SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office said it was her decision to remove the barriers on Monday afternoon around the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct on Capitol Hill, according to a statement sent to KIRO 7 early Friday.
A spokesperson for Durkan said after the shooting on Sunday night, “it was clear that the ongoing nightly protests at the East Precinct needed to be significantly defused and deescalated.”
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The area has become a hotbed of demonstrations over the last two weeks as protesters continued to call for systemic change following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
The mayor’s office said the “cycle of conflict” between demonstrators and officers outside of the precinct was harmful to residents, demonstrators, businesses and the city.
Officials said the police department presented options for changes to tactical and operations decisions to the city Monday morning.
“After the consultation with Chief Best, Mayor Durkan determined the situation would best be deescalated by removing the barriers and large presence of officers and the National Guard,” a spokesperson for the mayor said in the statement.
Before reopening the streets around the precinct, officials said they took precautions by boarding up glass and removing personal items and sensitive equipment from inside.
“It was determined that confidential information, equipment, and personnel should not remain for safety considerations,” officials said.
Crews with the Seattle Fire Department also applied a fire retardant to the exterior of the building. City utility workers also installed fencing and barriers around the building.
However, minutes after the officers were ordered away from their posts, protesters moved in and promptly moved out the barriers.
In the days since officers moved out of the area surrounding the East Precinct, protesters have declared it the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” or “CHAZ.”
Gatherings in the “Autonomous Zone” have largely remained peaceful thus far. Protesters have created art, cooked food and have even held outdoor movie/documentary viewings. Many stress they’re there to spread their message of systemic change peacefully.
However, some residents in the neighborhood have said access to their buildings are blocked.
There are also barricades preventing the Seattle Fire Department from accessing and responding to emergencies.
Officers in the East Precinct have continued to respond to calls, but Best said Thursday their response times have been three times longer since moving out of the building.
“It was never an option to have residents of the precinct, many of whom are members of our most marginalized communities by the way, waiting for an extra length of time for an officer to arrive to a violent crime in progress,” Best said.
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