Do you recall that supposedly autonomous "CHOP" zone (originally "CHAZ) that was set up in Seattle at the height of the BLM riots? That turned out to be an unmitigated disaster in many ways. Unfortunately, when the socialists come up with a bad idea that appears to work, even for a little while, others take notice and begin to imitate them. That appears to be what's happening in Zuccotti Park in New York City this week. But instead of Black Lives Matter activists, this one is being organized by a curious combination of pro-Hamas antisemites and transgender activists. The usual trappings are already on display, with signs warning the police to stay away. At Townhall, Katie Pavlich has the details. 

A new "autonomous zone" has been set up by left wing activists in New York City. This time on behalf of the Palestinian-Hamas movement in Zucotti Park. 

The zone, which commandeers public property, boasts signs like "this is the people's park," "no more cops," "no pigs allowed" and much more. 

In summer 2020 similar zones were set up in liberal cities across the country and quickly became breeding grounds for violence, drug use and other debauchery. In Seattle, a young man was killed and activists refused to allow the police or an ambulance into the area to render aid. 

You can view some of the disturbing scenes in this Twitter post. 

An “Autonomous Zone for Palestine” was set up today in Zucotti Park (Manhattan)

Demands:

- Liberation of Palestine
- NYPD funds redistribution to community
- No cops on MTA
- Mayor to resign
-Empty buildings to be used for migrants

Via @ScooterCasterNY pic.twitter.com/ixDm7WF3Dk

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 1, 2024

There's an old saying about how politics can create strange bedfellows, but you won't find many pairings this curious. How did transgender activists wind up in the same camp as Hamas supporters? Has anyone mentioned to the trans people what would happen to them if they showed up in Gaza and announced that they were trans or even gay? Hamas fighters would promptly escort them to the nearest tall building that is still somehow standing and unceremoniously throw them off. But I suppose you can't let a few inconvenient facts stand in the way of your protest.

Just for the sake of argument, however, let's take a look at their list of demands. First, they want the "liberation of Palestine." What is the New York City Council supposed to do about that? Pass a resolution? Next, in a blast from the past, they want the NYPD defunded with its budget being "redistributed" to the "community." We've already seen how defunding works out. They want the police removed from the subways and the buses, which I suppose makes it easier to rob and sexually assault the passengers. They want Mayor Eric Adams to resign. That's at least more doable at the local level, but it's hard to see how it moves the ball forward in terms of their other goals. Finally, they want empty buildings in the city to be "used for migrants." Do any of these people own televisions? Virtually every empty building in New York is already packed with migrants. 

Now we will get to see if Mayor Adams and the New York City Council learned anything from the disasters of 2020. When the initial CHOP zone was set up in Seattle, the municipal government and the local police made a disastrous miscalculation. They decided to treat the dangerous illegal activity like a protest and a free speech issue, hoping to reason with them. By the time everyone realized what a horror show it was becoming, it was too late and the protesters and rioters were too firmly entrenched. The situation dragged on seemingly forever.

You are not allowed to seize public lands and block them off from your fellow citizens or ban the presence of law enforcement. Such actions are patently illegal. The people setting up shop in Zuccotti Park should be given one extremely clear and unambiguous warning to tear down their structures and signs and move along. If they fail to do so, the Mayor needs to yank a small army of his officers away from their other duties and send them to the park in force wearing full riot gear. They need to start busting some heads and filling up the police wagons. The city council has already emptied out much of Riker's Island to appease the liberals, so there should be plenty of room for everyone there. If they allow this "zone" to fester and grow out of control, it will wind up being one more thing turning Gotham into even more of a hellhole than it already is.