Thread by @KatieDaviscourt

Breaking: I am in Seattle covering the first major trial against the city related to the 2020 Antifa-BLM CHAZ/CHOP.

The City of Seattle is accused of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Antonio Mays Jr., a 16-year-old black teen who was shot dead inside the Antifa autonomous zone.

Seattle Police had abandoned the East Precinct to rioters, and then officers were prohibited from entering the zone— resulting in numerous cold-blooded killings during the 24 days of sustained violent anarchy.

The lawsuit claims that the city’s failure to provide adequate protection and response to violence in the CHAZ zone contributed to the death of Antonio Mays Jr.

Would the teen still be alive if SPD didn’t forfeit the precinct? Was CHAZ really a “Summer of love?”

I am covering the trial for @TPostMillennial — THREAD: 🧵

Antonio Mays Jr. was shot dead on June 29 around 3 am while driving a vehicle inside the CHAZ with his 14-year-old friend, who was shot in the head but survived.

Witnesses reported that armed protesters guarding the barricades (CHAZ security) opened fire on the vehicle.

Video footage taken directly after the shooting shows militant protesters rushing to pick up spent shell casings, tampering with the evidence:

“Hell yeah, no evidence!”

Seattle police did not respond to the scene until hours later due to safety reasons.

A large mob of protesters had violently confronted officers when they were responding to a separate CHAZ killing a few days prior, according to video evidence.

No ambulances arrived on scene.

As a result, protesters shoved the two critically wounded teen victims into separate vehicles and drove them to medical care.

CHAZ warlord Raz Simone, who was self-designated head of security and got caught on video distributing firearms to minors inside the zone, transported the surviving teen victim to a nearby hospital.

Other protesters, transporting Antonio Mays Jr., attempted to chase down an ambulance, but it drove away. City medics met with the protesters in a parking lot roughly 25 minutes later. Antonio had already died by that time.

The lawsuit claims that Antonio’s death was the result of Seattle enabling “state-created danger.”

Additionally, the complaint mentions former Democrat Mayor Jenny Durkan referring to the violent deadly uprising as a “Summer of love.”

The complaint states that Antonio Mays Jr. "was shot and left to die without the assistance he was entitled to by the government."

It further claims that he "was alive and conscious after being shot inside the City-created Capitol Hill Occupied Protest area."

It also states that the teen "was shot and bled out while trying to escape, while being barricaded at the ‘CHOP’ or ‘CHAZ’ area in the city of Seattle, which the city abandoned without a working plan to provide essential services, creating a danger."

The City of Seattle’s defense strategy includes allegations that Antonio Mays Jr. was driving a stolen vehicle, claiming he was committing a felony at the time he was killed.

However, the other side has countered that argument claiming that vehicles were being passed around for “security” to patrol.

Seattle Police has not yet arrested a suspect in this case. Witnesses told police that the shooting was allegedly committed by CHAZ security, which consisted of armed protesters that included members of the John Brown Gun Club, the Antifa terror group’s militant security arm.

Jury selection has begun following a morning of motions. The jurors are currently appearing remote via Zoom, a King County policy that was established during the covid era.

VOIR DIRE: The jury pool appears to be an ideological mixed bag; however, the majority stated during questioning that they supported the 2020 anti-police BLM protests.

Some of them said they participated in the CHAZ/CHOP protests, and made it clear that they dislike Seattle PD.

Some of them stated that they have strong feelings about this case, as it involves the death of a minor. When asked about the defense's strategy in claiming the victim was committing a felony and shouldn't have been prone to medical care, many of the jurors expressed distaste.

A few jurors said that they thought the CHAZ protests were criminal and thought Seattle PD abandoning the precinct to rioters was unfortunate. These jurors said that they do not like going to Seattle because they feel unsafe in the city.

Jury selection will continue through tomorrow, Tuesday, with more potential jurors undergoing voir dire.