The case concerned Lorenzo Anderson, a 19-year-old who was shot near the edge of Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, also known as CHOP or CHAZ.
Authorities had allowed the zone to operate largely on its own, removing police officers from the area and refusing to send officers or firefighters in when disturbances were reported.
When Anderson was shot on June 20, 2020, it took 30 minutes for first responders to reach him, and “by that time, it was too late,” the lawsuit stated.
Horace Anderson, Lorenzo’s father, filed the lawsuit against the city, former Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, and Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, a socialist.
“[The lawsuit] sent a message to our leaders that they have to let law enforcement, first responders do their job, the job that they’re entrusted to do, which is to keep the public safe,” Evan Oshan of Oshan & Associates, a lawyer representing the plaintiff, told The Epoch Times after reaching the settlement.
“I think that our civic leaders now are put on notice that they can’t just let the streets run wild. They have a responsibility to their constituents, responsibility to the community, and a responsibility to the citizens.”
Seattle authorities finally shut down the CHAZ on July 1, 2020, after several weeks of tolerating and even encouraging the zone. The move followed the murders of Anderson and a second man.
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office told news outlets in a statement: “We’re glad to have found common ground with the Anderson Estate and Mr. Anderson’s father, and for less than the cost it would have taken to litigate the case through trial.
“The settlement agreement we reached months ago was recently approved by the court. We hope this resolution helps bring some semblance of closure for the parties involved.”
Horace Anderson told KCPQ-TV that he is still mourning his son and that the money from the settlement doesn’t mean much to him.
“If I could help another family, that would be beautiful because I wouldn’t want anybody to go through this,” he said.
He’s now seeking to create a program to help homeless youth.
He feels horrible, and no amount of money will bring his son back, Oshan said of his client, “but he hopes that the city has learned and this won’t happen again.”
Donnitta Sinclair, Lorenzo’s mother, filed a separate lawsuit, which was dismissed by a judge. The ruling was appealed.
Marcel Long, a suspect in the killing of Lorenzo, is set to go on trial for first-degree murder in August.
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