In Seattle, protesters are claiming victory after they established a barricaded zone around a police precinct building that had been the site of protests — and a brutal police crackdown — for eight days. The precinct building is now boarded up. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best described the move as an exercise in “trust and deescalation.”
On Friday, Seattle announced a 30-day ban on the use of tear gas, but officers continued to use it against protesters over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Seattle City Council has begun discussing demilitarizing or defunding the police force. On Monday, Seattle City Councilperson Kshama Sawant introduced a bill to ban police from using chemical weapons and chokeholds.