Seattle officials clear protest zone

Police arrested more than 30 people in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood as they dismantled tents and roadblocks at 5 a.m. PDT on Wednesday. Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered the removal of demonstrators from the blocks known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone and nearby Cal Anderson Park for 48 hours. Protesters who called for dismantling the police department had camped in the area since June 8 following the death of George Floyd after an arrest attempt in Minneapolis.

“The CHOP has become lawless and brutal,” Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said. “Four shootings—two fatal—robberies, assaults, violence, and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area.”

Did the campers go quietly? No one has reported confrontations between the police and protesters. Officers said they were investigating people “with firearms/armor” driving around the area without “visible license plates.”

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s report on anti-racism protests in Los Angeles.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.