So crime is way up in the area they've abandoned, according to Seattle's police chief. But we'd expect them to say that, wouldn't we? And as they've abandoned it, how would they know?
Meanwhile, people are freaking out and tossing around words like "warlord" because protest leaders include a black rapper, Raz Simone, who (gasp!) is exercising his right to keep and bear arms! And complaining because he and others stopped someone from spraypainting over somebody else's artwork. (No doubt these same folks would've otherwise been bemoaning the protesters committing "vandalism", or cheering armed government police for doing the same thing Raz and his friends did.)
Here's a message I just posted on a couple conservative lists where someone posted something criticizing the activists who took over the police precinct building in Seattle for their "demands" of supplies:
I changed the subject line since I don't see why a request to the community for help with supplies should be characterized as a "demand". To the best of my knowledge the folks who have occupied a police precinct building in Seattle are not acting like a government by stealing resources from people without their consent, but are seeking assistance in the civilized way, by asking. Also from what I've heard they have not declared a "state", but rather an "autonomous zone".
Freedom fighters often need supplies and request help from the community in providing them. When the occupiers of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, including Ammon Bundy of the well-known right-wing ranching family and Roy Finecum who was subsequently murdered by government agents, were engaged in a similar action against tyranny, they likewise requested supplies from the community – and were similarly mocked/attacked for doing so, as in this rude and dismissive piece from GQ (if anyone on this list shops at GQ, you might let them know what you think, btw):
https://www.gq.com/story/oregon-milita-list-of-supplies
It is a shame that more resistance and secession movements don't support each other, instead of allowing those in power to play the "left wing" and "right wing" off against each other in a classic "divide-and-conquer" strategy. I suspect that either side reaching out with expressions of solidarity and support to the other could reveal that many of these groups have much more in common than people in either camp might tend to expect.
Activists on many points of the political spectrum are fighting back against various forms of government tyranny as best they can, and while we won't all agree on everything, treating others with serious grievances against the government as enemies to be derided is counter-productive to resistance groups on both sides of the left/right divide.
I say, long live the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone!
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
Excellent post Starchild....
My honorable first wife lives right near the Autonomous Zone in Seattle and thinks it must resemble the Haight during the "Summer of Love". Smile.
Mike
NPR had a terrific segment on their business show on Friday about Sunnyvale.. Apparently Sunnyvale separates law-enforcement from peace officers who protects persons and property. In fact the peace officers work closely in the public safety department with the first responders ambulance drivers and firemen and sometimes even pitch in to help fight fires etc. This would be a terrific model. Because the war on drugs Is a war and therefore they have made law enforcement officers warriors. Because of lack of opportunity drug dealing is particularly prevalent among the poor. And because of a general aspect of business certain communities specialize. In particular areas of expertise. For example in my hometown Baltimore there is a suburb of West Virginia called Remington. It is on the west side excuse me it’s on the east side of the Jones Falls which is the stream that created Baltimore with its water power back in the 1600s. There is a bridge over The Jones Falls that leads directly to Whitelock Street. White box street has been the epicenter of the drug trade in Baltimore for decades. Back in the 80s there would be on summer nights hundreds of people on the street. The city tore down most of the block but the drug trade continues. The impoverished West Virginia natives Would walk across a pedestrian bridge over the Jones Falls to Whitelock Street and purchase their drugs from the specialist who were exclusively African-American and white box street. Barry Levinson once had a episode of homicide the hit TV show That senator on a drug trade gone bad on Whitelock Street. The guilty party from Remington escaped to West Virginia and the cops had to go to West Virginia to go find him and it was pretty scary for them when they got into the hollers of Appalachia. I suspect this may be the case in other communities. And my hypothesis based on I guess this thin roll of evidence, is that There may be somewhat more expertise in drug trading in the African-American community. And thus they are made war on by the drug warriors more frequently. Of course it is the case that there is plenty of drug trade on Wall Street and nothing is done. The tragedy I think is that the deaths are playing on this invisible evil fight crime, racism and not on the fact that there’s a war going on against drug dealers and in wars things get ugly. I am not denying I am not denying that racism exists but I don’t know how you route out thoughts. But you certainly can end or stop funding war. And of course making war on people is best accomplished with psychopaths. And obviously the man who murdered Mr. Floyd although I guess I should say alleged especially because I can’t see the video