Seattle police and FBI clear out CHOP zone after police chief declares 'enough is enough'

(Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images)

published 1 July 2020

Seattle's mayor has put an end to the nonstop protest occupying the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order just before 5 a.m. Wednesday telling police to clear out the so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest, where protesters against police brutality and racism had gathered for the past month. Seattle police, along with Bellevue police and the FBI, started moving in early Wednesday, and had arrested 31 people by 9:25 a.m., the police said.

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Durkan had been relatively supportive of the protest during its first few weeks. But after "reported life safety, public health, and property issues," Durkan issued the order, she said Tuesday. Two people have died and several more had been injured since the first shooting inside the zone took place June 20. "Black lives matter, and I too want to help propel this movement toward meaningful change in our community. But enough is enough," Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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