New NPR Series: "We Keep Us Safe" from the Embedded podcast

The unsolved 2020 killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. serves as the focal point for an investigation into the rise and fall of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in Seattle. This experimental, police-free occupation began as an idealistic attempt to build a better world through mutual aid and community solidarity but eventually succumbed to internal paranoia and violence. As protesters armed themselves with AR-15s to defend against perceived right-wing threats, a tragic misunderstanding led security personnel to fire upon a Jeep entering the camp, resulting in Mays' death. Reporters Will James and Sydney Brownstone examine the "circle of silence" surrounding the event, sifting through rumors and surfacing never-before-seen evidence, including footage of weapons inside the vehicle. The investigation questions how a movement dedicated to protecting Black lives ultimately resulted in the death of a Black teenager.