Seattle, Occupied: the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone

After a 12 day standoff between the Seattle Police Department and protestors in the George Floyd movement being held across the nation, SPD has abandoned their post at the East Precinct.
The Capitol Hill area centering at 12th and Pike is now being occupied by protestors, artists, and community activists as a police free zone, now being called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone - or CHAZ for short.

In response, President Donald Trump has issued a threat on his Twitter page to Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, claiming that Inslee needs to regain control quickly or, quote, "I will."

The CHAZ is currently a hotbed of political debate, with critics coming inside and out the movement calling it either a "antifa" terrorist cell, or a watered down opportunistic takeover by non-POC's in a nationwide movement. But the fact of the matter is that the residents of CHAZ are aligned with a mission to spread awareness, critical thinking and discussion, and fulfilling their list of demands to the city of Seattle. Most primarily being the goal to defund the Seattle Police Department by 50% and reallocating it back into health, education, and social service programs.

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone is trending world-wide, and currently spawning grass-roots attempts at more autonomous zones across the country (see Oregon protests).