Have the violent, black-clad militants finally worn out their welcome?
As Antifa violence continues to boil over in Seattle — and elected officials continue to treat the anarchy with kid gloves — some community leaders have had enough.
What are the details?
The city's streets and businesses on Wednesday once again fell victim to the so-called anti-fascists — black-clad militants who have often been hailed by the left as heroes even though they regularly attack everyday people and small businesses and anyone else who defies them or gets in their way.
The next day, in the wake of more shattered glass and tagged buildings, several community activists criticized City Hall's response, KOMO-TV reported — although "lack of response" would appear to be more apt description.
"Very weak. Very weak," community organizer Victoria Beach told the station regarding the reaction from far-left Mayor Jenny Durkan and city council members. "It's not addressing the problem. I reached out to the mayor today ... she needs to come out and say, 'Stop! Enough is enough!'"
As Antifa violence continues to boil over in Seattle — and elected officials continue to treat the anarchy with kid gloves — some community leaders have had enough.
What are the details?
The city's streets and businesses on Wednesday once again fell victim to the so-called anti-fascists — black-clad militants who have often been hailed by the left as heroes even though they regularly attack everyday people and small businesses and anyone else who defies them or gets in their way.
The next day, in the wake of more shattered glass and tagged buildings, several community activists criticized City Hall's response, KOMO-TV reported — although "lack of response" would appear to be more apt description.
"Very weak. Very weak," community organizer Victoria Beach told the station regarding the reaction from far-left Mayor Jenny Durkan and city council members. "It's not addressing the problem. I reached out to the mayor today ... she needs to come out and say, 'Stop! Enough is enough!'"
KOMO tried talking to Durkan to no avail — but did say her spokesperson offered an statement that read in part, "Violent threats, vandalism, and misogynistic and homophobic hate speech are unacceptable in our community. Mayor Durkan has consistently denounced individuals who are targeting small businesses and government facilities."
Beach told KOMO that's not a sufficient response.
"We are not talking about all that other stuff," she told the station. "We are talking about these fools [who are] nightly destroying our city. That's what we want to hear about."
More from KOMO:
City Councilman Andrew Lewis also declined to speak on camera to KOMO News about the protests but said in an email statement that "property destruction is a crime, not free speech. Last night a small group of people committed acts of vandalism in Downtown Seattle and were promptly arrested. It has never been hard for me to distinguish between acts of petty vandalism committed by opportunists."
City Councilwoman Lisa Herbold also did not answer questions from KOMO News, but sent a written statement saying: "I have spoken out against property destruction and violent behavior and will continue to do so."
"To me, it's a complete mystery why we're not having more response," Stephanie Tschida of the East Precinct Advisory Council told the station, adding that elected officials should be holding news conferences denouncing the destruction the strengthen the reach of the message. "Because a lot of people seem to have become apathetic."
The station added that neither the mayor nor council members posted their statements to KOMO on their social media platforms — and other council members didn't respond to KOMO's requests for comment about the issue.
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