No Welcome to CHOP sign to be found now on 10th and Pine.
No "Welcome to CHOP" sign or list of demands to be found now on 10th and Pine. JK
Exactly one week ago in this column, I "guessed" that the removal of the western barricades would help speed along the "erosion" of the graffitis, murals, and other artistic interjections made by protesters in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) and tried to document what I could of one of the main blocks of the protest zone. The very next day, the Seattle Police Department swept through CHOP, pushing out everyone within the six-block radius and Cal Anderson Park, retaking the East Precinct.

Over the rest of the week from my perch in Stranger World Headquarters, I watched as they took down the Black Power sculptures in both the park and on Pine, removed decorated wood panels on the barricades and storefronts, and scrubbed graffiti from the intersection. While the fate of the Black Lives Matter mural looks like it will last for at least a little while (barring anymore rogue sealers), for the most part, much of the art that had come to make up this part of the protest zone has been taken down.

While it's difficult to document absence, I tried to take photos of everything I noticed had changed from last week to next:

Cleaning crews scrubbing away the CHOP sign on the intersection of 11th and Pine last Thursday..
Cleaning crews scrubbing away the "CHOP" sign on the intersection of 11th and Pine last Thursday. JK

The pink/purple umbrella on the intersection of 11th and Pine is predictably gone.
The pink/purple umbrella on the intersection of 11th and Pine is predictably gone. JK

George Floyd Way has now reverted back to 11th Ave in a shiny (and shorter) new street sign.
"George Floyd Way" has now reverted back to 11th Ave in a shiny (and shorter) new street sign. JK

The wall documenting Black and indigenous victims of police/societal violence on Rhino Room has been painted over.
The wall documenting Black and indigenous victims of police/societal violence on Rhino Room has been painted over. JK

I felt kind of silly taking a picture of a phone pole, but I know what used to be there!
I felt kind of silly taking a picture of a phone pole, but I know what used to be there! JK

The Black Lives Matter mural now has speed bumps to prevent further deterioration of the work.
The "Black Lives Matter" mural now has speed bumps to prevent further deterioration of the work. Note how clean the streets around it look. JK