Loading ...The Seattle Police Department, with help from Bellevue police and the FBI, swept into the CHOP early Wednesday with heavily equipped officers and tactical vehicles to clear out the Capitol Hill protest zone and arrest people who remained there.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order at 4:58 a.m. declaring “gathering in this area an unlawful assembly requiring immediate action from city agencies, including the Police Department.”
Police moved in around 5 a.m., issuing dispersal orders for “anyone who remains in the area or returns to the area.” They had arrested 23 people by 7:45 a.m., according to the department.
At least 100 police officers equipped with body armor, batons, helmets and weapons moved into the CHOP, which stands for Capitol Hill Organized Protest.
Demonstrators have occupied several blocks around Cal Anderson Park and the Police Department’s East Precinct for about three weeks. Police left the precinct after standoffs and clashes with protesters calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-police-clearing-chop-protest-zone/