How It’s Done: Asheville, NC Protesters Attempt an Autonomous Zone, Police Immediately Dismantle It

As my RedState colleague Nick Arama reported, the attempts in Nashville and Chicago by protesters to set up “autonomous zones” similar to the one that was set up in Seattle in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd have not gone so well.

The situation Friday night in Asheville, North Carolina was no different. Except in this case we have videos of the police department actually dismantling the encampment not long after occupiers in the area attempted to set it up.

Here’s how the situation played out on social media. Note the excitement and hype:

Autonomous zone going up in Asheville NC. People are needed now! Please share this if you can't be here. Supplies also needed. Lexington is the road, right under 240. Look for the flashing police lights. #Asheville #autonomouszone #ashevillenc #az #acab #chaz #ashevilleaz #wnc

— Birdie Gregson (@BirdieGregson) June 13, 2020

Asheville, NC Is in the process of creating an autonomous zone. I am here as a medic and we have a medical team set up right outside the boundaries. Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/uJZPLzs2SR

— Text “GUILLOTINE” to 696969 (@R3eeeeeeee) June 13, 2020

Just spoke with one of the organizers. Apparently they have a lot more people on the way and they intend to hold the area.

— Text “GUILLOTINE” to 696969 (@R3eeeeeeee) June 13, 2020

Except … there was no “holding the area” by protesters. Police stepped in soon after attempts at setting up camp started to shut it all down:

Update on #Asheville autonomous zone. Every cop in Asheville showed up, proving they have nothing better to do on a Friday night. Tore down barricade. As of 11pm est, <100 demonstrators remaining. Need more people & support. Many will be back tmrw. This is only the beginning. ✊

— Birdie Gregson (@BirdieGregson) June 13, 2020

Here’s video from another angle of the police deconstructing the zone. You can hear “peaceful protesters” in the background, including perhaps the person taking the video, yelling “oink oink!” at police officers at a distance, with one particularly vile person screaming “I smell bacon!”

Here’s what the scene looked like in the aftermath. Clearly the Asheville police were not in the mood to let them try it again:

The #autonomouszone in #Asheville North Carolina not going well pic.twitter.com/aogAx9yY11

— roberto pedone (@zerosum24) June 13, 2020

Here’s what the scene looked like earlier this morning:

Protestors tried to establish an autonomous zone in Asheville Friday night. Police took it down. Few signs of the zone remain the next morning. #avlnews #asheville pic.twitter.com/rbx7BY09ND

— Brian Gordon (@BrianSamuel92) June 13, 2020

Asheville is known as the “Seattle” of North Carolina, with Raleigh not being far behind. But unlike Seattle, Asheville police officers do not mess around in these matters, as evidenced by what took place last night.

There are murmurings on social media that another attempt at setting up an “autonomous zone” in Asheville will be made tonight. We’ll see how that turns out.

https://www.redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2020/06/13/how-its-done-asheville-nc-protesters-attempt-an-autonomous-zone-police-immediately-dismantle-it-watch/

Here Comes the Chicago Effort at an Autonomous Zone, But Someone Didn’t Plan Very Well

So what happens when you don’t deal with a group of anarchists seizing six blocks of the city in Seattle? When you even praise them, call them patriotic and the seizure a great big “block party” “summer of love,” as the mayor did?

You get more anarchists and leftists trying to do the same thing.

Some tried it Friday night in Nashville, as we reported, across from the Capitol in Legislative Plaza. They demanded that officials “remove racist statues,” “demilitarize the police,” “fire Chief Anderson,” and “defund the police.” The governor had said they would not be tolerated and because of Occupy, there’s actually a law there against camping on that land.

Planned overnight sit-in at Tennessee Capitol in Nashville appears to have more media members than protesters; irritated homeless population is just trying to get some sleep

pic.twitter.com/fkxDf2wKL8

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 13, 2020

But now they also tried one at the University of Chicago, with students staging a sit-in the lobby of the campus police headquarters, demanding the police be defunded.

But this was actually pretty hilarious. The police locked the doors so they they couldn’t get out and no food could get in. They were furious that the pizza they had ordered couldn’t get in and they had no food or bathrooms. Someone apparently didn’t plan this effort very well. Police said they could leave to eat or go to the bathroom but then they couldn’t get back in. So they had to set up a tent in the back of the area to go to the bathroom in. In just a few hours, they are already the poopy Occupy.

University of Chicago PD has protestors trapped in headquarters at 61st & Drexel. They won't let anyone bring food or water qnd they won't let protestors use the restroom. Get to 61st and Drexel now if you can!! pic.twitter.com/pLn0Uv87sM

— BLMChicago (@BLMChi) June 12, 2020

Really crazy story developing in Chicago tonight.

Student protesters at one of the country’s elite universities, the University of Chicago, are both inside and outside their school PD.

But the students inside are being denied food, water, and bathrooms.pic.twitter.com/erBbNkVX6s

— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) June 13, 2020

Here they are, chanting “Let us eat!” Shouldn’t you have thought of that?

You can see more in this thread here.

They set up a bunch of tents outside the university police headquarters as well and there are a bunch of folks occupying the ground there. They set up bikes, cars, tents and dumpsters to create their barricades. Isn’t it hilarious that the folks who so complained about walls, the minute they set up their “utopias,” they create walls?

Given that it’s a liberal university, just like with Seattle, I don’t hold out much hope that they’ll fully get the boot out they deserve. But I give props to the cops for “trapping” them in the lobby area and making them whine. They even reportedly cut off the AC inside the building. Great job, University of Chicago PD!

https://www.redstate.com/nick-arama/2020/06/13/854692/