize two things: A) there’s a way to do things which moves the ball forward, and B) this isn’t it. People want law and order because of the stability that it provides: personal and family safety; a conducive environment for businesses; economic income; educational opportunities; and boosting quality of life.
We still have our differences, on everything from policing to income inequality to school disparities, but those problems can, and often are, solved by working together peacefully and maintaining civil dialogue. Nothing ever gets accomplished by engaging in thuggery.
During a TV interview, a woman lamented that CHAZ organizers hijacked the Black Lives Matter protests. She is absolutely right, as the BLM message was derailed by all-about-me anarchists more interested in headlines and a music-fest atmosphere than advancing a true agenda. That’s shameful, and those responsible need to be held accountable.
5) Most disappointing is that President Trump’s response has been limited to tweeting. His all-words, no-action bravado and never-ending string of idle threats are quickly creating Trump Fatigue, even among supporters.
Some on the right justify the president’s impotence in three ways: 1) since the state of Washington is liberal, and therefore Mr. Trump won’t win its electoral votes, he should just ignore everything that happens there; 2) the longer the CHAZ fiasco plays out, the better that Republicans look, and 3) using force to liberate the CHAZ is a trap, as the President will be accused of being heavy-handed - playing into his critics’ narrative that he is a “dictator” president.
Wrong on all counts, and if people left their partisan echo chambers for a change, they would see that.
First, true public servants don’t pick and choose whom they help based on political preferences. And anyone thinking this situation affects only those in Seattle has lost all rational perspective. A hostile takeover is an affront to every single American, of every race, creed and color, because it strikes at the very core of what makes America a stable bastion of freedom. Second, politics should have nothing to do with resolving this crisis. Ending it is the right policy; if there is political benefit, so be it. But that’s a bonus. Third, Americans would back Mr. Trump by a wide margin if he used the FBI (not the military) to dismantle CHAZ and arrest its leaders - especially if he addressed the nation in realtime as the operation unfolded, articulating what he was doing, and why.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump seems to be worrying more about losing his job than doing it. It’s time the President acts like our commander-in-chief and puts an end to this ugly saga. Be it CHAZ, CHOP or the name-du jour is, the time to end it is now.