Many RedState readers will remember the CHAZ/CHOP encampment that saw Antifa/BLM radicals take over several blocks of downtown Seattle in the midst of the George Floyd riots in 2020, including overrunning its police department in one of the more shocking moments during the sordid saga of the camp's existence.
Though the mainstream media and Democrats painted CHOP as a “peaceful” place with a “street festival“/”block party atmosphere“ at the time, it was anything but.
Local businesses in the area were robbed – and their calls to 911 were ignored. Guns were distributed to vigilantes out of the trunks of cars. Journalists were attacked in broad daylight. WrongThinkers were mobbed and kicked off the island. There were also several instances of shots being fired, with one person being killed.
In the midst of it all, a Black Lives Matter Garden was created, ostensibly as a memorial to "persons of color" who were allegedly killed by police officers.
But according to city officials, over the last three years, the area had, surprise surprise, become a haven for drug problems, crime, disease, and homeless issues. Despite opposition from wokesters in the community, the garden was flattened Wednesday:
Seattle Parks and Recreation workers used construction vehicles Wednesday morning to remove a community garden that was originally planted in Cal Anderson Park spontaneously, as part of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests.
[...]
In an email, Seattle Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin said the garden was being removed “due to public health and public safety issues and the need for maintenance, including reseeding the area and turf restoration.”
The city also removed tent encampments from the park Wednesday, marking the 76th time it had done so at Cal Anderson in 2023, she said.
“In recent months, the temporary garden has created unsafe conditions for all park users, including the vandalism of Cal Anderson public bathrooms, public drug use, unauthorized camping and a significant rodent problem, along with other issues,” Schulkin said.
Videos from independent journalists in the area show that it appeared activists were attempting to turn the area into another encampment, which likely contributed to the decision to get rid of it:
CITY CRUSHES BLM GARDEN: Early Wednesday morning, city crews swooped in to find the homeless asleep and moved in with bulldozers and cops. By the time the FAR-LEFT activists realized what was happening, it was too late to call in their comrades for reinforcements. Bottom line, the occupation is over and Cal Anderson Park will undergo much needed renovations.
For the past few months, the nut jobs tried to recreate CHAZ/CHOP 2.0 by bringing in tents, food tables, and protest signs condemning capitalism. But in the end, even the homeless realized they were being used as pawns for an insane Commie agenda.
On a side note, I got prayed over by a homeless dude today. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year. #Seattle
CITY CRUSHES BLM GARDEN: Early Wednesday morning, city crews swooped in to find the homeless asleep and moved in with bulldozers and cops. By the time the FAR-LEFT activists realized what was happening, it was too late to call in their comrades for reinforcements. Bottom line,… pic.twitter.com/2zWR0CmGBY
— Jonathan Choe Journalist (Seattle) (@choeshow) December 28, 2023
Here are some videos of the garden being leveled, which started in the early morning hours before activists could get enough people out there to stage a protest:
Warning: coarse language
NOW: The Black Lives Memorial Garden is being demolished right now. pic.twitter.com/3CTxNCnfZq
— Guy Oron (@GuyOron) December 27, 2023
Police in Seattle destroyed a BLM memorial garden that has been there since 2020.
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 28, 2023
Instead of ruining community projects and gardens, what if cops focused on real crime?
What if our taxes went toward food, housing, and healthcare instead of dumb shit like this? pic.twitter.com/wTKC9QFlfb
The police destroying this garden in Seattle represents so much. Almost all of what’s wrong with the way society operates wrapped up in one event. pic.twitter.com/oi8eNtrEj1
— Read Let This Radicalize You (@JoshuaPHilll) December 28, 2023
Here's a flashback to the early days of the garden's formation:
Seattle — The man jumping in that CHAZ "community garden" video is violent criminal Travis Berge. After killing a woman at this park, he barricaded himself inside a pump station there. A responding SWAT team found him dead at the bottom of a 10-foot tank filled with a bleach… https://t.co/1hHlLMjX5B
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 28, 2023
Like the demise of the BLM-inspired movement to Defund the Police, it was only a matter of time before the garden had to come down. I'm surprised it took them this long, honestly. Then again, this is Seattle we're talking about, which continually made pathetic excuses for the "occupiers" as they took over city streets in the first place, so perhaps not so surprising.
Flashback -->> This Man for Mayor: Fed up Seattle Citizen Begins Ripping Down CHOP, Ignores Pleas From Protesters
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