Point At Issue: How Can Artwork Within The "CHOP" Amplify Black Lives Matter?

Lindsey Wasson / Reuters

In the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, the sign above the East Police Precinct now reads, "Seattle People Department." Here, a six-block area, known as the "CHOP," or the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, is a zone of the neighborhood free from police oversight, with the local government doing little to dismantle the community over the past two weeks. On June 23rd, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that the city of Seattle is planning to retake the East Precinct and begin to remove the individuals who are residing within the CHOP.

The "CHOP," formerly known as the "CHAZ," which stands for the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, the "CHOP" was born after a nine-day standoff between local protesters and the Seattle Police Department. These protests occurred in response to numerous instances of police brutality against Black Americans, namely the recent deaths of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.

Thus, thousands of individuals began to march to the East Precinct, located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. They demanded change, as they protested police brutality, systematic racism, and police procedures.

In the days before the CHOP's formation, the Seattle police had used tear gas, blast ball grenades, and pepper spray against protesters, even after Mayor Jenny Durkan and Chief of Police Carmen Best instituted a 30-day ban on the use of tear gas to remove protestors.

After many nights, the Seattle Police abandoned their East Police Precinct, boarded their windows, and allowed the people of Seattle free reign within the area as of June 8th. Although this was what the protestors wanted, the city had concerns with the notion of a police-free zone. For instance, restaurants within the CHOP could not receive food deliveries and residents living in apartments within the neighborhood could not receive police or emergency services.

Additionally, the creation of the CHOP caused Seattle’s East Police Precinct responding times to be three times slower than usual, according to Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best. Thus, the neighboring areas this precinct served could not receive the police aid needed within a reasonable time frame. Protestors revamped the barricades that once separated protests and police with artwork and writing and set them up to create the boundaries of the CHOP.

Those residing within CHOP created a list of demands, written on boarded-up windows, barricades, and weaved within pieces of artwork. Of all the demands, three of these pivotal demands are scribbled onto the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct.

In these three demands, protestors ask to defund the Seattle Police Department by 50% and reallocate those funds towards BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities within Seattle.

Organizers want a redistribution of the Seattle Police Department's budget: investing 50 million dollars into Black-led community organizations to "ensure that COVID-19 does not exacerbate the only widening racial resource/wealth gap", according to the King County Equity Now Coalition.

Another central requirement is that the Seattle Police release all protestors and drop charges against them.

Moreover, CHOP protestors demand the termination of the relationship between the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle public school system. Within the CHOP, numerous murals, paintings, and protest signs are displayed. Of the many works of art, a notable piece created was a street mural reading: "Black Lives Matter."

@dislimb / Reddit

This mural stretches over several blocks, and it is a staple within the CHOP. What's unique about this mural is that 90% of it was created by Black artists, and the remaining artists are BIPOC individuals.

The artists are given the creative license to decorate these letters in whatever way speaks to them. Take Kimisha Turner, a Seattle-based artist whose work is influenced by "self-reflection, empowerment, and social awareness." Within the CHOP, Turner created the artwork atop the "B" in the street mural.

Within the "B," Turner included pops of color and imagery of arrows, which, in her mind, represent moving forward. In an interview with Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times, Turner spoke of the mission that this street mural depicts: "The arrows are about progress, about moving forward...This is all about beautiful black bodies".

Notable artists and small-scale creators alike have used the CHOP as an artistic, creative outlet. On a bus stop within the CHOP, a painting of Martin Luther King Junior rests above graffiti of a raised fist and the letters BLM, as well as flyers that read: "Remember to: Be yourself, Be Inspired, Be Respectful, WASH YOUR HANDS & KEEP PROTESTING!!!!"

Emma Lam / June 14th, 2020

Look across from this bus stop, and you'll spot a candle shrine encrusted with dried roses, accompanied by the names and photographs of the faces of those who have fallen victim to police brutality. Above these candles are hung up and abandoned protest signs: “Black Trans Lives Matter”, “Black Lives Matter”, “NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE”.

Brenna McCormick / June 16th, 2020

As a discernable structure, the work allows those surveying, occupying, or visiting the CHOP to draw personal conclusions. They can see the faces of those who have been lost and appreciate the words left behind by protestors and organizers.

Art informs social movements, as it empowers the artists and inspires onlookers. Artists can magnify their individual narratives and their perspectives of the world. As Shirin Neshat, an Iranian artist based in New York City declared in a 2010 Ted Talk: "Art is our weapon."

For years, art has acted as a weapon to create change. Take the Tahrir Square Occupied Protests, which advocated for the 2011 Egyptian Revolution against the former president, Hosni Mubarak. During this period of political unrest, musicians on the street performed alongside crowds, playing known tunes that the protestors could sing along to. Or, at times, the musicians went in blind, creating new songs on the spot that emphasized how they felt during this time.

By doing this, the musicians moved the crowds into what is called “collective effervescence”, meaning that in that moment, a community or society is simultaneously operating as one – the same contagious feeling that you get at your favorite concert.

Thus, through music, the soundtrack to their struggle was successful. It created an outlet for protestors and musicians to feel united, heard, and reinforcement from those alongside them.

(Source: Al-jazerra) The Tahrir Square Protests

Furthermore, artistic portrayals are fueled by emotions and ideas that may be unique to an artist but can apply to a vast group of individuals.

Besides the direct impact this art has on spectators who physically engage with these pieces inside of the CHOP, these audiences have been quick to use photography to inspire social change.

Many visitors have been sharing images of these art pieces on various social media platforms, which allow these pieces to reach broader audiences and take up space on social media feeds and profiles. Last week, the physical entity existing as CHOP was disbanded.

Businesses needed to start up again, people living within the neighborhood needed access to state resources, and crime in and around the CHOP began to escalate. But, the movement still sent a powerful message through speakers, performances, and artwork.

Regardless of how the spirit of the CHOP will grow or cease to exist within the next few weeks, the art within it is the pulse of the Black Lives Matter movement out of Seattle. It encompasses the motivations and grievances creators and protestors have with our society, our police forces, and our governments. Because of the CHOP's eccentricity and popularity, and how striking much of this artwork is, these pieces are quick to be shared.

Thus, the experiences of those walking through the streets of Capitol Hill is translated to those across the country, who each have a chance to wrestle with how the art inside the area contributes to, as well as humanizes the individuals and creators that are dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Perhaps, in this case, the paintbrush, rather than the pen, is mightier than the sword.