Movies, Snacks, Poetry In Seattle’s Protester-Occupied ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ (Photos)

After Seattle police vacated and boarded up the East Precinct headquarters amid protests this week, protesters set up camp in the area— which is a hub of arts and culture in the city — and hung a banner saying “THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE.”

There are no police officers in the zone, and protesters monitor who permeates the barricades, saying it’s “open to everyone who wants to talk about life in the new autonomous zone” and “everyone who positions themselves for Black lives and against the police,” according to Newsweek.

The situation has attracted vitriolic scorn from President Donald Trump, who tweeted, “Radical Left Governor @JayInslee and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before. Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!”

Seattle’s Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkin, who faced criticism by protesters and officials for allegedly enabling police brutality, has condoned the encampment, and tweeted back to the President: “Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker. #BlackLivesMatter.”

While the space lacks leaders, attendees have organized speeches, concerts, group discussions, relevant film screenings (including one of 13th, which director Ava DuVernay applauded), with free food, La Croix water and medical supplies reportedly available for occupants.

The short- and long-term outcome and goals for the space remains a point of discussion for demonstrators, with one telling the Seattle Times, “We’re trying to take our community back so we can live without a massive police force patrolling the streets.”