Story at a glance
- Demonstrators in Seattle are demanding that the city defund the police department in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
- Some have taken to occupying the streets surrounding the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct.
- After abandoning the building, Seattle police say they are trying to resolve the standoff.
Seattle police are trying to reopen their East Precinct after officers had vacated the building while protesters set up a self-determined “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ) in the surrounding streets.
“We’re trying to get a dialogue going so we can figure out a way to resolve this without unduly impacting the citizens and the businesses that are operating in that area,” Assistant Police Chief Deanna Nollette said in a news conference Wednesday.
In an address to officers released by the department after reports that it was leaked, Police Chief Carmen Best said that it was not her decision to leave the precinct.
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“Ultimately the city had other plans for the building and relented to severe public pressure. I’m angry about how this all came about. I understand that my comments and this message may be leaked to the public, but I’m not concerned about that. I stand by what I am saying,” she said, citing the risk of damage to the building upon their departure.
Posts on social media have shown demonstrators in the CHAZ handing out food and other resources to those who have camped out on the streets surrounding the East Precinct building. On Tuesday night, many watched Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th” on a giant projector screen after returning from a march on City Hall. But these images stand in contrast to reports of armed people patrolling the streets, extorting businesses and demanding identification that Best cited in her address.
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“While they have a constitutionally protected right to bear arms, and while Washington is an open carry state, there is no legal right for those arms to be used to intimidate community members,” Nollette said, adding that anyone subjected to these demands should call 911.
Lori Patrick, a spokesperson for the Seattle mayor, told CNN it was unclear what their political affiliation was, despite reports by Fox News host Sean Hannity and other conservative media outlets that these were “armed antifa militants.”
Patrick said local authorities were monitoring the situation and that “city employees, including representatives from the mayor’s office, the Seattle fire chief, and our first responders have been on site continuously with unimpeded access working with organizers to ensure the area is safe for peaceful demonstrations, and that those who gathered have access to hygiene and sanitation services.”
The police department has turned on body-worn cameras at demonstrations after an executive order issued by Mayor Jenny Durkan on Wednesday.
“We know that this is a temporary step. This issue has complex privacy concerns, and I ask that our civilian police oversight entities work with my office and community partners to develop a long-term policy solution on the use of body cameras during demonstrations,” Durkan said.
The mayor has been in a war of words on Twitter with President Trump, who demanded that she “take back” the city.
“Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker,” Durkan tweeted in response.
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