Judge rules petition to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan can proceed

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Petitioners have 180 days to gather 56,202 physical signatures elicit a recall — 25% of the total votes cast for Mayor Durkan in her last election.

The accusations refer to recent protests in Downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill, also called CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest), where protests have been ongoing following the death of George Floyd. The protests have garnered media attention across the U.S., with mainstream media eagerly latching on to the sensationalism of an occupied protest in a district abandoned by police.

News outlets have vilified Seattle for allowing protesters to take over a police precinct without repercussions and Trump has even weighed in, advising Mayor Durkan to get her cities under control, even threatening military interference.

Durkan responded that protests were a fundamental right and that using the military against American citizens was illegal.

But, despite tweeting about upholding American rights, there have been complaints from protesters about Durkan’s handling CHOP. CHOP developed amidst criticism of police use of force against civilians, and while Durkan initially described the zone as a block party and intimating that it would wind down into a “Summer of Love.”