Violence plagues Seattle protest zone

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best called the situation in the Capitol Hill neighborhood “dangerous and unacceptable” after a shooting early Monday left one man dead and a 14-year-old wounded. Several shootings have happened in and around the area since protesters first occupied the blocks surrounding the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct building about two weeks ago. “Enough is enough,” Best said. “We need to be able to get back into the area.”

How much longer will protesters stay? Capitol Hill businesses and property owners sued the city on Wednesday, saying the occupied zone impeded customers. Some said demonstrators threatened them when they removed graffiti or took photos. Mayor Jenny Durkan last week said the city would start dismantling the zone, but city workers stopped removing makeshift barriers after objections from protesters. The neighborhood had one of the highest crime rates in the city before the recent protests began.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about city officials’ initial warm response to the “autonomous zone.”