'Anarchist Jurisdiction' No Longer: Biden Rescinds Designation

SEATTLE, WA — The Emerald City is an anarchist jurisdiction no longer.

Thursday, President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order rescinding seven of his predecessor's actions. Among them, a memorandum entitled "Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients of Federal Funds That Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities" — the same memorandum that ultimately caused Seattle to be designated an "anarchist jurisdiction" and threatened to cut off federal funding to the city.

Trump's memo came largely as a response to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (or CHOP) which for nearly a month took up several blocks of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The protest, an extension of the nationwide outcry following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, was loosely organized but broadly called for greater police accountability and for the Seattle Police Department to be defunded by 50% or more.

Related: Seattle Police Leave East Precinct, Remove Barricades

At the time, the occupation drew national headlines and eventually the ire of then-President Donald Trump.

"Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER!" tweeted Trump on July 8, the same day of the CHOP's founding.

Mayor Jenny Durkan ultimately ordered that police sweep the CHOP and return to the East Precinct, which they did on July 1. Dozens were arrested. That sweep, however, did not satiate the President and two months later he issued his memorandum.

The memo characterizes the protest as made up of "anarchists and rioters" and blames Seattle city leadership, which it says "effectively endorsed this lawlessness" by allowing Seattle Police to abandon their East Precinct — the action which first allowed protesters to establish the autonomous zone. It is worth noting that it is still unknown who actually ordered the police to evacuate the precinct.

The memorandum requested a review of federal funding in state and local governments "permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction in American cities," specifically naming Seattle, Portland and New York City as examples. Several weeks later the Department of Justice, following the guidance set forth in the memo, officially labeled all three "anarchist jurisdictions" which could qualify for reduced funding.

The decision was met with outcry from local lawmakers and in October, Seattle and Portland filed a lawsuit demanding the designation be invalidated. Now that the memorandum has been rescinded, it follows that the Department of Justice will lift the official designation.

Other orders and actions rescinded by Biden Thursday include an Executive Order promoting classical architecture for federal buildings, and another order issued just days before the end of Trump's term entitled "Ensuring Democratic Accountability in Agency Rulemaking," a part of his last-ditch efforts to hold on to the presidency by casting doubt on the integrity of the November General Election.