President Trump vows to not let Seattle be occupied by 'anarchists'
Seattle Police Officers Guild president Michael Solan slams local leadership for not enforcing rule of law on occupiers.
Seattle Police Officers Guild President Michael Solan told "Outnumbered Overtime" Friday that the city is now the "closest I've ever seen ... to becoming a lawless state."
Solan called for local leaders to help restore order after anti-cop protesters declared a six-block section of the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood to be an "autonomous" area and a "cop-free zone."
SEATTLE POLICE UNION CHIEF: CITY LEADERS HAVE 'LOST ALL POLITICAL WILL TO ENFORCE THE RULE OF LAW'
Solan told host Harris Faulkner that legitimate issues of police brutality and racism had been "stolen by unreasonable activists in the city of Seattle.
"And now, they control six square blocks," he added. "They control the precinct. And that is a direct result of our city-elected officials lacking the political willpower to enforce the rule of law."
"And, this is the closest I've ever seen our country, let alone the city here, to becoming a lawless state when public safety issues are deeply, deeply concerning," Solan went on.
People walk near a sign that reads "You are entering free Capitol Hill," Thursday in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
"And, if…unreachable activists have taken over an East Precinct voluntarily given up by an elected officials’ decisions, what’s to stop them from taking another precinct?" he asked. "And...West Precinct -- where 300 protesters marched on it two nights ago, where officers were ordered back inside, outside the perimeter -- If we lose that flagship precinct, that houses the 911 communications center. Therefore, if that becomes disabled, how do we provide public safety services to the entire city?"
"This is how serious this conversation is," he asserted.
Seattle's Democratic mayor, however, had a different take on the demonstration. On Thursday, Jenny Durkan told CNN that the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) was more akin to a patriotic "block party."
In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Harris Faulkner earlier Thursday, President Trump described Durkan's handling of the situation as "pathetic," and assured that his administration is "not going to let Seattle be occupied by anarchists."
"I will tell you, if they don't straighten that situation out, we're going to straighten it out," he promised.
"We need leadership from somebody. Because it's not occurring in the city right now," Solan urged.
"The overall Seattle community, the reasonable people, fully support reasonable activism. Not this unreasonable activism that, sadly, has taken our city hostage," he told Faulkner.
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'We need rule of law here. And, as a Seattle resident, I am so embarrassed," he added. "And, as a proud professional public safety officer, we are more than willing to be brought to the table as a stakeholder. But, we have yet to be invited, and our open letter to the mayor has yet to [be] publicly acknowledged."
"We need some serious help in Seattle," Solan concluded.
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