Capitol Hill Occupied Protest

The Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), also known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, originally known as Free Capitol Hill and later as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), was an occupation protest and self-declared autonomous zone in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The zone, originally covering two intersections at the corners of Cal Anderson Park and the roads leading up to them, was established on June 8, 2020 by people protesting the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The zone was cleared of occupants by police on July 1, 2020.

The formation of the zone was preceded by tense interactions between protesters and police in riot gear beginning on June 1, 2020. On June 1, thousands of Seattle residents were attending a permitted rally event at Westlake Mall in Downtown Seattle, one mile west of Seattle's east precinct in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Police lined the northeast side of the rally and fired tear gas into the crowd. The event became chaotic and people began moving east toward Capitol Hill, where they eventually congregated, and protests continued each night. Police used tear gas, flash-bangs, and pepper spray in the densely populated residential neighborhood. The situation escalated on June 7 after the brother of a police officer drove his vehicle toward a crowd of protestors at 11th Avenue and Pine Street near the East Precinct police station. He shot a protester who tried to stop him. The same day, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported that protesters were throwing rocks, bottles, and fireworks, and shining green lasers into officers' eyes. The next day, the SPD vacated and boarded up its East Precinct building in an effort to deescalate the situation. After the SPD vacated the East Precinct station, protesters moved into the Capitol Hill area. They repositioned street barricades in a one-block radius around the station and declared the area "Free Capitol Hill". The protest area was later renamed the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP).

The zone was a self-organized space without official leadership. Police were not welcome within it. Protesters demanded that Seattle's police budget be decreased by 50%, that funding be shifted to community programs and services in historically black communities, and that CHOP protesters not be charged with crimes. Participants created a block-long "Black Lives Matter" mural, held free film screenings in the street, and performed live music. A "No Cop Co-op" was formed, with food, hand sanitizer and other supplies. Areas were set up for public speakers and to facilitate discourse.

The CHOP was a focus of national attention during its existence. On June 11, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the zone had a "block party" atmosphere; later, The New York Times contrasted Durkan's words with local businesspeople's accounts of harassment, vandalism, and looting. The CHOP's size decreased after shootings in or near it on June 20, 21, and 23. On June 28, Durkan met with protesters and told them that the city planned to remove most barricades and limit the zone's area. In the early morning of June 29, a fourth shooting left a black 16-year-old boy dead and a black 14-year-old boy critically injured. Calling the situation "dangerous and unacceptable", police chiefCarmen Best told reporters: "Enough is enough. We need to be able to get back into the area." On July 1, after Durkan issued an executive order, Seattle police cleared the area of protesters and reclaimed the East Precinct station. Protests continued in Seattle and at the CHOP site over the following days and months.