We have walked through CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) formerly the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) several times now and attended several of the Black Lives Matter protests over the past couple weeks. We think it is important for everyone to be informed about what is going on here from people who live here. This is a FAQ pulled from the Cap Hill Autonomous Zone Subreddit.
This post is is an aggregate of the
CHAZ AMA that was done earlier. Will try to edit and add to this as needed. Thanks.
Is CHAZ a fully-autonomous, self-sustaining, sovereign state? No. It’s simply an area within Capitol Hill, Seattle where people are protesting for BLM.
Who is CHAZ? It’s not a “who”. It’s just an area that people come to to protest.
Who organized CHAZ? Is there a leader? No one person or group organized CHAZ specifically. There is no formal “leader”. The best answer is CHAZ naturally came about after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) left the area after 10+ days of protesting for BLM occurred.
Who is Raz Simone? He's a
local Seattle musician and community member who is an advocate for BLM. He regularly livestreams from his FB page.
Why are there barriers in the streets? To protect the protestors from vehicles driving into the crowd. This sadly actually happened on Sunday June 7th. No one wants this to happen again.
Can anyone come to CHAZ? Yes. It’s just like any area in Seattle. You can come and go as you please.
Are there security checkpoints? Armed guards? Do I have to pay to get in? No. No. and No. There are many videos showing how people freely and peacefully assemble in CHAZ.
Why is it called “Autonomous”? The best answer is “Twitter named it”. The backstory is the Seattle Police Department (SPD) left the area after 10+ days of protesting happened in the area. After they left, a few people called it the “Free Zone” which turned into Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)
Do people have guns in CHAZ? Things are peaceful in CHAZ, but open carry is still legal per Washington law. Some sightings of people with guns have occurred.
Are you fighting for your Autonomy? No one is fighting for the “autonomy” of CHAZ. No one is trying to make CHAZ its own country or whatever. We do care deeply about the BLM movement and are fighting for this cause.
How do you get Food, Water, Supplies, etc? Most people you see on the streets are peacefully protesting for BLM (and most go home at night). Most people simply get their supplies from the dozens of local businesses in and around CHAZ. Many people have donated items to the BLM protests that are happening, so there are free snacks and water in CHAZ for protestors (there is a pinned post in this sub about donations).
How can I see what's happening in CHAZ? The best way is to come out here! If that isn't possible, there are countless livestreams (Facebook, Twitch, etc). They change daily, so try starting by searching for BLM, Seattle Protest, or something similar.
Photos captured by our GM Matt McDonald
