Seattle Businesses Sue City Over Violence From CHOP Autonomous Zone

Businesses in downtown Seattle are suing the city due to its lack of responsiveness to the violence and disturbances that originated from the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone, according to King 5 News.

The lawsuit, which was also joined by property owners and residents, argues that local officials disregarded their property rights when they allowed people in the CHOP area to commit violence and damage property. CHOP has also been called CHAZ, the Capitol Hill Autonomous zone.

"This lawsuit is about the constitutional and other legal rights of Plaintiffs — businesses, employees, and residents in and around CHOP — which have been overrun by the City of Seattle’s unprecedented decision to abandon and close off an entire city neighborhood, leaving it unchecked by the police, unserved by fire and emergency health services, and inaccessible to the public at large,” the lawsuit reads, according to King 5 News. “The City’s decision has subjected businesses, employees, and residents of that neighborhood to extensive property damage, public safety dangers, and an inability to use and access their properties.”

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan publicly supported the protesters who claimed the Capitol Hill neighborhood earlier this month, calling them patriotic and referring to it as a block party.

A headline from a Daily Beast article even read "Local Businesses Love the 'Domestic Terrorist' Zone in Seattle, Actually."

"The City’s policies have effectively authorized the actions of the CHOP participants. The City has communicated clearly to CHOP participants that they may indefinitely continue occupying the streets in the area, maintaining their barricades, and blocking traffic, all without interference from the City," the lawsuit said.

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