Shoulda been a Tweet: Checkpoint CHAZlie

I set out tonight to do an episode of the world’s worst podcast, straight from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Unfortunately, greedy, selfish batteries need to be charged to power devices. I talked into my mic for a good 20 minutes. The only record of those words is floating through the cosmos.

How far do the sounds we utter travel?

My commentary tonight on CHAZ was pithy, entertaining, informative, insightful, and awesome. You’ll just have to trust me.

I’m going to keep this one short. I have a lot of things I’ve been jotting down to write about, but they’re not organized. If I tried to wing it, I’d just be forcing it. So here’s to brevity.

If you’re reading or listening to Fox News, please stop. Hannity and Fox’s online news center are describing CHAZ as this descent into anarchy and lawlessness. They repeat vague, unsourced reports about armed guards at CHAZ and extortion of local businesses.

Hannity and Fox are lying to you. I don’t understand exactly what CHAZ is or what it’s going to be. Good! We don’t need another old white voice (me) explaining the Black Lives Matter marches or CHAZ. I’m comfortable with my role. Show up when I can, listen, support black businesses, and safely and responsibly document this time. (I hope that somewhere down the line I can hand over some decent images to the people involved.)

Another thing we can do – call out bullshit. Trump, Hannity, and Fox want you to be outraged and/or fearful. Radical anarchists have taken over Seattle and turned it into a lawless zone!!! It’s just not true. If you’re in Seattle, you should visit CHAZ. You’ll find a community that is celebrating George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and defiance of a heavy-handed, violent security response by SPD and the National Guard. They’re doing this while also paying respects to the Duwamish.