In July 2020, residents of Seattle set up what became known as the "Capital Hill Organized Protest Zone," or CHOP. CHOP was set up in response to the death of George Floyd. Originally protesters wanted a 50% reduction in funding for police. Later, they called for the total abolition of the Seattle police and made several other outrageous demands, like ending prisons, that no responsible government could ever fulfill.
But "responsible" was not in the lexicon of the protesters. There were shootings. There were killings. There were drug overdoses. Finally, Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered CHOP cleared after two deaths and many injuries.
But to prove the adage that no bad idea is ever lost forever, pro-Hamas protesters in New York City are setting up their own version of CHOP.
An “Autonomous Zone for Palestine” was set up today in Zucotti Park (Manhattan)
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 1, 2024
Demands:
- Liberation of Palestine
- NYPD funds redistribution to community
- No cops on MTA
- Mayor to resign
-Empty buildings to be used for migrants
Via @ScooterCasterNY pic.twitter.com/ixDm7WF3Dk
Hot Air's Jazz Shaw points out that the Pro-Hamas Palestinians aren't alone in creating a CHOP zone. They have the help of transgender activists. Why would radical Muslims who see transgender people as an abomination ally with them?
How did transgender activists wind up in the same camp as Hamas supporters? Has anyone mentioned to the trans people what would happen to them if they showed up in Gaza and announced that they were trans or even gay? Hamas fighters would promptly escort them to the nearest tall building that is still somehow standing and unceremoniously throw them off. But I suppose you can't let a few inconvenient facts stand in the way of your protest.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" doesn't explain why devout Muslims would see transgenders as anything but filth.
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Putting that mystery aside, the real questions are: What are New York authorities going to do about these radicals, and how will the situation be resolved?
Just for the sake of argument, however, let's take a look at their list of demands. First, they want the "liberation of Palestine." What is the New York City Council supposed to do about that? Pass a resolution? Next, in a blast from the past, they want the NYPD defunded with its budget being "redistributed" to the "community." We've already seen how defunding works out. They want the police removed from the subways and the buses, which I suppose makes it easier to rob and sexually assault the passengers. They want Mayor Eric Adams to resign. That's at least more doable at the local level, but it's hard to see how it moves the ball forward in terms of their other goals. Finally, they want empty buildings in the city to be "used for migrants." Do any of these people own televisions? Virtually every empty building in New York is already packed with migrants.
Now we will get to see if Mayor Adams and the New York City Council learned anything from the disasters of 2020. When the initial CHOP zone was set up in Seattle, the municipal government and the local police made a disastrous miscalculation. They decided to treat the dangerous illegal activity like a protest and a free speech issue, hoping to reason with them. By the time everyone realized what a horror show it was becoming, it was too late and the protesters and rioters were too firmly entrenched. The situation dragged on seemingly forever.
The New York City CHOP zone is illegal. You can't block access to a public park or attempt to ban the presence of police. Seattle's biggest mistake was taking the clowns who took over Capital Hill seriously and treating them like legitimate protesters.
New York should not repeat that mistake. Mayor Eric Adams needs to send a large contingent of New York's finest to the park and escort the pro-Hamas and transgender protestors away.
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