Encampment Grows on College Campus in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, Raises Safety Concerns

Tents are pictured in Cal Anderson Park in an area being called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, Wash., on June 12, 2020. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

A community college located in the center of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood found itself increasingly troubled by a growing encampment on its lawn, formed by a mix of homeless people and Black Lives Matter activists.

Started as a small collection of tents and tables, the encampment has taken shape on Seattle Central College’s (SCC) south lawn in the week following Mayor Jenny Durkan declaring the self-proclaimed police-free zone—known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)—an unlawful assembly and ordered its dispersion.