(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump threatened to crack down on Seattle anti-police brutality protesters who’ve taken over several blocks of the city unless municipal and state leaders move to reclaim control of the streets.
“If they don’t do the job, I’ll do the job,” Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House, adding that he had discussed the situation with Attorney General William Barr and that there are “about 10 different things” he can do.
He wouldn’t say how much longer he would allow what protesters call the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone to continue.
“We have a governor who is a stiff,” he said of Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, “and a mayor who said this is a ‘love fest,’” referring to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, also a Democrat.
Protesters took over a few blocks of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood after police abandoned a precinct station in the area following clashes with demonstrators, according to the Seattle Times. The protesters have established a commune-like environment in an attempt to show what society might be like absent police, Bloomberg QuickTake reported.
Food and medical care is available for free, and protesters have created artistic displays and hold film screenings. Durkan has expressed support for the community, tweeting June 12 in response to a Trump tweet, “Seattle is fine. Don’t be so afraid of democracy.”
Trump alleged without substantiation that the protesters have been violent. Fox News, which counts the president as an avid viewer, apologized on Saturday for posting manipulated photos on its website showing a man with a gun at the autonomous zone, after inquiries from the Seattle Times.
“These are violent people that are dealing violently and I think that what I’d like to see before we do something, I’d like to see the press get in there and cover it,” Trump said. “The problem with what happened in Seattle is it spreads. and all of the sudden they’ll say, ‘Let’s do some other city. And let’s do another one.’ And we’re not going to let it happen.”
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