The Daily Signal - Andy Ngo Spent 5 Days in CHOP. Here’s What He Saw.

Episode Date: June 24, 2020

Andy Ngo, the editor at large for the Canada-based Post Millennial, who was badly beaten by antifa in June 2019, spent five days undercover in Seattle’s so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), also known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). It's a self-declared "autonomous” and cop-free zone. Ngo joins the podcast to discuss what he saw, the recent shooting in CHOP, the claims that the violence has been from "a right-wing attack," and more.  We also cover these stories: President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order to protect statues from destruction by radical protesters. Trump said that “autonomous zones” like the one declared in Seattle that has seen shootings and at least one death will not be tolerated in Washington, D.C.  Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced on Monday that police will slowly return to the city's East Precinct police station. It’s located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill area dubbed CHAZ or CHOP after being taken over by protesters demanding that the police department be defunded.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, June 24th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Dald Judas. Andy No, the editor at large for the Canada-based post-millennial, was beaten by Antifa members last June and spent time in Seattle's so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, also known as the Capitol Hill organized protest, which is a self-declared autonomous and cop-free zone. Andy joins me on today's Daily Signal podcast to discuss what he saw. Don't forget. If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe.

Now, onto our top news. President Trump plans to issue an executive order to protect statues. Historic statues in cities across America have been torn down and covered in graffiti after the killing of George Floyd on May 25th. Targeted statues have ranged from Confederate General Robert E. Lee to President George Washington and Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Speaking to reporters on the South Law of the White House on Tuesday, Trump said the order will reinforce current law and will create long-term jail sentences

for those who do vandalize the statues per MSNBC. We're looking at long-term sentences under the Act. We have a very specific Monuments Act, and we are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums. and these anarchists and agitators and call them whatever you want. Some people don't like that language, but that's what they are. They're bad people. They don't love our country.

And they're not taking down our monuments. They just want to make that clear. The president also said that if state governments need additional help protecting their monuments, the federal government is ready and willing to step in and help. President Trump also said that autonomous zones like the one created in Seattle, that has seen shootings and at least one death will not be tolerated in the nation's capital. On Tuesday, Trump tweeted, there will never be an autonomous zone in Washington, D.C., as long as I'm your president.

If they try, they will be met with serious force. This tweet came after protesters attempted to pull down a statue in Lafayette Square, which is across from the White House of President Andrew Jackson. Protesters also painted Bhas or Black House Autonomous Zone on St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House and attempted to set off an autonomous zone like Seattle's using chain link fence across a road to erect barricades. Fox News reported. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced on Monday that police will slowly return to the city's East Precinct Police Station, which is located in Seattle's Capitol Hill area that has become known

as CHOP or Chaz after being taken over by protesters demanding the police be defunded. Durkin did not give a timeline for how quickly the police will return to the station located in the declared autonomous police-free zone of Seattle. Recent violence has raised concerns over the safety of the area. Three people were shot over the weekend on the edge of CHOP, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old man. Durkan also announced they planned to limit activity in the area to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to return order to the city and stop the nighttime violence. State and local leaders are working with a number of community groups to encourage individuals to return to their homes. Durkan explained the city's plan during a press conference Monday per Seattle Channel.

In recent days, we have deployed community resources to both de-escalate the area and to move people to services. We will continue working with and deploying these community organizations to change the circumstances on Capitol Hill. We have heard many over the last two weeks say that we as a city need to respond to community with community-based solutions, not always police. That's why we are engaging those partners now, like not this time, community passageways, and other black-led organizations. I am hopeful and confident that these organizations that we are in dialogue with and others will work to encourage individuals to live. leave voluntarily, and we're working with those organizations and community leaders to resolve that situation. China says it wants to get back at the United States after the U.S. put four additional Chinese media outlets on a foreign missions list. Chow Li John, a Chinese foreign

ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday that the designating of the Chinese media outlets as foreign missions is yet another example of the U.S.'s flagrant political suppression of the Chinese media, The Washington Examiner reported, and added that, Li John said, We strongly urge the United States to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice and immediately stop and correct this wrong practice that serves no one's interest. Otherwise, China will have to make the necessary legitimate response. The four Chinese media outlets named as foreign missions are the China Central Television, China News Service, the People's Daily, and the Global Times,

and, per the examiner, have to report detailed. of their U.S. staffing and real estate holdings in America to the State Department. On Monday, David Stillwell, the State Department's Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said via the Washington Examiner that these entities are not independent news organizations. They are effectively controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, also known as propaganda outlets. Now stay tuned for my conversation with Andy Noe on Seattle's Police Free Zone, known as Chop. conservative women conservative feminists it's true we do exist i'm virginia allen and every thursday morning on problematic women loren evans and i sort through the news to bring you stories and interviews

