Who said 2020 couldn't get more chaotic?
Pandemics, police and protests were preeminent, but they have now given way to "proletariat" pandemonium, as anarchists, communists and wannabe warlords have commandeered a section of Seattle and declared it an "autonomous zone."
Sure, it seems to be all rainbows and lollipops for those barricaded inside a six-block area around the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, with "free" food, film screenings, no police and no government. But before others attempt to emulate this, they should look at the real picture inside the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ): no protection from criminals; no legal recourse; no true medical care; no proper sanitation removal; no showers; almost no toilets (with streets doubling as bathrooms); vastly increased response times for 911 calls; and public and private property destroyed at will.
Once the novelty of playing house with hundreds of strangers wears off, the radicals and those following them will learn that their social justice utopia doesn't quite stack up when compared to a warm shower, hot meal and a bed that isn't a sidewalk.
This social experiment is a monumental failure for Leftism, but that's a political discussion. More important is that this flagrant disregard of the law has been allowed to take place for over a week. That abomination is an indictment of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and President Donald Trump.
This situation poses a significant threat as U.S. citizens have been victimized by a militant group, and American soil has been compromised. According to Seattle police, there are reports that residents have been forced to show identification to enter the zone and return to their homes, and some business owners have been forced to pay "protection fees," a fancy way of saying extortion. Some have been stopped by armed "guards," while others have been physically attacked for carrying the American flag. And all have been deprived of government services for which they paid.
The police station inside the zone was vandalized and streets are littered with painted messages, which will cost a fortune to remove. And, ironically, armed Antifa units are reportedly "patrolling" the area, which makes them, by definition, "police." And yet we were told that CHAZ was a "cop-free zone."
Because CHAZ organizers have engaged in criminal acts, their demands should be ignored and no negotiations should occur, as doing so gives them an undeserved legitimacy. Far from civil disobedience, CHAZ is a slap to all who do it the right way, from the Civil Rights movement to today's peaceful demonstrations. The criminal element in CHAZ can write their treatises in prison, because that's where they belong.
Failure to arrest and prosecute will set a dangerous precedent. As it stands, because no one has acted to end the madness, it has emboldened others to contemplate the same thing. But rather than a spontaneous uprising, just wait for coordinated, well-funded agitators to turn it up a notch in cities nationwide, all at the same time.
Most Americans, of every race and color, oppose CHAZ because they realize two things: A) there's a way to move the ball forward and B) this isn't it. People want law and order because of the stability it provides: personal safety; a conducive environment for businesses; economic income; educational opportunities; and boosting quality of life.
We still have our differences on everything from policing to income inequality to school disparities, but those problems can be solved by working together peacefully. Nothing gets accomplished by thuggery.
Unfortunately, President Trump's response has been limited to tweeting and idle threats. Some on the Right justify the President's inaction in three ways: 1) since Mr. Trump won't win Washington's electoral votes, he should ignore the state; 2) the longer the CHAZ fiasco plays out, the better for Republicans and 3) using force to liberate the CHAZ is a trap, as the president will be accused of heavy-handedness.
That is wrong, and if people left their partisan echo chambers, they would see that.
First, true public servants don't pick and choose whom they help based on political preferences. And anyone thinking this situation affects only those in Seattle has lost rational perspective. A hostile takeover is an affront to every citizen because it strikes at the core of what makes America a stable bastion of freedom. Second, politics should have nothing to do with resolving this crisis. Ending it is the right policy. Third, Americans would back Mr. Trump by a wide margin if he used the FBI (not military) to dismantle CHAZ and arrest its leaders, especially if he addressed the nation in real-time, articulating what he was doing and why.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump seems to be worrying more about losing his job than doing it. The president should act like our commander-in-chief and put an end to this ugly saga. Now.
Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, Freindly Fire Zone Media. Read more reports from Chris Freind — Click Here Now.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.