CHAZ

When the truth is found to be lies
And all the joy within you dies
--Jefferson Airplane

A noteworthy phenomenon in the recent round of protests and riots is the attempt to construct so called 'autonomous zones' in many cities. Thus far, only one has been able to stick, that being CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) in Seattle. After city officials closed a downtown police station in early June, rioters rushed to commandeer a six block neighborhood in the area.

While mainstream media spins it as a spontaneous, peaceful protest, CHAZ is neither. It is being managed by several leftist groups and it is gaining socialist sponsorship. The camp itself was founded on principles of theft and is managed by strong-armed discretionary force.

In 1967 tens of thousands gathered in Haight-Ashbury for the Summer of Love. Fifty three years later tens of thousands are gathering up the coast to spend portions of their summer in anarchy.