Anarchy in Seattle--Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone

Seattle has apparently ceded control of part of the city, now called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) to the protestors.

The NY Times was rapturous:

Quote:

What has emerged is an experiment in life without the police — part street festival, part commune. Hundreds have gathered to hear speeches, poetry and music. On Tuesday night, dozens of people sat in the middle of an intersection to watch “13th,” the Ava DuVernay film about the criminal justice system’s impact on African-Americans. On Wednesday, children made chalk drawings in the middle of the street.

City Journal was notably less glowing in their coverage:

Quote:

On the new rebel state’s first night, the atmosphere was festive and triumphant. Hooded men spray-painted the police station with slogans and anarchist symbols, renaming it the “Seattle People’s Department East Precinct.” Raz Simone, a local rapper with an AK-47 slung from his shoulder and a pistol attached to his hip, screamed, “This is war!” into a white-and-red megaphone and instructed armed paramilitaries to guard the barricades in shifts. Later in the night, Simone was filmed allegedly assaulting multiple protestors who disobeyed his orders, informing them that he was the "police" now, sparking fears that he was becoming the de facto warlord of the autonomous zone. A homeless man with a baseball bat wandered along the borderline and two unofficial medics in medieval-style chain mail stood ready for action.

Well, nature abhors a vacuum.

It's all kind of amusing to watch from afar, but let's remember that Seattle has effectively ceded control over thousands of peoples' lives and property to the mob. And I have the slightest bit of doubt that Raz Simone will prove more accountable to the people than the police have been.