My terrifying five-day stay inside Seattle's cop-free zone
Chaos reigns in this no policeman's land
SEATTLE — On June 8, Seattle police frantically loaded what they could from the East Precinct station onto trucks and cars. Within hours, they boarded up and abandoned the station. That night, left-wing protesters from Black Lives Matter and Antifa declared ownership of the six-block neighborhood in the middle of the Pacific Northwest’s largest city. They named their new territory the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” or CHAZ. No laws or rules applied here except for one: “No cops allowed.”
During five undercover days and nights in the zone, I witnessed a continuing experiment in anarchy, chaos and brute-force criminality. In order to avoid being exposed as a journalist — several reporters have been barred or expelled — I slept and showered outside the zone. (Those inside have no showers but they do have portable bathrooms.) I took meals, and most of my water breaks, elsewhere because I was reluctant to remove my mask and risk being recognized. Every day, I entered the zone twice through its semiporous borders — once in the early afternoon, and again after sundown, staying until the wee hours.
Crime has surged inside and outside the zone.
On Saturday morning, a shooting erupted that left at least one person dead and another injured near a border checkpoint. Police were reportedly met with resistance when they tried to get to the victims, who apparently were then taken in private cars to the hospital. On Thursday, police arrested Robert James after he left the CHAZ. He is accused of sexually assaulting a deaf woman who was lured inside a tent. The same day, former City Council candidate Isaiah Willoughby was arrested on suspicion of starting the arson attack on the East Precinct June 8. Police Chief Carmen Best has said police response times to 911 calls in the surrounding area have “more than tripled” because they are down a station. Various Occupy-type protests have occurred across the US since the original occupation near Wall Street in 2011. But CHAZ is nothing like the mostly peaceful tent city in privately owned Zuccotti Park that was corralled and closely monitored by the NYPD. CHAZ occupants — ranging from several hundred to 10,000 depending on the day, with many openly armed — control all of the Capitol Hill neighborhood near downtown. The neighborhood is the heart of Seattle’s gay and counterculture district and is densely filled with businesses and apartment buildings. CHAZ now claims all of it. Before the takeover, violent clashes between rioters and police defending the East Precinct resulted in dozens of officers injured. Protesters and rioters complained of police brutality, leading Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Chief Best to ban cops from using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bangs for 30 days.
As soon as police evacuated from the station nearly two weeks ago, masked protesters stole city property — barricades, fencing and more — to create makeshift barriers. These barriers became the border checkpoints of CHAZ. They were later fortified with additional layers of security: more blockades and 24-hour guards.
A large team of volunteers assembled to designate themselves “security” for CHAZ. Many wear patches signaling they’re part of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club, a far-left militia-type organization named after the radical abolitionist. Last year, one of its members carried out an armed attack on an Immigration, Customs and Enforcement facility in Tacoma, Wash. Police said Willem van Spronsen tried to ignite a 500-gallon propane tank attached to the facility. He was killed by police.
The head of CHAZ’s security is a short woman named “Creature.” She and the rest of her team communicate with walkie-talkie devices and ear pieces. Some openly carry rifles, handguns, batons or knives. Their operating base is in the open-air eating section of the Rancho Bravo Tacos restaurant.
Mainstream media reports have focused on the “block party” atmosphere of the occupation, repeating a talking point from the Seattle mayor. She, along with fellow Democrat, Gov. Jay Inslee, have gone to great lengths to emphasize the “peaceful” nature of the occupation. For media crews that arrive during the day, that is certainly what they will see. People have barbecues in the street. Many bring their children to make street art. People walk their dogs.
But at night, a whole different side of CHAZ emerges.
Lacking agreed-upon leadership, those who have naturally risen to the top have done so with force or intimidation. For example, rapper Raz Simone (left), real name Solomon Simone, patrols CHAZ on some nights with an armed entourage. Simone, originally from Georgia, has an arrest record for child cruelty and other charges. He usually conducts his patrols carrying a long semiautomatic rifle and sidearm.
Not everyone in CHAZ recognizes Simone’s police-like presence, but no one is willing to stand up to him and his group. There have been consequences to those perceived as challengers or threats.
Independent Los Angeles-based journalist Kalen D’Ameida recorded Simone and his crew in the early hours of Monday morning. He was spotted by one of Simone’s men, who manhandled him and demanded he turn over his mobile device. Simone’s team chased D’Ameida and tried to drag him to the security tent. He escaped by hiding in a construction site outside CHAZ until police responded to his 911 call.
Those unfortunate enough to have homes or businesses within CHAZ — an estimated 30,000 residents — have no say over their new overlords. Residents have discreetly voiced their concerns to local media. Gunshots and “screams of terror” at night have been reported. A resident of an apartment building came out twice to ask protesters to leave the alley where the entrance is. They brushed him off.
Every business and property inside CHAZ has been vandalized with graffiti. Most messages say some variation of “Black Lives Matter” or “George Floyd,” but others call for the murder of police. Most businesses are boarded up. “ACAB” — short for “All cops are bastards” — is written over them.
In the midst of the restlessness and drug abuse that arises in and around CHAZ, acts of kindness and community support also flourish. Donations from outside have poured in every day, supplying the camp with food and supply stations.
The “No Cop Co-Op,” the largest supply booth, distributes raw meat and fresh vegetables. Next to the tents in Cal Anderson Park, denizens have started rudimentary “farms” to grow lettuce and herbs. One farm is only for “black and indigenous folks.” Those looking to make new friends can sit on one of the many sofas at the “Decolonization Conversation Cafe.” Free coffee is served.
Left-wing political groups have capitalized on the opportunity to recruit new members. The Democratic Socialists of America features prominently in addition to the Seattle Revolutionary Socialists. But extremists have also set up shop.
One station that operates offand-on distributes extremist anarchist communist agitprop — the political ideology of Antifa. In one manual, instructions show how to use human shields against police and make “bombs” using light bulbs and paint.
Another booklet features short essays on why police, capitalism and the state must be destroyed by any means necessary. One section explains how the media are enemies used to “pacify” revolutionaries.
“Our contempt for the media is inextricable from our hatred of this entire world,” it reads.
Attacks on journalists accused of not toeing the line have become commonplace. On Monday, a masked Antifa militant pointed me out to her comrades and tried to assemble a mob. I left before I could be injured. The following day, a Fox News crew was forced out of the zone.
Knowing the danger journalists faced in CHAZ, I tried to blend in by dressing in the “black bloc” uniform popularized by Antifa. I avoided speaking to people on the chance they would recognize my voice.
When they viewed me as one of their own, they were incredibly kind. They offered me water and snacks throughout the day. Suspicious “outsiders,” on the other hand, were immediately tailed by security.
Despite the pleas from those who live and work inside Capitol Hill for law and order to be restored, Seattle’s City Council has determined that CHAZ should continue. On Tuesday, the city even provided upgrades to CHAZ, including street blockades that double as graffiti canvases, along with cleaning services and port-apotties.
It is difficult to decipher what CHAZ occupants want. Each faction, whether liberal, Marxist or anarchist, has its own agenda. But one manifesto posted on Medium demands no less than the abolishment of the criminal justice system.
What will happen if demands aren’t met? Jaiden Grayson, a young black woman who has developed a large following in CHAZ, told a filmmaker: “Respond to the demands of the people or prepare to be met with any means necessary . . . It’s not even a warning. I’m letting people know what comes next.”