For Americans across the country, the nationwide protests against the murder of George Floyd by police symbolize a long-awaited shift in public opinion regarding the epidemic of police brutality against Black Americans.
Some of these protests have transformed their communities.
In Seattle, Washington the East Precinct of the city's Police Department has been abandoned, leaving protesters in a six-block commune with no police presence or oversight. They've since developed food co-ops and painted murals. Businesses in the area have reopened, with some of these businesses declaring themselves community centers in support of the effort.
Protesters have barricaded the perimeters, deeming it the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ.
The development comes as President Donald Trump is seeking to establish himself as the so-called "law and order" candidate—even if that just means sporadically tweeting the words "LAW & ORDER!" to his 80+ million followers.
The President is none too happy that CHAZ hasn't been met with further police aggression, blaming the city's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, and its mayor, Jenny Durkan.
He referred to the CHAZ inhabitants as "domestic terrorists."
Inslee wasn't having any of it.
Nor was Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who told the President to go back to his bunker.
Though the President and his supporters are painting the development as a hostile takeover of Seattle by violent domestic terrorists, most of those on the ground say that the commune is a welcome change from the weeks of tear gas and unrest in the area.
Trump's tweets were met with further mockery.
it's unclear how long the CHAZ will stay in Seattle, but what's clear is that the situation—for now—is as nonviolent as it's been in over a week.
@joehas/X
