Inside Seattle's 'autonomous zone' around the city's abandoned police precinct
Former Seattle City Council candidate Ari Hoffman explains what's really going on in his city.
Seattle protesters, some of them armed, have taken over six blocks in the city and the mayor has "lost control of the situation," according to former Seattle City Council candidate Ari Hoffman.
“They said they were going to abandon the precinct and allow protesters who had been attacking police officers for multiple nights the week before — night after night after night, with rocks, stones, even IED’s they were attacking police with,” Hoffman told “Fox & Friends.”
Hoffman described the conditions of the area the protesters have occupied.
“I even saw multiple homeless tents down there. People in the throes of drug use. There are all kinds of people that you can imagine down in this encampment, down in this area, holding control of Seattle streets," he said.
"There is even a guy who has declared himself the warlord of the area," Hoffman continued. "He goes around assaulting people at night who he doesn’t approve of with what they’re doing. He carries an AR-15 with him.”
SEATTLE OFFICERS FACE 'AUTONOMOUS ZONE' CROWD, SAYS 911 RESPONSE TIMES HAVE TRIPLED
The leadership in Seattle appeared to be in disarray Friday after the city's embattled mayor called the protesters who have taken over an "autonomous zone" in the city "patriotic." Meanwhile, the official who ordered police to flee the nearby precinct has refused to come forward.
Despite protesters calling on Mayor Jenny Durkan and Chief Carmen Best to resign, the mayor resisted the call and raised eyebrows when she joked about considering a "Thelma & Louise" moment in an interview, referring to the 1991 movie about two women on the run from the law.
Hoffman said the group consists of Antifa, Black Lives Matter activists, and other people who have joined in. Hoffman also said that the city is enabling the protest by failing to act.
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“The city instead is negotiating with them. They’re bringing in utility companies, they’re taking care of their garbage for them, they brought in porta-potties and pumped those out. The city is now enabling this behavior and these people think that they’re going to negotiate and get a police precinct under their control as a community center,” Hoffman said.
“The city completely has given up responsibility for this area and there are people that live in this area. There are businesses in this area.”
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