SEATTLE—Nestled inside Seattle’s counterculture hub sits the self-proclaimed “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” or CHAZ, a lawless area occupied by protesters after law enforcement officers abandoned their East Precinct building following a week of clashes between protesters and police.
A cursory glance at the zone—which covers approximately six city blocks and a park in the Emerald City—conjures images of a music festival, or a “block party,“ as the city’s mayor describes it. But the reality isn’t as rosy as some have depicted, as there are documented accounts of violence, intimidation, and so-called ”warlords” that suggest a more police-state style of rule.
