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Kshama Sawant
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Radical leftist councilwoman refuses to blame CHOP for latest shooting death, says 'capitalism's brutality & endemic violence' are at fault

'Our movement rejects insinuations & falsehoods perpetuated by corporate & conservative media that this violence is outcome of CHOP ...'

On the heels of the shooting death of a black 16-year-old male at Seattle's infamous autonomous zone — the Capitol Hill Organized Protest — radical leftist councilwoman Kshama Sawant is refusing to blame CHOP for the latest killing there.

No, for Sawant — a card-carrying socialist — the fault, of course, lies with capitalism.

"While we await details of this tragic killing, it highlights capitalism's brutality & endemic violence," Sawant tweeted. "Our movement rejects insinuations & falsehoods perpetuated by corporate & conservative media that this violence is outcome of CHOP or of our movement."

That statement was a follow-up to her tweet saying, "Deepest condolences from Socialist Alternative and my Council office to the family and friends and fellow activists of the community member who was tragically killed in the drive-by shooting at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP)."

What else do we know about Sawant?

Sawant has aligned herself with the leftist protesters inside CHOP from the start of their occupation of downtown Seattle. In fact, she and her staff let hundreds of George Floyd protesters inside City Hall one night earlier this month, after which she appeared to call her fellow council members "sellouts" while protesters called for Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan to resign.

The socialist councilwoman — who told an adoring crowd during a Bernie Sanders campaign rally earlier this year that "we need a powerful socialist movement to end all capitalist oppression and exploitation!" — showed up Sunday with protesters outside Durkan's home following the mayor's insistence that CHOP's time was over.

Durkan was none too pleased with Sawant, calling her participation in the protest yet another one of her "political stunts."

What do we know about the latest shooting death?

Police responded to CHOP around 3 a.m. Monday and found a Jeep Cherokee "riddled with bullets," Police Chief Carmen Best told KING-TV.

Police told the station a 16-year-old unidentified male was shot and later died after being taken to a hospital and that a 14-year-old male was in critical condition after being shot. Both victims are black, NBC News said.

Detectives interviewed protesters who said they were in CHOP at the time of the shooting, but Best said people aren't cooperating, KING reported, adding that this is at least the fourth shooting in or near the CHOP in nine days.

Seattle officials said barriers around CHOP would be dismantled Sunday, but the autonomous zone was still standing Monday morning, KING added.

"Enough is enough," Best said in reaction to the multiple killings, adding that "two African American men dead at a place where they claim to be working for Black Lives Matter. But they're gone, they're dead now and we've had multiple other incidents — assaults, rape, robbery, shootings — and so this is something that's going to need to change."

4th shooting near Seattle's CHOP zone in 9 days investigatedyoutu.be

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