Protesters Set Up 'Autonomous Zone' in Seattle
Welcome to the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, where Seattle protesters gather without police
Welcome to the CHAZ, the newly named Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, where most everything was free Tuesday.
Free snacks at the No-Cop Co-op. Free gas masks from some guy’s sedan. Free speech at the speaker’s circle, where anyone could say their piece. A free documentary movie — Ava DuVernay’s “13th” — showing after dark.
A Free Capitol Hill, according to no shortage of spray paint on building facades. And perhaps most important to demonstrators, the neighborhood core was free of uniformed police.
Seattle mayor tells Trump to 'go back to your bunker' after he criticizes her handling of protests
(CNN) - The mayor of Seattle on Wednesday told President Donald Trump to "go back to your bunker," after Trump appeared to suggest he would intervene in the city's growing protests and called for law and order.
Seattle 'autonomous zone' has armed guards, local businesses being threatened with extortion, police say
Seattle police say they have received reports of armed guards and potential extortion in a self-declared autonomous zone that spans several blocks and includes a now-closed precinct.
“We’ve heard, anecdotally, reports of citizens and businesses being asked to pay a fee to operate within this area. This is the crime of extortion. If anyone has been subjected to this, we need them to call 911,” Assistant Chief of Police Deanna Nollette said on Wednesday.