Is there trouble in paradise?
Journalist and author Andy Ngo entered Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Zone (CHOP, formerly known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ) and reports that the situation at night is far different from the peaceful picture many media outlets paint of the area during daylight hours.
While the six-block region, which became an “autonomous zone” after police abandoned the local precinct and essentially withdrew their presence from the community except for urgent 911 calls, may appear relatively peaceful during the day, Ngo told Fox News @ Night host Shannon Bream that “criminal elements come out” at night — making for a “sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” situation.
According to Ngo, nightfall sees mobs of looters freely terrorizing local businesses without any police response.
“Unfortunately, last night that was made very clear, when one person on a microphone and a loudspeaker was able to sic a mob of probably more than 100 people to chase down this business that was several blocks away,” Ngo said. “They just all descended on it. It was pure anarchy.”
A man on a microphone sicced a large mob on the Car Tender autoshop near the Seattle “autonomous zone.” They broke down the fence. The owner said he apprehended an arsonist before all his comrades showed up to try & free him. Police never came. #CapitolHillAutonomousZone #antifa pic.twitter.com/hf4lYzm2rF
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 15, 2020
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“They pushed up against the fence and all rushed in. It could have been extremely violent,” Ngo continued. “Fortunately it wasn’t, according to what I heard from the owner and staff. They had detained one of the comrades of this camp for alleged arson and theft. And, because of that, all [of] his comrades came to help get him out.”
“[The] police never came,” he added.
Ngo said support for CHOP from those living in its borders is mixed. On the one hand, some businesses are in favor of the cause. Left-wing outlets like the Daily Beast have run articles quoting locals who say the situation isn’t all that bad.
On the other hand, Ngo encountered others who are concerned for their safety and for the well-being of their businesses.
“For example, there’s a Trader Joe’s nearby who announced just a few days ago that they’re closing indefinitely because of security and safety issues,” he related. “So, when you take that and you also see all [of] the businesses that are boarded up, that no cars can drive into this area — I don’t see how the few anecdotes of positive experiences of some owners could be the representative voice.”
“Particularly when there are now some dissident voices coming out to speak and they’re having to do it anonymously because of threats of retaliation,” Ngo observed.
Footage published on social media corroborates reports that violence and mob rule are common in CHOP.
One video posted to Twitter showed one of the autonomous zone’s leaders, rapper Raz Simone, assaulting a man for spraying graffiti on a wall.
Policing in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone by @RazSimone. There appear to be no body cameras, reports, or oversight and accountability. This was an attempt at de-escalation for spraying paint onto a building which resulted in an alleged assault. #chaz #FreeCapitolHill pic.twitter.com/dI1J6QNcpn
— TheWholeStory (@TheWholeStory6) June 10, 2020
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A Christian street preacher was dragged out of CHOP for expressing his religious views.
BREAKING: Attacked Christian street preacher in Seattle:
Mr Trump, this place has got to be shut down now. They’ve taken our country. It’s a disgrace. This is not America. pic.twitter.com/hj04kxwSTE
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) June 14, 2020
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As MyNorthWest.com reports, armed guards keep watch at the entrances to CHAZ/CHOP, although they keep their weapons concealed. Those involved with the CHOP movement patrol the area sporting handguns, rifles, batons, and knives.
It isn’t only violence that plagues CHOP. Ngo reported that other social ills such as drug use, homelessness, and lack of medical care are prevalent:
At night, it’s a completely different vibe than during the day. You see vagrants come there. Some of them are dealing with mental and health [crises]. There was an ambulance that was called yesterday. The fact that police are not going in should tell you quite a lot. And, this is what my own sourcing had told me last week is that if anybody needs help you actually have to leave the physical zone and go return to the U.S., let’s say, to get help.
All this is a far cry from what Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) would have us believe is going on. After all, she brushed off President Trump’s calls for order in the city by insisting that CHOP is less an insurrection and “more like a block party.”
Apparently, violence, looting, vandalism, and mobocracy are staples of the block parties Mayor Durkan frequents.
Ngo summed up the sad state of many CHOP residents who didn’t ask to be part of the “occupied zone” but are now obliged to live with the consequences.
“This is now a one-week experiment in anarchy and chaos, and those who live there have to fend for themselves,” he said.
Image: screenshot from Twitter video
Luis Miguel is a marketer and writer whose journalistic endeavors shed light on the Deep State, the immigration crisis, and the enemies of freedom. Follow his exploits on Facebook, Twitter, Bitchute, and at luisantoniomiguel.com.
Author: Luis Miguel
Source: The New American: Journalist Who Entered Seattle’s CHOP: Lawlessness Reigns at Night
