Seattle’s “autonomous zone” has city support, for now

Protesters camping out in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle are passing the time by listening to speeches, handing out free snacks, and watching the criminal justice documentary 13th. They declared an “autonomous zone” encompassing about four blocks around the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct after the department boarded up the building on Monday. Some staff members remain on hand, but police are no longer trying to keep people away from the site.

Will city officials let them stay? Mayor Jenny Durkan deployed crews to set up portable toilets, clean up trash, and maintain the nearby Cal Anderson Park for protesters to use. Police are considering how to scale up their presence in the precinct, KOMO-TV reported. And not all local officials are keen on the protesters camping long term. “I don’t believe the situation as it is can go on forever,” Seattle City Council Public Safety Chairwoman Lisa Herbold told KING-TV. President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted at Gov. Jay Inslee and Durkan, both Democrats, to “Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will.”

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s report on the mixed agendas surfacing in Los Angeles protests.