Protesters kick out cops and set up six-block 'autonomous zone' as a memorial to George Floyd before taking over Seattle City Hall to demand mayor's resignation
Peaceful protesters took over Seattle City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor's resignation, after setting up a six-block autonomous zone as a memorial to George Floyd and suing city cops over their aggressive tactics.
Around 300 protesters marched inside the lobby at around 9p.m. Tuesday, carrying Black Lives Matter banners and calling for Mayor Jenny Durkan to stand down, chanting 'Durkan must go!'
The group was led by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who unlocked the building and welcomed the protesters inside.
Footage shared on social media showed demonstrators giving impassioned speeches, saying calls for an end to systemic racism and police brutality following Floyd's death are 'making history'.
Peaceful protesters took over Seattle City Hall Tuesday night (pictured) to demand the mayor's resignation, after setting up a six-block autonomous zone as a memorial to George Floyd and suing city cops over their aggressive tactics
A defaced sign on the exterior of the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct after protesters kicked out cops and set up a six-block 'autonomous zone' as a memorial to George Floyd
Demonstrators and cops have been clashing in the area for the last two weeks, after civil unrest spread across America following the death of George Floyd
'Do you guys see what we're doing here? Do you really I really see the magnitude of what we're doing here?' one speaker is heard telling the crowds.
'First time in this building and we're making history.'
The peaceful crowd camped out inside the government building for only around an hour before continuing to the newly-created 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' - a zone occupied by demonstrators around a police precinct.
Durkan has come under fire over her handling of the civil unrest in the city, with calls mounting for her to resign.
Sawant - a staunch critic of the mayor - demanded Durkan step down and blamed her for the 'violence and brutality' of cops against protesters.
'If Mayor Durkan refuses to step aside, it will be the responsibility of the City Council to remove her, by introducing articles of impeachment,' Sawant said last week.
Hundreds of protesters marched inside the lobby at around 9pm Tuesday, carrying Black Lives Matter banners and calling for Mayor Jenny Durkan to stand down
The group was led by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who unlocked the building and welcomed the protesters inside
Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a critic of Mayor Jenny Durkan, speaks at a rally on Monday
The peaceful crowd camped out inside the government building for only around an hour before continuing the peaceful march to the newly created 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone'
The protesters marched through the streets of Seattle to the 'free zone' after occupying City Hall for around an hour
'The police have inflicted tear gas, mace, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades, curfews, arrests and other repressive tactics on Seattle activists and residents - including children - in an attempt to bully and silence the protest movement.'
Tuesday's takeover of City Hall came just hours after a Black Lives Matter group sued the city over the 'unnecessary violence' carried out by cops against protesters across the city.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Korematsu Center at Seattle University School of Law and the law firm Perkins Coie filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County.
'These daily demonstrations are fueled by people from all over the city who demand that police stop using excessive force against Black people, and they demand that Seattle dismantle its racist systems of oppression,' Livio De La Cruz, board member of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, said in a statement about the suit.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (pictured) has come under fire over her handling of the civil unrest in the city, with calls mounting for her to resign
People then sit down in the newly-claimed 'free zone' to watch a screening of documentary Tuesday night
Graffiti on the outside of the boarded up police precinct. Tuesday's takeover of City Hall came just hours after a Black Lives Matter group sued the city over the 'unnecessary violence' carried out by cops against protesters across the city
'It is unacceptable that the Seattle Police Department would then respond to these demonstrations with more excessive force, including using tear gas and flashbang grenades.'
The suit says the use of chemical agents violates the Fourth Amendment and First Amendment rights of protesters and brands the use of such tools 'reckless' amid the respiratory COVID-19 pandemic.
Cops have been caught on camera acting aggressively and blasting tear gas and pepper spray in the faces of peaceful protesters during the weeks of civil unrest following Floyd's death on Memorial Day.
Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best issued an apology to demonstrators over the heavy-handed tactics of officers and banned the use of tear gas for at least 30 days from Friday.
Protesters have set up a six-block radius around the East Police Precinct and called it the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' (above)
A popup shop with free snacks, water, and other items is seen in the autonomous zone - which is now free of cops and cars and occupied by protesters
A sign designates a smoking section in the 'free zone'. The police chief said the move by cops to leave the area is an exercise in 'trust and deescalation'
A defaced sign on the outside of the East Precinct on Tuesday after cops retreated and protesters took over the area
People sit in the street outside the East Precinct Tuesday. The area had been the site of tension and terse stand-offs between law enforcement and demonstrators before police boarded up the precinct and retreated from the area
A sign outside the East Precinct. Calls are mounting for the city police department to be defunded
Just two nights later, some cops were still seen using tear gas, pepper spray and blast ball grenades against crowds Sunday night.
'CS gas has been authorized,' the Seattle Police Department tweeted Sunday after midnight about the backpedaling.
'In the interest of public and life safety, leave the area now.'
This came after protests turned violent when a man plowed his car into crowds and shot a 27-year-old protester.
The use of tear gas was banned for at least 30 days from Friday but cops were seen hurling it at protesters again Sunday night (above)
Demonstrators clash with law enforcement near the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct shortly after midnight
A protester holds flowers as they face a wall of police in riot gear Sunday night when tensions escalated between the two sides
Protests turned violent Sunday night when a man plowed his car into crowds and shot a 27-year-old protester
Following a backlash over the renewed use of force, officers removed barricades from around the police department's East Precinct in Capitol Hill Monday, leading protesters to set up the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone around it.
The area had been the site of tension and terse stand-offs between law enforcement and demonstrators before police boarded up the precinct and retreated from the area - a move Best described as an exercise in 'trust and deescalation.'
The six-block radius has since become something of a camp where protesters gather each night to hold memorials for Floyd and march in front of the building.
Protesters describe it as a 'free zone' as it is free of cops and cars, and it contains tents for people looking to camp the night.
Durkan's office told DailyMail.com in a statement that the city is 'facing its most challenging time in its history'.
'As the person who originally investigated the Seattle Police Department for the unconstitutional use of force, Mayor Durkan believes that SPD can lead the nation on continued reforms and accountability, but knows this week has eroded trust at a time when trust is most crucial,' the office said Wednesday
Protesters kick out cops and set up six-block 'autonomous zone' as a memorial to George Floyd before taking over Seattle City Hall to demand mayor's resignation
![Protesters kick out cops and set up six-block 'autonomous zone' as a memorial to George Floyd before taking over Seattle City Hall to demand mayor's resignation]()
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June 11, 2020
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