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Will James
Back in 2020, a remarkable experiment took place. After an intense standoff with anti police brutality protesters, police abandoned their own precinct.
Sydney Brownstone
Protesters stayed and started occupying about eight city blocks in the middle of Seattle.
Witness/Interviewee
There's several hundred people being completely peaceful. It's like a block party.
Sydney Brownstone
They set up tents. There was free food, a mutual aid station, a stage for speeches and music.
Will James
I want my world to change. I want my. It evolved into this community.
Sydney Brownstone
They called it chop the Capitol Hill organized protest. A place with no police. It was their attempt to build a better world. For a moment there, it was utopia. But protesters feared an attack from right wing activists.
Witness/Interviewee
Taking my group down around city hall to monitor the group of the proud boys.
Will James
Some protesters appointed themselves CHOP security began walking around in tactical gear carrying guns.
Witness/Interviewee
I'm not very familiar with firearms. AR15. That's an AR15. AR50.
Will James
And then one night, a Jeep drove into the camp. Shots are fired. Shots are fired, y'. All. Shots are fired. Protesters thought they were under attack and shot at the Jeep.
Witness/Interviewee
Move out the way.
Will James
Oh, Jesus, Lord Jesus.
Sydney Brownstone
After the shooting ended, one of the Jeep's passengers was. Was dead. 16 year old Antonio Mays Jr. That night, protesters saw him as a threat. But his dad, who taught him what it means to be black in America, says his son was there for the cause.
Witness/Interviewee
To be honest, if it meant that I had my son back, I wouldn't teach my son black history because I want to have him back right now. I said, man, they hell with black history.
Will James
Six years later, the case remains unsolved
Sydney Brownstone
and no one has been able to explain and how this place built to protect black life ended up killing a black teenager.
Will James
I'm Will James and I'm Sydney Brownstone. For more than a year we've been investigating what happened that night. Sifting through rumors he put in work for the streets. I guess that's what they were saying. That's why he got killed.
Sydney Brownstone
Digging up new witnesses. Is someone chasing you?
Witness/Interviewee
Oh, yeah.
Sydney Brownstone
Or like in a car chasing you?
Witness/Interviewee
Yes, like multiple cars.
Sydney Brownstone
And uncovering never before seen evidence.
Witness/Interviewee
See this right here? That's a long gun out of the front seat.
Sydney Brownstone
Holy shit.
Will James
Shit. Listen to We Keep us Safe, an eight part series coming Thursday, June 11 from NPR's embedded podcast, the Seattle Times.
Sydney Brownstone
And KUOW NPR supporters get early access to every episod.
Podcast: Embedded (NPR)
Episode Date: June 4, 2026
Hosts: Will James, Sydney Brownstone
Special Series Launch: "We Keep Us Safe" (A collaboration with KUOW and The Seattle Times)
This episode of Embedded serves as a gripping introduction to the upcoming eight-part series, "We Keep Us Safe." The series investigates the events surrounding the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in Seattle, focusing on the unsolved killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. The hosts, Will James and Sydney Brownstone, preview their in-depth reporting—unraveling the utopian aspirations, the rapid descent into tragedy, and the unanswered questions that continue to haunt the community.
Peaceful beginnings:
"There's several hundred people being completely peaceful. It's like a block party." — Witness (00:18)
Evolving safety measures:
"Some protesters appointed themselves CHOP security began walking around in tactical gear carrying guns." — Will James (00:59)
Tragic paradox:
"...place built to protect black life ended up killing a black teenager." — Sydney Brownstone (01:52)
Parent’s pain:
"If it meant that I had my son back, I wouldn't teach my son black history because I want to have him back right now." — Antonio Mays Jr.'s father (01:39)
Journalistic determination:
"We've been investigating what happened that night. Sifting through rumors... Digging up new witnesses... And uncovering never before seen evidence." — Will James & Sydney Brownstone (02:03–02:27)
The tone alternates between reflective, investigative, and emotional—mirroring both the hope of the CHOP movement and the weight of the tragedy at its heart. The hosts engage directly with witnesses and affected family, conveying both empathy and a commitment to uncovering the truth.
Summary Statement:
This episode sets the stage for a deeply reported narrative, confronting the paradoxes and complexities of Seattle’s CHOP, a community experiment that both aspired to and failed at keeping its members safe. With new evidence and poignant voices, the hosts promise to return to the unanswered questions—and to the people whose lives were changed forever.