The zone, originally covering two intersections at the corners of Cal Anderson Park and the roads leading up to them,[16] was established on June 8, 2020, by people protesting the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

[15] Mayor Durkan called the zone an attempt to "de-escalate interactions between protesters and law enforcement",[53] and Best said that her officers would look at approaches to "reduce [their] footprint" in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

[54] City Council member Kshama Sawant spoke to occupants of Cal Anderson Park on June 8[15] and urged protesters to turn the precinct into a community center for restorative justice.

According to NPR, "Black activists say there must be follow-through to make sure their communities remain the priority in a majority-white protest movement whose camp has taken on the feel of a neighborhood block party that's periodically interrupted by chants of 'Black Lives Matter!

[83] That day, Durkan proposed a police hiring freeze and a $20 million cut to the SPD budget (about a 5% reduction for the rest of 2020) to compensate for a revenue shortfall and unforeseen expenses due to the pandemic.

[84] Twelve businesses, residents and property owners filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court against the city, which they said had deprived them of due process by permitting the zone.

[85] Community Roots Housing, a public development authority[87] which owns 13 properties near the zone, called for its shutdown on June 30: "These residents have become victims of an occupation better characterized today by its violence, chaos and killings than anything else ...

"[88] On June 28, the mayor met with protesters and informed them that the city planned to remove most barricades and limit the activist area to the East Precinct building and the street in front of it.

[89][90][91] That day, CHOP organizers expressed their intention to refocus on the area near the police station and away from the sprawling encampment at Cal Anderson Park after it became a political liability and they struggled to maintain security.

"[97] At 5:28 a.m. on July 1, Durkan issued an executive order[98] that "gathering in this area [is] an unlawful assembly requiring immediate action from city agencies, including the Police Department.

[101][102][103] The SPD reported vandalism in the Capitol Hill area during the night of July 19; fireworks were thrown into the East Precinct, starting a small fire which was rapidly extinguished.

[105][106] A group of 150 people returned to the Capitol Hill neighborhood late at night on July 23 and vandalized several businesses, including a shop owned by a relative of a police officer who fatally shot Charleena Lyles, a pregnant black woman, at her home in 2017.

[108][109] Tensions had escalated in Portland in early July after the Trump administration deployed federal forces against the wishes of local officials, sparking controversy and regenerating the protests.

[75] Demonstrators redirected their focus to the East Precinct on June 23, when "the Capitol Hill protest zone camp cleared parts of its Cal Anderson Park core.

[128] That day, notices were posted announcing a noon closure of Cal Anderson Park for cleaning and repairs; the garden and art created by protesters would be undisturbed.

[30] Vegetable gardens had materialized by June 11 in Cal Anderson Park, where activists attempted to grow a variety of food from seedlings to support people of color.

However, in early October 2023, the Seattle Parks & Recreation Department announced their intent to remove the Black Lives Memorial Garden in favor of a "turf renovation" project for the site.

[147][37] Visitors lit candles and left flowers at three shrines with photographs and notes expressing sentiments related to George Floyd and other victims of police brutality.

[26] Members of the self-described anti-fascist, anti-racist and pro-worker Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club (PSJBGC) were reported on June 9 as carrying rifles in the zone[15][168] in response to rumors of an attack by the right-wing Proud Boys.

[184] According to Carmen Best, police officers had wanted to reach the scene more quickly but were prevented by protesters; however, an analysis by KUOW based on 911 transcripts, video recordings, and eyewitness testimony suggested that miscommunication between the SPD and the Seattle Fire Department slowed the emergency response.

[191] The complaint alleges that “no assistance or rescue from Seattle first responders, Lorenzo died in agony from his wounds,” claim the documents filed by lawyer Evan Oshan.

[192] Seattle has paid $500,000 to settle the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the father of a 19-year-old man shot and killed after police abandoned a precinct in the city during racial justice protests in June 2020.

He expressed concern that his case was not being investigated due to the perception that protesters had "asked for the police not to be there, so don't act like y'all need them now,"[185] but Young was outside the zone when he was shot.

[210] At a June 10 news conference, Assistant Police Chief Deanna Nollette said: "We're trying to get a dialogue going so we can figure out a way to resolve this without unduly impacting the citizens and the businesses that are operating in that area."

[132] The New York Times reported in August that during the zone's existence, some small business owners were intimidated by demonstrators with baseball bats, asked to pledge loyalty to the movement and choose between CHOP and the police, put on a list of "cop callers", harassed, or threatened with death by a mob.

[30] On June 15, KIRO-TV reported a break-in and fire at an auto shop near the zone to which the SPD did not respond;[211] police chief Carmen Best later said that officers observed the building from a distance and saw no sign of a disturbance.

[219] Durkan said on June 11 that Trump wanted to construct a narrative about domestic terrorists with a radical agenda to fit his law-and-order initiatives, and that lawfully exercising the First Amendment right to demand more of society was patriotism, not terrorism.

[223] Rosette Royale, writing for Rolling Stone, called the zone "a peaceful realm where people build nearly everything on the fly, as they strive to create a world where the notion that black lives matter shifts from being a slogan to an ever-present reality.

[239] On July 1, referring to the expulsion of protesters from the zone that day by police, U.S. Attorney General William Barr praised Best "for her courage and leadership in restoring the rule of law in Seattle.

"[240] White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, "I am pleased to inform everyone that Seattle has been liberated ... Anarchy is anti-American, law and order is essential, peace in our streets will be secured.