According to Mayor Jenny Durkan, the Seattle anarchist zone is just a big “block party” where there might be a “summer of love” because she and the other city officials don’t seem to feel any need to address the problems there.

But it’s not so lovely for the citizens and business owners who live in and around the zone.

John McDermott found that out when his auto repair shop Car Tender which sits on the border of the zone was broken into on Sunday night.

A protester smashed in the window, broke into the cash register and was setting fire to the business when McDermott and his son arrived at the shop to find out what was going on.

John stopped the blaze and his son Mason detained the suspect.

“I chased him down and as soon as I came face to face, he came at me so I put him on the ground,” McDermott’s son, Mason, told the media. He also said the protester tried to cut him with a box cutter.

They called 911 some 19 times they said but no one came.

From Fox:

They alluded they were sending someone…finally said they weren’t going to send somebody,” McDermott said. “I don’t know what to expect next. If you can’t call the police department, you can’t call the fire department to respond, what do you have?” He said he’s “heartbroken. I mean, they are the cavalry.”

He said he finally had to give into other protesters’ demands – who knocked down his fence – to let the suspect go to avoid “mayhem beyond mayhem,” adding that both his son and some of the protesters were armed but no shots were fired.

A huge mob just attacked "Small Tender" business demanding a release of man who went into the business and started a fire, the business is located inside the 6 blocks of #CHAZ a 'no-cop zone'. Reporting on the ground in #Seattle pic.twitter.com/GeTRheQXFo

— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) June 15, 2020

Where were the police?

According to the police chief they were “observing.” “From a distance.”

“They did not see any signs of smoke or fire or anything else and they did not see a disturbance,” she added. She said officers have written multiple reports about crimes in the area in the last two days and officers will enter if the situation is urgent. She said otherwise officers are meeting alleged crime victims outside of the CHOP.

She also amazingly said she didn’t have a good contact number for the business owner. One would think that the 19 calls should have been “sufficient contact.”

The fire department didn’t respond either, saying they needed to get clearance from the police.

“I am very shaken up. I’m very disappointed in the city’s leadership. I’m very disappointed in the lack of police protection. I’m very disappointed that the fire department didn’t show up,” John McDermott said. “Nobody showed up when literally our lives are on the line,” Mason said. “I think the mayor and governor need to get their act together, because this is beyond a protest.”

The suspect was then beaten up by other proesters to give up whatever he may have taken.

Get ready for more. Looks like the city is allowing at least part of the seized area to become permanent.

They replaced the wooden roadblocks from the protesters with concrete barriers.

The mayor also confirmed what the police had said: that they would not be sending in any police to the area, unless it’s for ‘significant life-safety.’ Apparently robbery with a box cutter, fire and threatening protesters with guns don’t count.

“The Seattle Police Department’s definition of life-safety issues may include an active shooter incident, an assault, a structure fire, significant medical emergency (i.e. heart attack, stroke, trauma) and other incidents that threaten a person’s life safety,” the office of Mayor Jenny Durkan said on Tuesday.

But just remember, it’s all a block party and “summer of love.”