Police and Public Safety

Chief Best with a Downtown Seattle buildings and street behind her. Video is here: https://www.seattle.gov/police/together

Chief Best Resigns After Seattle Council Trims 100 Police Officer Positions

Chief Carmen Best announced yesterday she would be resigning effective September 2nd in a message to Seattle Police Department (SPD) employees after conservative radio...
Police hold nightsticks in full riot gear behind a metal fence as protesters march by.

Independent Journalists Urge City to Drop Media Subpoenas Aimed at Punishing Protesters

Today The Urbanist joined with dozens of other independent journalists in signing a letter asking the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to drop its subpoenas...
Police gathered in large numbers to ensure houseless were swept and cleared in rapid fashion with no interruption from encampment residents or their allies. (Photo by Enrico Doan)

Seeking a Defund Mechanism as Mayor and Police Chief Fortify in Opposition

Mayor Jenny Durkan held another press conference on Tuesday to criticize Seattle City Council and their efforts to defund police by 50% and reallocate...

Midweek Video: Why America’s Police Look Like Soldiers

https://youtu.be/KOAOVbyfjA0 How did America’s civilian police forces go from just uniforms and basic equipment to militarized forces mirroring the national military? Vox takes a look...
Protestors gather behind a police barricade at the East Precinct building, chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot,” on Sunday, May 31.

Durkan Declares Seattle Fed-Free, but Her Own Violent ‘Troops’ Dig In

Mayor Jenny Durkan did a victory lap on national media yesterday declaring Seattle free of federal agents, but local residents noted that the Seattle...
Sherae Lascelles, Robert, Patricia Allen, Serena Oduro, Debora Oliveira-Couch, and more shared the screen during the Community Teach In.

The Defund SPD Community Teach-In and the Layered Resistance to Change

Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now are making a big ask. Their plan to reduce the Seattle Police Department budget is bound to...

Seattle Will Defund Police, But By How Much?

Mayor Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best remain at odds with the City Council over reducing the police budget. The Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP)...

Sunday Video: What “Defund The Police” Really Means

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9w841nrIBg "Defund the Police" seems ambiguous to many, but Vox explains what the movement is trying to achieve in communities across the country.