Father of Man Killed in Seattle's 'CHAZ' Sues City Officials

Horace Lorenzo Anderson Sr., whose son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Jr., was shot and killed inside Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), has sued the outgoing mayor and a socialist member of the city council who backed the protest.

Anderson Jr. was murdered inside the zone, also known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), and died partly because police and other first responders were unable to reach him, after city leaders yielded control of the area to protesters.

As Breitbart News reported at the time:

The CHOP was an area of several square blocks surrounding the East Precinct of the Seattle Police Department, which law enforcement was forced to abandon by city leaders after days of confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters.

Following the departure of the police on June 9, the activists set up barricades and declared themselves the Seattle Autonomous Zone (SAZ) or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Local Democratic leaders prevented the police from returning to enforce the law. Mayor Jenny Durkan downplayed public concerns, telling CNN June 11 that the zone was “more like a block party atmosphere” and that “[w]e could have the summer of love.” But it was not to be.

The CHOP was peaceful during the daylight hours, but violent at night, as armed groups roamed the streets with weapons and enforced their own brand of vigilante discipline. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best openly criticized city leaders for allowing lawlessness to prevail, as did President Trump, who constantly challenged Durkan and Gov. Jay Inslee to intervene to end the chaos. On June 20, two people were shot, one fatally — the first of several shootings.

Anderson Sr. was ignored by the media and politicians until he appeared on Fox News’ Hannity. Then-President Donald Trump called Anderson Sr. to offer his support to the family.

Now, Anderson Sr. has sued outgoing Mayor Durkan and socialist city council member Kshama Swant. The Seattle Times reports:

The father of a 19-year-old man shot and killed after Seattle police abandoned the East Precinct on Capitol Hill during racial protests in June 2020 has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging Mayor Jenny Durkan, Councilmember Kshama Sawant and others acted with “deliberate indifference” to the lawlessness and contributed to his death.

The 40-page complaint filed by Horace Anderson and the estate of his dead son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, was filed in King County Superior Court on Wednesday, just two days after a federal judge dismissed similar claims filed in U.S. District Court by the young man’s mother.

The new lawsuit, filed by Seattle trial attorney Evan Oshan, differs from the failed federal lawsuit in that it relies on state law and adds claims for negligence and violations of protections and duties that cities and officials owe citizens that are outlined in the state constitution and statutes, which are generally more expansive than federal law.

The lawsuit follows a claim made with the city asking for $3 billion in damages. The lawsuit itself does not specify the damages being sought.

There continue to be political consequences of the CHAZ/CHOP. On Tuesday, Seattle voters appeared to elect a Republican as city attorney, and chose moderate Democrat Bruce Harrell over “progressive” M. Lorena González as their new mayor.

Sawant still faces a recall election from angry voters in her district on December 7.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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