that are a particular interest to conservative leaning or problematic women that is women whose views and opinions are often excluded are mocked by those on the so-called feminist left we talk about everything from pop culture to policy and politics. Search for problematic women wherever you get your podcast. I'm joined today on the Daily Signal podcast by Andy No. He's the editor at large for the Canada-based post-millennial. And as some of you might remember, he was also beaten by Antifa last June. Andy, it's great to have you on the Daily Signal podcast. Thank you so much for inviting me on again. Well, it's great to have you with us. So you just spent five days in Seattle at the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, also known as Free Capitol Hill. And this is a self-declared

autonomous zone and a cop-free zone. So can you set the scene for us and just tell us about what you saw during these five days? So I arrived there about 48 hours after the establishment of this so-called autonomous zone that happened on the 8th of June. And for days before the before the 8th, there have been really violent clashes or riots, he would call, between police and various left-wing protesters who have been trying to break into the East precinct. And Capitol Hill is a very left-wing area. It's sometimes called the heart of the counterculture movement in Seattle. It's also filled with

many gay and LGBT businesses. But on the 8th, the police boarded up the facility and abandoned it and left. And sure enough, within moments,

those who have been trying to claim it took over not just the area in front of the police precinct, but actually the almost the entire neighborhood, six blocks. And they stole city property like barricades, fencing, and made these barricades, where they established border checkpoints. And very quickly, it developed until a very defined space that devolved until anarchy, chaos, violence, and unfortunately death.

So what kind of things, what are some of the things you witnessed or you saw during your, I think it was five days there? If there were a couple things that stood out to you that are kind of something that you have focused on since spending time, they're undercover, what are those things? When I was there, there was a lot of story pieces that was coming out in print, as well as broadcast media, focusing on how, well, essentially repeating the, propaganda point from the mayor that it was peaceful and a block party like and a summer love, something like that. But during the day, that's partially true, but the other half that wasn't being told was what was happening at night. And I think what was most shocking to me, in addition to seeing marauding,

militias going around with armed semi-automatic rifles and other weapons openly and some of them were distributing it they had walkie-talkies

their only rule there was that it was that no pigs allowed no cops allowed was their one rule but they very quickly established their own set of code of conduct for the denizens of this area So in addition to the people roaming with guns,

what I found most of disturbing were the various booths and tables set-ups that distributed extremist literature, and the literature not only meant to brainwash an audience, some of it provided instructions for criminality, such as how to create bombs with light bulbs, how to lock up a building to prevent entry from police, how to injure police and kill them. So this was the stuff that wasn't being reported by the press, I think,

because they were never there at night. So they didn't see the criminality that came out. And unfortunately, within a matter of days, it spilled over until... an alleged arson attack, I should say, an alleged rape and a death over the weekend. There were back-to-back shootings on Saturday, Sunday. As of this afternoon on Tuesday, there was reportedly another shooting that's being investigating the nearby area. So this is exactly what the people wanted.

They wanted police to stay away. They wanted their own people in power, and that's what we're seeing. So, Andy, you had mentioned that during the day, obviously, journalists were they reporting, but at night they weren't allowed. So since you were there undercover, were you there at night? And if so, what kind of things did you witness? I was there at night. So the criminal elements that I just described to you happened almost exclusively at night, but there was more. Fights broke out quite frequently.

People were getting drunk there. So they would drink all day, and then at night, fights would. break out between one another. There would be, some people would have a health crisis. Vagrants were congregating in the area. There was drug use, quite explicit, open drug use. So it was a peer experiment in anarching chaos is what I witnessed. And unfortunately, there was still,

residents who live in this area. I mean, that's for so long, like nobody was really focusing on how those who live and work there are impacted. All the businesses have been boarded up, closed. Most of them closed. Some of them still remained open during the day.

But there were, this is a very densely populated area. It's in some ways, kind of like Manhattan, in that many tall buildings and residences are there. and unfortunately they were stuck in a literal no-go zone. Were there any people that you spoke to, what were they saying, or what was the conversation like people amongst one another?

People are very kind to me because they viewed me as one of their own. So I mentioned in my New York Post piece that there were acts of kindness in humanity and community that was important to mention that came out, particularly during the day, a bit so at night as well, but in the day people were very quick to offer their comrades and friends and allies food and water, for example, and they would always emphasize that it was free. The whole area was essentially a very generous welfare state

based on those Americans who had donated there was so many donations coming in because all the media coverage presents this is like just this great left-wing project that was a safe space for black people and people of color so there were demo set up, GoFundee set up, an address to deliver pizza, so there was just an overabundance of, quote-unquote,

free, free, free. So the conversations I was hearing was just that, well, essentially there was no leadership at all. So if media, for example, or a politician wanted to talk to somebody who's representative of the demands of the so-called autonomous zone, there really wouldn't be one person. I mean, there were some people who claimed to serve that role, but they weren't viewed does necessarily the legitimate leader to everybody. So there were certain cracks that were showing very quickly than, I guess, the social and ideological dynamics was in the area. So for those who

