CHOP protesters refuse to let Seattle city officials clear barriers
Crews from the Department of Transportation pulled back when police say they were confronted by armed protesters; Claudia Cowan reports.
A police precinct in Seattle was attacked Friday night as violent clashes continued there and in Portland, Ore., more than a month after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Rioters were seen smashing a window at the entrance to the city’s West Precinct, prompting a group of officers in riot gear to charge out of the building and chase the crowd away, video posted on social media by local station KOMO-TV showed.
SEATTLE CHOP ZONE PROMPTS LAWSUIT FROM BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS: REPORTS
No officers were reported injured in the confrontation, according to KOMO.
Earlier Friday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan met with some occupants of the city’s controversial “CHOP” occupied protest zone, after some tried to block the city’s effort to dismantle the zone earlier in the day.
A protester stands on a barricade with his fist raised, Friday, June 26, 2020 at the the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle after workers and trucks from the Seattle Department of Transportation arrived with the intention of removing barricades that had been set up in the area, which has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month, but left after meeting resistance from protesters. (AP)
Omari Salisbury, a local journalist who attended the meeting, told reporters afterward that Durkan had agreed to wait until Sunday morning to remove most of the CHOP barriers, The Associated Press reported.
The mayor initially supported the protest but began looking to shut it down after several shootings occurred in what protesters tried to establish as a “police-free” area.
In Portland, crowds showed up again Friday night near the Multnomah County Justice Center, a frequent site of unrest, KOIN-TV reported.
Multiple demonstrations took place in the city Friday, including an Abolish ICE protest at nearby Terry Schrunk Plaza, the news outlet reported.
Earlier Friday, Portand’s police chief and local black leaders spoke out against violence and vandalism after the city’s North Precinct and nearby businesses were attacked the night before, OregonLive.com reported.
Between Thursday night and early Friday, rioters had set fires near the precinct as well as to surrounding structures, FOX 12 Oregon reported.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Seattle Police officers are confronted by protesters, Friday, June 26, 2020 just outside a barricade at the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) zone in Seattle after Seattle Department of Transportation workers arrived with the intention of removing barricades that had been set up in the area, which has been occupied by protesters since Seattle Police pulled back from their East Precinct building following violent clashes with demonstrators earlier in the month. (AP)
Multiple businesses in the area were also vandalized and looted, the FOX 12 report said.
This Friday, June 26, 2020, photo released by the Portland Police Department shows damage after protests calling for an end to racial injustice and accountability for police in Portland, Ore. Some protesters set fire to a police precinct, vandalized businesses and tried to barricade police officers inside their station during a demonstration early Friday morning that ended with law enforcement using tear gas to disperse the crowd, authorities said.
(Portland Police Department via AP)
Photos posted by the station showed smashed windows, debris in the streets and graffiti spray-painted on buildings.
“Protests are effective when they are expensive,” one message read.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
