Mayor of Seattle Washington says Chaz may bring "Summer of Love" to city ????????

Barneyhill

New Member
You all should be well aquainted with the splinter group "Chaz" by now that has established itself as a independent nation inside a 6 block area of Seattle Washington that surrendered and was abandoned by police this new country sprang into being from protesters demanding justice for George Floyd.

As I posted in the beginning you should be aware of this mini nation because it is receiving a deluge of attention from mass media. So that frees me giving a long explanation to you about this 21st century commune. What a relief!

The only reason I got on thus subject is because the Mayor of Seattle recently said on CNN that CHAZ may bring a summer of love to her city! ????

She has got to be kidding! There was once a very real summer of love and it was in 1967. I was a teenager then and I remember clearly. The summer of love and it was in San Fransciso California and I remembered thousands of young people headed there to part of the Haight Ashbury hippie culture. Young people of all races went there. There were no violet protests no clashes with police no take overs the name of the game was the quest for peace, love and harmony for all people of the earth.

Ultimately they couldn't create the world they sing and dance and preached for but they sure had a marvelous time trying! In my opinion to compare CHAZ to the 1960's hippie culture is doing a great disservice to remarkable group of young people who existed during a phenomenal period in American history.

SUMMER OF LOVE 1967


CHAZ SUMMER 2020



SUMMER OF LOVE?

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!!!!
 

Seattle should let these protestors have their area. BUT, the city should turn off all utilities....electricity, water, etc., to this area, and block all entrances so no one can get in with any food supplies, etc. It probably wouldn't take more than a couple of days before this "summer of love" turned into a cesspool of human waste, and chaos....showing these protestors how much they Need an orderly society.
 
I don't really understand the point or purpose of the autonomous zones.

Is living in a burned-out lawless urban ghetto the model for life in the new America?

IMO the ideas/images of the autonomous zones, defunding police departments, destruction of property both public and private that we see in the media will be what the majority of Americans remember. The original goal of racial equality and equal justice under the law will be lost.

It's sad but I see this ending just like the global Occupy movement of 2011.

If we really intend to improve our world we need to find a way to accept each other and gain consensus on the issues instead of creating an atmosphere of civil unrest.
 

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When I first saw the heading of this topic, thought, "Cher's "son" Chaz Bono is trying to bring back the 60's? I never heard of this Seattle thing until I read about it here.

And when I googled it, it said that the name CHAZ is already being phased out. It is now CHOP.

Stay tuned?
 
I don't really understand the point or purpose of the autonomous zones.

Is living in a burned-out lawless urban ghetto the model for life in the new America?

IMO the ideas/images of the autonomous zones, defunding police departments, destruction of property both public and private that we see in the media will be what the majority of Americans remember. The original goal of racial equality and equal justice under the law will be lost.

It's sad but I see this ending just like the global Occupy movement of 2011.

If we really intend to improve our world we need to find a way to accept each other and gain consensus on the issues instead of creating an atmosphere of civil unrest.
Amen how right you are!
 
In my opinion to compare CHAZ to the 1960's hippie culture is doing a great disservice to remarkable group of young people who existed during a phenomenal period in American history.
I was in SF in 1967. It was all that you said. However, I think today's young people are also showing themselves to be remarkable. I wish I could be with them. I am, in spirit. We reacted to the dangerous times we were living in. Today's young people have more problems than we did. Never thought I'd say any such thing and wish fervently I didn't have to. More is at stake now; existence itself.
 
I was in Seattle a few times. I never saw anything special about it. I did see a lot of homeless and a huge tent city, which housed a lot of these poor and unfortunate people.

As for the mayor, don't get me started. And the Governor, he didn't even know anything was going on. Then, there' the Police Chief. There must be something in the water.
 
Dunno how Durken's getting "summer of love" out of a place that's engaging in violent censorship. This (bottom video) isn't a one off incident, but the sound is out on this one so the foul language is muted. There are plenty of others where people filming fights are asked to stop.

We have deeply disturbing racial issues, but this group overall is doing much more harm than good.

 
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Activists take over a Seattle neighborhood, banishing the police
Washington Post, June 11, 2020

(edited for length) SEATTLE - This week, Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood embarked on a radical experiment in self-government. Activists have taken over a six-block area surrounding a police precinct, declaring it an "autonomous zone." Those who have gathered say they make decisions about their space by consensus. The decentralized movement has no leaders and no spokespeople, and one core demand: that police officers stay away.

But the neighborhood's residents and activists say the autonomous zone is nothing of the sort. Locals describe a block party-like atmosphere with concerts and movie screenings. Protesters have set up barricades so cars can't get through. Volunteers give out free food and medical care and take turns performing night watch and other civic services. The city is providing trash pickup and portable restrooms serviced daily.

And even as a handful of armed Seattle Police Department officers began making their way back into the East Precinct on Thursday, the situation remained peaceful. Protesters are still encamped around the station, putting finishing touches on a new "BLACK LIVES MATTER" street mural modeled on Washington, D.C.

The "autonomous zone" is nestled in a normally bustling strip of bars, restaurants and apartment buildings. It was borne out of protests against police brutality, sparked by the killing of George Floyd while in police custody.

....The scene shifted...when the Seattle Police Department vacated its building, leaving the neighborhood to the protesters. As the last officers rode off on bicycles, a crowd streamed past the barricades in a victory parade.

