SEATTLE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) Mayor of Seattle Jenny Durkan in an abrupt turnaround announced that the city intends to reclaim the neighborhood taken over by thousands of anti-racism protesters after two shooting incidents in the area over the weekend and multiple complaints from local residents and businesses.
"It's time for people to go home. It's time for us to restore Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill so that they can be a vibrant part of the community," Durkan said at a press briefing. "We can still accommodate people who can protest peacefully, who come there and gather. But the impacts on the businesses and residents and community are now too much. We have to have ability for everyone to travel safely and be there safely."
She added that the city prefers the negotiated solution to a stand-off, but the Seattle police chief Carmen Best said that they will seek greater authorities to use force constrained by local court's order.
The barricaded area of the self-proclaimed Capitol Hill Organized Protest saw two shootings on Saturday and Sunday which left one person killed and two wounded.
