A street preacher entered the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, where his free speech was stifled, physically assaulted, and choked. Elijah Schaffer of BlazeTV, who is the host of the "Slightly Offens*ve" podcast, was reporting from the CHAZ on Saturday and captured some unnerving video.
The New York Times wrote an article about the CHAZ titled "Free Food, Free Speech and Free of Police: Inside Seattle's 'Autonomous Zone.'" However, speech may not be as free as advertised. Several people in the CHAZ demanded that the preacher be removed from the autonomous zone for speech about Christianity that offended them.
I definitely understand that many street preachers can be offensive Openly saying things that upset people Espe… https://t.co/6XKRuNJf10— ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ELIJAH SCHAFFER) 1592077176.0
One activist in the CHAZ threatened the protester. In the video, a man wearing a red bandanna on his face can be heard telling the preacher, "You'll die out here bro. Do you wanna die out here?" The preacher responded, "Sin is worse than death."
BREAKING: Citizens of CHAZ threaten the life of a street preacher @ElijahSchaffer @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/S6D3oGRtcl— Drew Hernandez (@Drew Hernandez) 1592084445.0
The same people who protested police brutality in the past few weeks, especially chokeholds, were the same ones choking the preacher because he didn't obey their orders. The preacher screamed, "You're choking me!"
One person in the CHAZ didn't believe the street preacher should be expelled from the autonomous zone, and he was immediately called a "f***king Nazi sympathizer."
Chazinite: F*cking Nazi Sympathizer Man on Bike: I’m Jewish! A Seattle man is accused of being sympathetic toward… https://t.co/ptRkZGCb02— ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ELIJAH SCHAFFER) 1592080545.0
The man in the red bandanna screams at white people for "not being allies" in the Black Lives Matter movement.
WHITE CITIZEN OF CHAZ CONDEMNS WHITE PEOPLE FOR NOT TAKING ACTION AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE @ElijahSchaffer https://t.co/yb9IsQXaWP— Drew Hernandez (@Drew Hernandez) 1592088995.0
The preacher attempted to go on a stage, but was not allowed. A woman with a microphone asked for "white people who have experience in security, and can maybe talk to this gentleman, it really isn't the job of the black people to handle this situation."
The woman asked the crowd to "will him out of here." She told the crowd, "So please think about him leaving."
A protester yelled, "TAKE HIS PANTS OFF!"
Organizer asked for some help dealing with the instigator, while a protested yelled "TAKE HIS PANTS OFF!" https://t.co/rx7r5p4jTf— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@(((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio) 1592086720.0
Several people wrestled the preacher to the ground when he went on a stage in the CHAZ and declared, "This is a Christian zone."
A scuffle broke out in the zone after a man came around screaming that this is a “Christ Zone.” A masked guy then t… https://t.co/SW4dW0WuiS— Julio Rosas (@Julio Rosas) 1592082678.0
A man stole the preacher's speaker.
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE STREET PREACHER GETS HIS SPEAKER STOLEN BY CITIZENS OF CHAZ @ElijahSchaffer https://t.co/qkP7uHW0Qy— Drew Hernandez (@Drew Hernandez) 1592085327.0
According to Andy Ngo, editor-at-large at The Post Millennial, "prominent Antifa militant in the Portland area," Luis Marquez, was at the autonomous zone.
"The only time we are heard is when we burn s*** down," the man in the video said. "And if white America doesn't want to get it right they're gonna see more burning, more looting."
@ElijahSchaffer That’s Luis Marquez. He’s a prominent Antifa militant in the Portland area who travels to other sta… https://t.co/Wh7K3MR0cq— Andy Ngô (@Andy Ngô) 1592084023.0
At the border of the autonomous zone, a man was armed with a .50-caliber Desert Eagle.
One guy manning an entry point at CHAZ now carries his Desert Eagle .50 after he says he was assaulted with a vehic… https://t.co/u1vVwh9yVi— Shelby Talcott (@Shelby Talcott) 1592064198.0