Once the police left, protesters immediately took over the intersection to ensure it would remain police-free. They repurposed barricades set up to protect the precinct, using them instead to block roads, effectively turning a six-block area into a pedestrian zone.

Volunteers served at medical aid stations and staffed pop-ups such as the "No Cop Co-Op," a tent filled with free snacks. Pho and coffee were distributed to the activists camping in tents. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, someone set up a projector to host outdoor film screenings of documentaries such as Ava Duvernay's "13th" and "Paris is Burning."

Residents of the autonomous zone worked together to address conflicts through negotiation and de-escalation. When a group of individuals attempted to break into the precinct between 4 and 5 a.m. on Thursday morning, other members of the community convinced them to stop.

By 6 a.m., roughly a dozen young men were engaged in a heated discussion in the middle of the street about why one would want to trespass in the precinct.

At a Thursday afternoon news conference, Durkan said city officials continue to monitor the situation. "SPD did an assessment today, and there is going to be an ongoing assessment about when it is going to be safe to move in there," she said. "We don't want to introduce additional flash points."

Cam Manny, a restaurant manager who has bartended in the neighborhood for years, lives in an apartment building inside the autonomous zone.

He stayed through the seven-night police standoff and the three-night experiment without cops. "As someone who works in the bars in the area, I see more violence on any given Friday and Saturday night on the street, pre-pandemic, than I do in these last three nights here in my neighborhood," he said.

"They call for medics, people are being proactive, and they are understanding that everyone is in a very heightened situation of tension and frustration and doing a pretty good job of working it out," Manny said.

On Wednesday evening, Manny began talking with protesters about the need for vehicular access to allow for package and grocery delivery, as well as trash pickup. What started as a yelling match settled into a cordial dialogue, with Manny's dog serving as an icebreaker.

"That's the magic about a small community," said David Lewis, a project manager at Lululemon who described himself as a "facilitator" of the Seattle protests. "This has become a micro-neighborhood, a microcosm. In a small population it is very easy to self-protect - I am hesitant to use the word police - with a unified message and a community in which everybody knows each other."

"With conversation and dialogue built on the foundation of respect, we can and have been able to de-escalate every situation," he said.

But, he added, there are challenges, particularly since the president's tweets.

"Having a community that is autonomously policing is ideal and beautiful. I'm absolutely for that, given the right structure," he said. "That said, declaring autonomy against a city or against a nation like America is by no means a goal I wish to stand behind at this moment."

Full article: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Activists-take-over-a-Seattle-neighborhood-15334429.php
 
This is nuttiness to the nth degree. I remember the Occupy movements in various cities, and I don't think it ever came close to this kind of insanity. I remember visiting one of the Occupy D.C. encampments around 10 years ago, when that movement was in its heyday, and I thought they were a bunch of misguided kids who couldn't seem to focus on a single issue; they were all over the place. Some of their issues were legitimate, IMO, and some were absolutely ridiculous.

But I didn't get the feeling that they were threatening violence or anarchy. They were mostly super-idealists without a clue as to how to get anything accomplished. This is different.

We lived just outside of Seattle for 18 years, and loved the city. It was very idealistic and super-liberal, sort of like Berkeley. But it was kind, peaceful, dedicated to environmentalism, world peace, etc. And yes, they had "skid row," but I never saw any of the warlike behavior that is going on now. It is heartbreaking to see stuff like this. I suspect the people of Seattle feel as if they really have been occupied this time. As Debbie said, they are not happy.
 
Seattle should let these protestors have their area. BUT, the city should turn off all utilities....electricity, water, etc., to this area, and block all entrances so no one can get in with any food supplies, etc. It probably wouldn't take more than a couple of days before this "summer of love" turned into a cesspool of human waste, and chaos....showing these protestors how much they Need an orderly society.
My brother lives in Seattle, according to him it is turning into a cesspool of human waste as people use the streets as toilets.
 
Inspired by the anarchists, we have turned our house into an Autonomous Zone. We live by our own rules here, no police interference. That means I either cook dinner or do the dishes every night. There is a strict "no garlic" rule as my wife doesn't like the stuff. And we require our dog to go outside to eliminate any wastes.

We don't have any firearms but I keep a 4-iron by the door in case any police show up. (If I use it, it will be the first time I ever hit anything with a 4-iron).

Inside the house, it's like the Summer of Love.
 
Activists take over a Seattle neighborhood, banishing the police
Washington Post, June 11, 2020

[/SNIP]

Lethe200. Some of that may be true, but it's not all sunshine and roses. Unless you're okay with a guy handing out semi-automatic rifles to random people with the comment: "We need more people who know how to use firearms."


***Language alert ... lots of f bombs in video



 
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I hadn't heard of CHAZ mostly because after a point I just couldn't bear to watch the news. I have even missed almost a week of World News Tonight With David Muir...something I made sure to watch. Anyway I never participated in any "hippie events" but your statement
"I remembered thousands of young people headed there to part of the Haight Ashbury hippie culture. Young people of all races went there. There were no violet protests no clashes with police no take overs the name of the game was the quest for peace, love and harmony for all people of the earth."
That's the way things should be. Too bad they are not like that all the time. People need to realize that at some point what affects one will affect all.
 

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