CHAZ is gone, but unrest continues
A dozen Seattle Police Department officers were injured and multiple businesses and police facilities were vandalized during weekend anti-police protests, My Northwest reported.
What started as a peaceful protest Sunday morning became rowdy and violent when some protesters showed up a few hours into the demonstration with baseball bats, paint, and fireworks.
Rioters marched through the streets smashing windows, tagging buildings with graffiti, and looting some businesses.
The group attacked police officers standing outside the Seattle Police Department's West Precinct with bottles and rocks. Some officers were injured by fireworks thrown at them by the rioters.
The destructive march continued through the city to the Capitol Hill area, which was the site of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, also known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, which occupied 6-9 blocks of the city surrounding the SPD East Precinct for about two weeks.
When the group arrived at Capitol Hill, they damaged more businesses, looted, and even set a fire inside one business that was broken into.
They got to the East Precinct, which has only recently been recovered by SPD after they abandoned it to CHAZ protesters, and broke out windows at the front of the building and set a small fire inside with fireworks.
Seattle Police called the riots a "very concerted effort at property damage of certain businesses and government facilities." The department shared pictures of some of the damage on Twitter. They reportedly targeted specific businesses:
Police said the group targeted several businesses, including an Amazon store and Starbucks coffee shop. The Macy's downtown also had windows broken.
There's no word yet on how much the damage will cost or if there will be more arrests.
Arson/bomb detectives along with members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are conducting the follow-up investigations related to the arson and the fireworks.
"Demonstrators went from Westlake Park to the Municipal Courthouse and then headed back north to the West Precinct...leaving behind a trail of property destruction. These are criminal acts, not peaceful protests," the post read.
A majority of the Seattle City Council supports severely cutting Seattle Police Department funding in 2020, although Mayor Jenny Durkan is trying to push such measures back by at least one year. From the Seattle Times:
Last week, seven of nine council members said they would support a high-level proposal — laid out by the coalitions Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now — to cut police spending by 50% and redirect the money to alternative 911 responders, community services and affordable housing.
Aaron Colen
Aaron is a former staff writer for TheBlaze. He resides in Denton, Texas, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a Master of Education in adult and higher education.
