SEATTLE — Seattle police are working to clear out the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone, also known as CHOP, after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order early Wednesday to vacate the area, KIRO-TV reported.
The order declared gathering in and around the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct and Cal Anderson Park as “unlawful assembly” requiring immediate action from Seattle police and other city agencies.
#BREAKING: SPD saying on a loudspeaker clear out now or you will be arrested to #CHOP protestors.
— Deedee Sun (@DeedeeKIRO7) July 1, 2020
I can hear protestors shouting and screaming expletives. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/gVTqdAZQrj
Dozens of officers, some wearing riot gear and others wearing protective equipment, arrived around 5 a.m. and announced that people had five minutes to clear the area. KIRO-TV reported that the borders of CHOP were secured by police before 6:15 a.m. local time. At least 31 people were arrested.
>> See the latest on KIRO7.com
“Anyone who remains in the area, or returns to the area, is subject to arrest,” police said.
Officers enforcing today's order are wearing a higher-level of protective gear. Police are utilizing this equipment because individuals associated w/the CHOP are known to be armed and dangerous/may be associated with shootings, homicides, robberies, assaults &other violent crimes
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) July 1, 2020
Barricades were removed at 10th Avenue and East Pine Street on Tuesday, but protesters quickly set up a makeshift roadblock using furniture, garbage cans and signs.
“Since demonstrations at the East Precinct area began on June 8, two teenagers have been killed and three people have been seriously wounded in late-night shootings,” the Seattle Police Department said in a tweet. “Police have also documented robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes.”
Police abandoned the East Precinct on June 8, according to KIRO-TV.
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