Organizers of the Seattle Capitol Organized Protest (CHOP) attempt to refocus their efforts toward a street outside the East Precinct and away from the tent camp in Cal Anderson Park, according to a report released Sunday.
The shift in focus comes after some believe that the park’s camp is becoming unwieldy and potentially impacting its efforts to convince the city to make changes to police reform. The area near the compound also houses the majority of the protest leadership.
“Basically, it is to get attention and focus again on why we are here, to occupy protesters, which is to meet our demands,” organizer Angelica C told the Seattle Times. “And the only way we can do that is to occupy this compound here.”
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A man walks to the tents in front of a closed Seattle police compound on Saturday, June 27, 2020 in Seattle, where some streets are blocked in what has been called the Capitol Hill occupied protest area. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson)
As the occupation protest approaches its fourth week, organizers have struggled to secure the park’s camp, which has witnessed violence, as well as anger from local businesses and residents, the newspaper reported. The camp has also attracted a fairly large homeless population, and some are now describing the area as a political responsibility.
Harry “Rick” Hearns, who said he helps provide security for CHOP and was seen cooking barbecue near the compound, stated that Cal Anderson was truly a distraction: “They need to clean up the entire park.”
Duncan, a 23-year-old Washington state resident located in one of the park’s stores, told the Seattle Times that he would likely move to the compound, adding that organizers are forced to go to the park and deal with security.
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Others feel that people go to Cal Anderson Park to pitch a tent and get regular meals, rather than support their original cause, according to the newspaper.
CHOP’s goals include investing more in black communities, reinventing policing in cooperation with community leaders, as well as driving accountability and state reform of police unions.
People walk among tents in a city park on Sunday June 28, 2020 in Seattle, where several adjacent streets are blocked in what has been called the Capitol Hill occupied protest zone. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan met with protesters on Friday after some lay on the street or sat on barricades to thwart the city’s efforts to dismantle the protest zone that has despised President Donald Trump and a lawsuit from nearby companies. (AP Photo / Elaine Thompson)
“It makes us have to worry about additional things going on there that don’t necessarily refer to why CHOP is here,” said Rooks, who identifies himself as an organizer.
Mayor Jenny Durkan said last week that the city is working with the community to end the CHOP zone and that the police would soon move to a compound they had largely abandoned in the area.
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However, several organizers see the building as a key source of leverage, and some protesters suggest they were prepared to form a human chain around it, the Seattle Times reported.
Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.
