The Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, the 6-block-downtown-Seattle area declared an autonomous zone by protesters, has ended. Protesters who had occupied the area for several weeks were told to vacate the zone.
A Twitter account claiming to be the “official account” for CHOP posted the statement yesterday.
“Dear comrades in the struggle…” it began.
“The CHOP project is now concluded…While we expect a very small handful of holdouts may try to remain in the CHOP, no further organizing will be occurring to support this presence and the number on-site will be too small to be more than an annoyance for pedestrians rather than a zonal blockade.”
It called on citizens of CHOP to “continue the struggle” through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. “We have held city officials accountable and can continue to do so in a way that is safe for everyone,” the message read.
It also called on supporters to vote for Democratic officials such as Joe Biden in the presidential election in the fall, as well as local officials such as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.
Durkan received harsh criticism for her handling of the CHOP situation. She originally said the protest resembled a “block party” and may usher in a “summer of love” in Seattle.
Officials decided to wind the protest down after two shootings occurred within the zone on consecutive nights that left one man dead.