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After a deadly weekend in a Seattle area taken over by radical protesters for weeks, Democrat Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the zone will be dismantled because the violence was “distracting” from the peaceful protests.
Lawlessness continues in the Seattle area including multiple shootings resulting in the death of a 19-year-old black man.
The takeover was sparked over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Minnesota black man who died while being arrested by police.
Floyd’s arrest was caught on video and went viral showing him pinned down by a white police officer’s knee to his neck.
Seattle protesters blocked several blocks of the area known as Capitol Hill and renamed the area Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) and Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone (CHOP).
Within this perimeter is the East Precinct police building, where police officers were ordered to clear out earlier this month and the building shuttered.
During a press conference on Monday, Durkan said the zone will be dismantled and the police department will return to the abandoned precinct although no timeline was announced.
Durkan said the violence was “distracting” the peaceful protests.
The Daily Mail reports:
The mayor said the violence was distracting from changes sought by thousands of peaceful protesters seeking to address racial inequity and police brutality. The area has drawn President Donald Trump’s scorn.
Durkan has proven she’s a poor leader.
Previously, Durkan made comments that were grossly irresponsible and under her watch, she defended the takeover of this Seattle area.
Last week, Durkan defended protesters commandeering several street blocks in the city and called their actions “patriotism.”
The New York Post reports:
“It’s simply not true. Lawfully gathering and expressing First Amendment rights, demanding we do better as a society, and providing true equity for communities of color is not terrorism. It’s patriotism.”
Durkan told CNN host Chris Cuomo it’s “more like a block party atmosphere it’s not an armed takeover.”
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says the six-block autonomous zone in her city known as CHAZ, where armed Antifa types have driven off police and set up checkpoints, is "more like a block party atmosphere" than an "armed takeover." pic.twitter.com/5S5RcXyID1
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) June 12, 2020
Durkan also said that “We could have the Summer of Love.”
Q13Fox reports Durkan tried to walk back her “Summer of Love” comment following the uptick in violence saying, “I clearly said that in jest, it probably was not the smart thing to do.” (watch video).
There’s nothing funny about allowing radical protesters the power to take over the streets of Seattle.
Durkan’s lack of leadership thus far enabled the hostile takeover of Seattle streets by radical protesters leading to violence including the death of an individual.
