Joe Rogan says the protesters inside Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (CHOP) zone are like stubborn children who pretend to know how to tie their shoes when they can’t.
The podcasting giant recently sat down with Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist Joe Schilling when the subject turned to CHOP, also referred to as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).
Mr. Rogan and his guest were stunned that protesters’ lack of self-awareness and city officials who have allowed the illegal power grab to go on for weeks.
“They’re doing exactly the same thing they get mad at when they think about a country,” Mr. Rogan said Thursday. “They put up walls. They have borders. They have police and enforcement. They beat the f—- out of people. There’s been murders inside. It’s not all kumbaya. You know? It’s like you just made a s—ttier, smaller version of a city. But it’s got borders! A regular city, you can just drive into Albuquerque. They let you in! CHAZ is like, ’f—- you. We got border walls!’”
The host then pivoted to officials who turn a blind eye to violence and dysfunctional behavior inside CHOP due to the idea that left-wing ideas are always a sign of “progress.”
“You can go to San Francisco. You can just drive in. They’re LARPING. It’s live-action role playing,” Mr. Rogan continued in reference to the protesters. “There’s a thing that happens when a lot of these protesters get equated with progress, right? Whether it’s Antifa or any real Marxist, left-wing progressive socialist movement. They have good intentions, right? And they get lumped in with the idea of progress. So people let them get away with stuff. ’Oh, it’s progress. It’s gonna work out. It’s gonna work out.’ But they don’t have a real plan. These folks don’t have a long-term plan.”
Mr. Rogan likened CHOP activists to confused children who defiantly tell parents that they don’t want help tying shoes.
“When Seattle gave them that, it was probably the most brilliant move ever,” he continued. “Like, ’OK. Oh, you think you can do better? Why don’t you go ahead?’”
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has been lampooned by critics for not dismantling CHOP when it sprang up during Black Lives Matter protests earlier this month.
The area experienced four shootings in nine days.
“There are multiple people who are being injured and hurt and we need to do something about it,” Seattle Police Department Chief Carmen Best said Monday in the wake of a deadly shooting. “It is absolutely irresponsible for this to continue. … This is not an acceptable situation.”
Warning: Strong language.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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