My Authors
Read all threads
So I went to Seattle just before CHAZ/CHOP was dismantled to speak with organizers there and to see the project with my own two eyes. I have said before that I do not criticize tactics publicly, but now that the zone has been dismantled, I feel we can have a discussion about it.
Because I came to CHOP late, it was on its last legs. The bustling crowds and the multitude of mutual aid tents seen in early videos had died down by the time I arrived. A crowd remained and mutual aid was still available; but these were a shadow of their former selves.
One of the first things I was struck by, was how effective the police barricades were in containing and controlling the area. The barricades were not just at the borders, they were inside the borders as well, funneling foot traffic into formations similar to a street fair.
The barricades made the area into something the police could control. No vehicles could come into CHOP, which of course limited mobilization and distribution. And, although this also meant officers could not drive in, they could remove them as easily as they had placed them.
These barricades also provided a serious security issue for those inside the zone. As we saw later, vehicles could simply drive up beside these barricades and fire into the CHOP, which was mostly contained on a long street.
The primary mechanism by which the state sought to undermine the zone was by exacerbating negative conditions so that they could spread the propaganda that the CHOP fell apart by its own internal failures.
Early on, the police began rounding up the homeless and dropping them off at the boundary of the zone. It was a sort of "fuck you" to CHOP. They thought the homeless would lead to huge problems. Ultimately, however, the response to this was one of the zone's biggest successes
By the time I arrived, the homeless had been given a safe space, outside of view of the barricades, wherein they were allowed to congregate and set up tents. I'm sure there were problems overall, but none of the violence in CHOP originated here. When we went, it was calm.
Outside the homeless encampment, we witnessed an altercation. Somebody was literally peeing in the middle of the street and an older Black man confronted him "what the FUCK are you doing pissing in the road?" It began to get heated, but someone de-escalated. Problem solved.
Those who were occupying the zone were, while I was there at least, about 80% White and 20% Black. I expected far higher skewing toward White people, given what I had been told beforehand. And the majority of the Black people there were active participants, not the homeless.
While I was there I met with some organizers (all Black femmes, but one). It was immediately made clear that basically every organizing group on the ground had moved on from CHOP and stopped devoting resources to it. They were now back to planning direct action.
The perception of the organizers, and they were vindicated only a few days later, was that the zone was given to the protesters and could be taken away. Further, it was in a part of the city that did not need a cop-free zone unlike many more disadvantaged communities to the south
The organizers were much more enthusiastic about the project early on. But the destruction of that enthusiasm lay in early problems wherein White people and Black men were talking over everyone else. The organizers I was with emphasized the Black men steamrolling the conversation
This links back in with what I think was the primary problem of the CHOP: it was never democratized. Although there was a public square established early on, it had no process and no continuity. This led to shouting matches instead of consensus and therefore marginalization.
Democratization is not some luxury for leftist bylaws wonks. It exists to settle disputes and establish a path of action, to reduce marginalization of voices and give power to the collective. The lack of such a process allowed CHOP to devolve into structureless chaos.
For this reason, CHOP became factionalized. And not everyone who was there cared about the project. The Black femme organizers I spoke with brought up numerous times that gang activity had moved in, both in an opportunistic and a malicious fashion.
With this decline also came a decline in organized self-defense, coordination of resources, and devotion to the project. The committed organizers started pooling their efforts elsewhere and many of the worst elements remained alongside the few well-intentioned hold-outs.
The organizers were not nonchalant about the ongoings of CHOP, they were simply disinvested in its future. They were mournful about the violence. While people online flexed about shooting fascists, people on the ground shook their heads and sighed, recited names of the dead.
But all is not lost in Seattle. I had some incredible conversations with the aforementioned organizers and I am inspired by their commitment. There are now some very promising projects underway that could spearhead a new future for leftist and anti-racist radicalism in the city.
If the organizers there can pull off 50% of the things we discussed, CHOP will be seen as the infancy of a new movement, not its death. It was a moment of learning in the midst of an unexpected victory, turned into a burden by the state. They now pioneer forth bravely.
Solidarity with the organizers in Seattle. Solidarity with the struggles of the oppressed across this nation and this planet. Solidarity forever.
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Keep Current with Daniel Baryon

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!