Attorney General William Barr weighs in on SPD clearing CHOP, commends law enforcement

SEATTLE — U.S. Attorney General William Barr weighed in on the latest development in Seattle’s ongoing protests, the clearing of CHOP early Wednesday morning.

>> Seattle police, city workers clearing CHOP after mayor issues emergency order

Barr commended Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, complimenting her “courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle.”

He goes on to say it was unsurprising the area became a heaven for violent crime, and thanks police officers for making the neighborhood safe again without fear of violence.

Barr said that while the Constitution protects the right to speak and assemble, it provides no right for violence.

Read his full statement below.

“I commend Police Chief Carmen Best for her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle. For the past several weeks, the Capitol Hill area of Seattle was occupied by protesters who denied access to police and other law enforcement personnel. Unsurprisingly, the area became a haven for violent crime, including shootings that claimed the lives of two young people, assaults, and robberies. As Chief Best made clear throughout the process, there is a fundamental distinction between discussion of substantive issues — including addressing distrust of law enforcement by many in the African-American community — and violent defiance of the law. Chief Best has rightly committed to continue the substantive discussion while ending the violence, which threatens innocent people and undermines the very rule-of-law principles that the protesters profess to defend. Thanks to the Seattle Police Department, Capitol Hill parks, streets, and businesses are again accessible to the people of Seattle, who may travel throughout their city without fear of violence. The people of Seattle should be grateful to Chief Best and her Department for their professional and steadfast defense of the rule of law. The message of today’s action is simple but significant: the Constitution protects the right to speak and assemble freely, but it provides no right to commit violence or defy the law, and such conduct has no place in a free society governed by law.”

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