Even though the liberal media had insisted the protesters were peaceful, over the weekend (Saturday morning and Sunday night) two people were killed and one critically injured in Seattle’s so-called “Capital Hill Occupy Protest” zone (formerly the “autonomous zone”). At least two of the victims were black. Occupiers of the “police-free zone” actively blocked EMS and police from getting to the victims. And neither CBS News nor NBC News gave the shootings any airtime during their flagship newscasts.
ABC’s World News Tonight was the only network newscast to cover any of the killings, but only on Sunday. Come Monday, when anchor David Muir was back in his seat, they kept far away from the story. Sunday’s World News Tonight was also the only newscast to mention the staggering amount of shootings in Chicago over the Father’s Day weekend.
“A violent Father’s Day weekend in the city of Chicago. At least 60 shot as of this morning, nine of them fatally,” reported Sunday anchor Whit Johnson. “That includes three teenagers, and a 3-year-old boy, who was struck by gunfire in his father's car. Homicides in Chicago up 22 percent this year.” Those numbers have since climbed to over 100 shot and 14 killed.
On the deadly shooting inside CHOP, Johnson noted: “A 19-year-old killed inside that roughly six-block area. Seized by police – protesters that is, and authorities say protesters prevented them from getting to the crime scene and the victim.” Of course, he hid the victim’s race.
After playing body camera footage of Seattle Police being assailed by protesters keeping them from the crime scene and the victim, ABC correspondent Zohreen Shah detailed what happened. “On Saturday, at around 2:30 a.m., the 9-1-1 call, shots fired inside the six-block area Seattle residents have taken over. Protesters forcing police away. Leaving them powerless to investigate,” she said.
Shah also played footage of “volunteer medics rushing the 19-year-old to the hospital where he died,” and noted, “another was critically injured.” Again they hid the man’s race. Adding: “A day and a half later, police still haven't released a suspect description. The circumstances and lack of access to the scene have presented obvious challenges.”
While ABC, CBS, and NBC turned a blind eye to the weekend killings on Monday, they instead chose to continue to mock the crowd size of President Trump’s Saturday rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ABC and NBC also continued to gush about the claims John Bolton makes in his new anti-Trump book.
On the other hand, Fox News Channel’s Special Report easily managed to find time to report on the killings in Chicago and Seattle. “For the second time in two days, shots rang out in Seattle's capitol hill occupy protest zone,” reported correspondent Dan Springer, who was on the ground. “They [Police] never did reach the crime scene that left a 19-year-old black teenager dead and a 33-year-old black man in critical condition.”
Springer also pointed out an irony of the situation: "We know that after the shooting, dozens and dozens of people called 9-1-1, some of the very same people who claim that we shouldn't have any police at all."
This radical collection of Black Lives Matter and Antifa groups received the deluxe spin treatment just 11 days ago, when the networks tried to downplay their radical nature. But now that they’re ignoring how a black teen was killed in the zone, it makes you wonder if black lives matter to the networks.
And in breaking news made after the network newscasts were off the air, Seattle’s liberal mayor, Jenny Durkan, who once predicted a “summer of love” for CHOP, says the killings mean the zome must be dismantled.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
June 21, 2020
6:15 p.m. Eastern [1 minute 48 seconds]WHIT JOHNSON: A violent Father’s Day weekend in the city of Chicago. At least 60 shot as of this morning, nine of them fatally. That includes three teenagers, and a 3-year-old boy, who was struck by gunfire in his father's car. Homicides in Chicago up 22 percent this year.
There's news on a deadly shooting inside Seattle's protest zone. A 19-year-old killed inside that roughly six-block area. Seized by police – protesters that is, and authorities say protesters prevented them from getting to the crime scene and the victim. Here's ABC’s Zohreen Shah.
[Cuts to video]
ZOHREEN SHAH: Tonight, the body camera video. Seattle police arriving at the scene of a shooting at the activist occupied zone.
UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: Please move out of the way so we can get to the victim. All we're trying to do is get to the victim.
SHAH: On Saturday, at around 2:30 a.m., the 9-1-1 call, shots fired inside the six-block area Seattle residents have taken over. Protesters forcing police away. Leaving them powerless to investigate.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The victim is gone!
SHAH: Jake Gravbrot was there and captured this video of volunteer medics rushing the 19-year-old to the hospital where he died. Another was critically injured.
JAKE GRAVBROT: It all just makes me really sad that this happened, because yes, we want that area to be a peaceful and educational kind of a place.
SHAH: Activists started the zone about two weeks ago following massive protests against police violence and racial injustice. Some inside, heavily armed. Police had said they'd only go inside in the event of a mass casualty or active shooter. Saturday night's standoff showed that didn't work.
[Cuts back to live]
A day and a half later, police still haven't released a suspect description. The circumstances and lack of access to the scene have presented obvious challenges. Whit.
JOHNSON: All right. Zohreen, thank you.
