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City of Seattle Reaches Astonishing Deal with Occupying Protesters

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Seattle officials have reportedly reached an agreement with protesters occupying a portion of the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and will replace the temporary roadblocks put in place by the “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” with concrete barriers.

The concrete barriers will be installed by the Seattle Department of Transportation in the middle of Pine Street, Fox News reported.

The barriers will split the road for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, allowing emergency service vehicles to pass through the area.

Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities confirmed the agreement to replace the wooden barriers to Fox News.

The Seattle Police Department is not part of the concrete barrier installation.

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With the installation of the new barriers, the occupied area will be reduced from six or seven city blocks to three.

Organizers renamed the area that was previously called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone on Saturday.

“This is not an autonomous zone, we are not trying to secede from the United States and we have no means to try to detract from the conditions that this nation works,” one man told reporters in a video released on Twitter, calling the area “CHOP.”

The barrier agreement comes after the City Council voted unanimously on Monday to ban police use of tear gas, pepper spray and other crowd control devices, KCPQ-TV reported.


Seattle Police Department officers were also banned from using chokeholds to restrain people.

“Many of us have witnessed it; many of us have experienced it,” said Council Member Kshama Sawant, who sponsored the legislation. “They falsely claimed that the protesters were violent rioters and that they had no alternative. … They even attempted to maintain those lies in the face of videos showing the police were the source — and the sole source — of the violence.”

Sawant, a self-described socialist, helped protesters take over City Hall on Wednesday night as they set up the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.

Seattle police have pulled back from the neighborhood and abandoned the department’s East Precinct.

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Protesters painted over the word “Police” on the building and replaced it with “People.”

Embed from Getty Images

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best blamed the takeover on city officials.

“You fought for days to protect it,” Best told her officers in a video released last week. “I asked you to stand on that line, day in and day out — to be pelted with projectiles, to be screamed at, threatened and in some cases hurt.

“Ultimately, the city had other plans for the building and relented to severe public pressure.”

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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