Seattle Police Sweep CHOP Protest Zone, Arrest Dozens

SEATTLE, WA — Hundreds of officers swept through the Capitol Hill Organized Protest area Wednesday morning, acting on an emergency order issued by Mayor Jenny Durkan declaring an unlawful assembly.

Protesters have occupied the blocks around the police department's East Precinct since June 8, after officers boarded up and abandoned the building, then largely left the neighborhood. While the gathering space initially had public support from the mayor, the tone quickly changed in the wake of recent shootings in the area.

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best released a statement Wednesday morning, calling the CHOP "lawless and brutal" and referencing four recent shootings that left two dead, including a 16-year-old boy on Monday.

According to the Associated Press, law enforcement descended on the protest zone around 5 a.m., tearing down tents, signs and fences, and herding the remaining protesters out of the area. Videos posted on social media showed large groups of officers moving down the street in front of the East Precinct shortly before 6 a.m.

The Seattle Times reported Wednesday's operation involved at least 100 officers, with assistance from the Bellevue Police Department and the FBI. Chief Best later said hundreds responded, including mutual aid from Washington State Patrol troopers.

According to the police department's Twitter feed, several dispersal orders were given throughout the morning, and 31 people were arrested after refusing to leave the area by 9:30 a.m. Late in the afternoon, police reported another 13 arrests.

During a news conference at City Hall Wednesday afternoon, Durkan recommended the city attorney not pursue charges for misdemeanor arrests at the CHOP, including obstruction, failure to disperse or trespassing. Chief Best said the mayor's emergency order to vacate could remain in effect for up to 10 days, barring access to the cordoned-off area to those who are not residents, business owners or city employees.

Asked repeatedly by reporters how the city would respond should a similar occupation happen elsewhere, Durkan and Best deflected, saying any hypothetical decision would be "guided by what the situation on the ground is."

Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales publicly condemned Wednesday's police action in comments posted online and delivered during a City Council meeting.

"Peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment right to protest police brutality have once again been met with police riot gear," Morales said. "The CHOP is a protest. It's always been a protest."

U.S. Attorney General William Barr released a statement Wednesday praising Chief Best for "restoring the rule of law in Seattle." A White House spokesperson later told reporters "Seattle has been liberated." The protest area was a repeated target of President Donald Trump's ire, who tweeted about the CHOP more than a dozen times since June 10, including as recently as Monday.