President Donald Trump called on Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee to “take back” Seattle after protest groups that include Antifa, a far-left network that espouses violence, took over a seven-block zone from which police have withdrawn.
Widely referred to by its acronym CHAZ, the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone was established when staff at the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, which was the site of violent clashes with protesters, secured the facility, removed barricades, and essentially left the protesters to police themselves.
