EXCLUSIVE: Teen files claim against Seattle over city’s ‘indifference’ to deadly CHAZ autonomous zone

According to attorneys for West, he and his friend Antonio Mays Jr. were attempting to escape the barricaded zone on June 29, 2020, nine days after the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Anderson inside the zone.

Mays Jr. was killed and Robert West, then a 15-year-old, was left with “permanent and debilitating injuries,” including, the loss of his eye, (and) removal of part of his skull.”

Attorney for West, Evan Oshan, told The Post Millennial, “These notices of claims are the first step to Robert West, a then 15-year-old, to obtain justice for this horrible and brutal attack which he suffered.” He also alleged first responders abandoned their duty.

The claim alleges that “The City of Seattle, through Mayor Durkan, Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Department of Emergency Management, Seattle Department of Public Health, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Seattle City Council allowed, supported, aided and abetted politically charged, armed, anarchist protestors to infiltrate, takeover, and govern part of downtown Seattle, resulting in mayhem and murder.”

Additionally, “The County of King and the Governor of Washington did not intervene and stop this state of lawlessness nor did any of their agents. In fact, the CHOP/CHAZ zone was encouraged and promoted by the Seattle Mayor who referred to the movement taking place in the CHOP/CHAZ zone as the 'summer of love,' although predictably, it turned into a summer of blood.”

According to the claim, “The City of Seattle is legally bound to provide police/fire/EMS protection to the general citizenry, but they failed to do so, leaving occupants of the CHOP/CHAZ zone to fend for themselves.”

The claim also stated that the “CHOP/CHAZ zone was governed by a Seattle-based rapper named Raz Simone, who referred to himself as the 'Warlord' of the area and was widely accepted as the de facto Police Chief by authorities. Mr. Simone, a civilian, formed a make-shift police force and provided them with AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifles. Not only did authorities fail to exercise control over the CHOP/CHAZ zone or prevent Raz Simone from handing out weapons to his make-shift police force, they collaborated with him.”

The claim also alleged that “Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan acknowledged Mr. Simone as the de facto police chief and described his actions as peaceful 'patriotism.'

"Interestingly, just six months prior, Mr. Simone received a $83,000 grant from Mayor Durkan, which we believe FUNDED the purchase of Mr. Simone's AR-15s.

"In addition to having the support of Mayor Durkan, Mr. Simone also met with Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.”

“Bizarrely, no action was taken to prevent Mr. Simone from handing out assault rifles to his make-shift police force who roamed the CHOP/CHAZ zone.”

“Through their actions and inactions, the city of Seattle, Seattle agencies, Seattle employees, the County of King, the State of Washington, their agents and elected officials are responsible for the preventable and predictable significant injuries of Robert West. As a governmental entity, the City of Seattle created a dangerous situation and were deliberately indifferent to a known or obvious danger of those occupying, visiting, working and residing within this zone.”

The claim cited a video from the Seattle Police Department which “exemplifies the dangerousness of this Environment (and) more closely resembles the lawlessness of third-world country where insurgency and crime are rampant.”

The suit alleged that “The State of Washington acknowledged the danger of this zone and were plainly aware that harm may result of this. Rape, robbery, murder, arson, theft, extortion, and burglary all occurred in this zone at exceedingly high rates. In fact, crime levels soared by one hundred percent during the encampment’s existence with the City of Seattle’s police department abandoning their police precinct.”

“The City of Seattle instituted protocols and practices that emboldened the lawlessness in this zone and engaged in affirmative conduct that placed Robert West in foreseeable danger and made it difficult for emergency services to adequately respond.”

Earlier this month, the father of Mays Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle, King County, the state of Washington, former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Councilmember Kshama Sawant for encouraging “lawlessness to reign.”

Earlier this year, a federal judge imposed sanctions against the city for deleting thousands of text messages between Seattle officials including Durkan, former police chief Carmen Best, and Fire Chief Harold Scoggins during the armed Antifa and BLM occupation of the zone. As a result of the ruling, the city settled a lawsuit with business owners for $3.6 million who claimed the deadly autonomous zone violated their constitutional rights and caused damage to their property.