aren't aware of the context, obviously this CHAS area is a coterie autonomous zone. But can you talk a little bit and speak to as why this was set up in the first place? The area was set out because police had abandoned the East Precinct, not out of a decision made by the police chief, Kauffman Best, but actually because of a decision made from the mayor's office. And one of the reasons they left, in addition to political pressure, was that they no longer have the tools to crowd control effectively. Several weeks ago, the city council got a restraining order against the Seattle police that removed their legal right to use tear gas, pepper spray, flashbanks. So in the absence of those tools that are effective in dealing with a riot,

they had no way to protect their building if they left. And unfortunately, a U.S. judge has extended that order. all the way to September now. So violent protesters are becoming more bold. They protest far beyond the borders of their zone. They've been marching almost daily to the West precinct now, another precinct that's in an area of downtown. They have been holding demonstrations out there

and vandalizing the building there. So Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is saying that because of the shootings that have happened, the city has plans to take back this no police zone. When do you think this might happen? Has there been any sort of conclusion as to when they're going to take back this part of the city? Well, Jenny Durkin, after the violence and death over the weekend, she's looking very foolish for her recent comments defending the zone. And the city didn't just defended in talking points. They actually provided material support to the camp

through providing upgrades such as barricades in the streets. The city provides taxpayers provided that. The city is continuing to provide trash and rubbish pickup, for example. So they've been prolonging the life of this illegal occupation. But now that it's potentially politically consequential to the mayor, because, well, some of the people in there who were supportive of the zone

are realizing this is a hell-ho. This is a lawless area that's violent and dangerous. Well, she's finally saying police will take these precincts at some point, but, I mean, she and other people on City Council had already voted to take away the tools of crowd control. So I feel for the Seattle Police, they're going to be put in a situation where I'm not sure how they could really clear out thousands of people if they don't have the tools to do it. Well, Ind, you kind of hit on my next question, which was, so you mentioned how there's still a trash pickup that's happening. Do these people have like a water source? Is the city providing them with electricity?

How are people charging their phones? Other than like trash pickup, practically speaking, how is the city continuing or has it continued to enable them? Yeah. So not only did the city provide these barricades and trash pickup, the city also provided porta-potties. So the basic needs of this zone is met. and it's also a porous border area so people leave in and go in and out

to charge their phone or to get more food but they have so much of abundance of their stuff being donated and give it in some people actually bring their own generators to produce extra electricity for when they're

a camped out in the tent so they've been aided and supported not just by the city but those of the public and I mean that's why those in the camp were so controlling over media

narratives. Actually, I didn't mention this earlier, but it's important that so many times there were fights that were breaking out or conflict, they would frequently yell, don't record, don't put this out, this is what Fox News will use against us. So

they were actively patrolling and preventing the documentation of reality, there. They wanted the perception to continue that it was a utopia. Well, as a follow-up, and as you mentioned earlier, about the different shootings that have happened and then the one person who did pass away, Seattle Socialist City Councilwoman Kashama Stewart had said that the shootings have indications that this may have been a right-wing attack. Is this the case and why do you think she is saying this?

she's saying that because it's a political advantage of her, because this is her district. This is her district that she is supporting this anarchy, criminality, and lawlessness. There's absolutely no evidence that there was any political motivation in the shooting, one of the many shootings that happened in the past four days in this area. and on top of that, none of the witnesses and those who would have information are cooperating with police by intention. They actually have all these rules about you can't talk to cops. If you do, that's actually one way to get kicked out. So police have been pleading to the public and those who have information that come forward.

Some of the victims that were injured in the shootings, but it have been released from hospital, there too are also refusing to cooperate with police. So they're depending on their own source of so-called justice, of vengeance. There's a gang element there. I suspect that the shootings are related to. gang violence. Well, and finally, Andy, what would you say is the goal of these anarchists in creating chop? Why are they doing this?

And do you think they're meeting whatever goal they have? It didn't look like there was a well-thought-out plan when they took over this area. It really appeared like people thinking on the spot, oh, let's steal a very appropriate city property to block police from coming back. okay, and then it very quickly became this so-called autonomous zone as they declared it. And the goals are different for the different ideological factions. I'll start with the largest ones. I would say the majority of the people there are sort of the mainline Black Lives Matter.

And these are the people who have actually issued demands, demands such as defunding the Seattle Police, the demanding reparations, demanding the literal end of the American criminal justice system. They have this huge sign that they recently put at one of the border entrances that say, we refuse to leave until these demands are made. So those are the people who, unfortunately, city council and other politicians are actually negotiating with. They're negotiating with these extremists. then the anarchist communists, the antifference, they actually don't issue demands.

They literally are part of this occupation as a means of just destabilizing the area, destabilizing American society, ensuring through force that they can, when they say burn it down, they can sometimes do it literally. Well, Andy, thank you so much for joining us on the Daily Signal podcast and just sharing this firsthand account with us. We appreciate having you. My pleasure. Thank you so much. And that will do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to the Daily Signal podcast.

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