Ross: Pros and cons of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Jun 12, 2020, 7:22 AM | Updated: 11:00 am
An artist paints one of the large letters that read "Black Lives Matter" on a street near Cal Anderson Park. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
When Seattle protesters shut down a neighborhood police precinct and set up the so-called “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” rumors began to spread of armed guards at the boundaries and merchants being terrorized.
So videographer Omari Salisbury, who lives there, did a live Facebook stream to address those rumors.
“Here’s the border and I’ll be honest with you, you’re more likely to be stopped by somebody who wants you to sign a petition to tax Amazon,” Omari said.
So, no armed guards, no terrorists, but definitely some crazy stuff – like free sandwiches.
“They got free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Is it strawberry? Because I’m a picky free eater,” said one resident.
There was also a free speech stage. And since free speech can be stressful …
“They even have massage therapists out here, giving massages,” Omari described. “Stepped it up.”
Protesters also painted a multi-color “BLACK LIVES MATTER” mural on the street, with multiple artists commissioned to design and paint their own letter.
Now, it is not good that they closed down the police precinct; that reportedly tripled police response time. But except for that, the main danger in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone seems to be the danger of all this becoming a tourist attraction.
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