Kshama Sawant Calls On Jenny Durkan To Resign Over Protests

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant on Saturday became the highest-profile leader to call on Mayor Jenny Durkan to resign over her handling of the city's ongoing protests against police violence, saying the mayor bears responsibility for excessive force used by the Seattle Police Department against protesters.

Protests in Seattle over police brutality, including the killing of George Floyd, have lasted more than a week. While those in recent days have concluded peacefully, the initial spate of protests sparked thousands of complaints of misconduct by Seattle police.

Sawant said the City Council should introduce articles of impeachment to remove Durkan if she refuses to resign.

"Under Durkan’s direction, the police have inflicted tear gas, mace, rubber bullets, flashbang grenades, curfews, arrests, and other repressive tactics on Seattle activists and residents – including children – in an attempt to bully and silence the protest movement," Sawant said in a news release.

Under pressure from activists and police accountability agencies, Durkan temporarily banned the use of tear gas on Friday.

Still, several dozen progressive leaders have signed an open letter calling for Durkan to resign or be removed by City Council over police tactics, as The Stranger first reported. The group includes Shaun Scott, an organizer and recent City Council candidate, as well as several local Democratic Party chairs.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Durkan said the mayor "will not be distracted from the critical work that needs to be done at a moment that Seattle is its most challenging times in its history."

Related: Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On

"At this pivotal moment, we cannot fan division when we need to come together to make actual steps on policing, invest in community, safely reopen our city to get workers back to work, and address the inequities in every system, including in education, housing, access to wealth building jobs and the criminal justice system," the spokesperson, Kamaria Hightower, said.

During a City Council hearing on Wednesday, Sawant pledged to introduce legislation seeking to ban a wide scope of crowd-control devices, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, water cannons and sonic weapons.

More Coverage:

• Seattle Temporarily Bans Police Tear Gas, After Public Outcry
  
• Seattle Will Drop Effort To Lift Federal Police Oversight
• Seattle Curfews Canceled After Mayor Meets With Community Leaders