Seattle Mayor, Police Chief Face Questions Over Protest Response

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle's mayor and police chief faced intense questioning over police protest tactics Wednesday, during several public meetings with the city officials and community leaders.

The first remote meeting took place among the 21 members of Seattle's Community Police Commission and began with more than an hour of thoughtful — and often emotional — testimony from several commissioners, centered on their experiences with police as members of the Seattle's black community. Some provided first-hand accounts from weekend demonstrations.

"It felt like a warzone," said Asha Mohamed, a commissioner and Somali-American community leader. "I do not understand why."

In the second hour, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Seattle Police Chief Carmen best joined the Zoom call and quickly encountered direct lines of questioning from commissioners over officers' actions during recent protests against police killings and brutality.

Speakers confronted both leaders about the ongoing use of crowd control devices, including tear gas, flashbangs and blast balls, which the commission recommended the department stop using in 2016. Neither Durkan nor Best has committed to reevaluating the practice.

Commissioners also asked the mayor why the city filed a motion in May to remove the police department a federal consent decree, in place since 2012, which mandated reforms to bias-based policing, police accountability and use of force practices.

Durkan denied that the city's motion sought to end all federal oversight, and said the commission's attorney lied in his framing of the issue, swiftly sparking blowback from commissioners.

A letter signed by Seattle councilmembers Kshama Sawant, Tammy Morales and Teresa Mosqueda also urged the city to abandon the effort. A few hours later, City Attorney Pete Holmes said his office would withdraw the motion, citing recent protests and community concerns.

Sawant pitches legislation to ban crowd control devices

The Seattle City Council's Public Safety & Human Services Committee met for several hours Wednesday afternoon to discuss police actions during the ongoing protests.

The hearing began with a pubic comment period, followed by remarks from a few guest panelists, including Omari Salisbury, the man who filmed a video showing officers using pepper spray and flashbangs on protesters during a Capitol Hill demonstration Monday night.

Several councilmembers had questions prepared for the police chief regarding police department policy and potential reforms.

As Chief Best began to defend recent police actions, including Monday night's events on Capitol Hill, Councilmember Sawant interrupted to read 29 names of people killed by officers since 2011. The councilmember also criticized the chief for warning against relying on social media posts, which Best said often contain "half-truths, hate and propaganda."

Sawant said she plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit police use of harmful crowd control devices like tear gas, pepper spray, sound cannons and rubber bullets. Councilmember Dan Strauss said police must stop using "military-grade weapons" and meeting peaceful protests with aggressive and violent behavior.

Police watchdog navigates 15,000+ complaints

Andrew Myerberg, director of the Office of Police Accountability, said his office has now received upwards of 15,000 complaints alleging police misconduct at protests since Friday night. At least 12,000 of those complaints were received by Monday, and many referenced a video of a young girl after she was hit by pepper spray.

Myerberg said his office would dedicate 100 percent of its resources to investigate protest-related complaints, putting all other probes on hold for at least a month. He also signaled support for developing a community-driven process to help guide investigations. Myerberg said further, systemic reforms are needed.

"I don't want people to think that an OPA investigation can be a panacea for what is ailing us as a society, and what is ailing this system," Myerberg said. "We need to reevaluate top to bottom."

The OPA director acknowledged that investigations can take a long time, often the full 180 days allotted, and even cases on an expedited schedule can fail to provide needed resolutions as fast as they are needed.

"Even two months, even thirty days, is too long for people," Myerberg said. "I understand that, and I can't get around that."

Durkan meets with community leaders, drops citywide curfew

Mayor Durkan and Chief Best met with several community leaders and activists at City Hall Wednesday afternoon, listening to concerns and demands, but stopping short of commitments on many issues.

Some speakers asked if Best would direct officers to stop using tear gas, and others asked for a promise that the department would end the use of chokeholds. Neither request received assurances.

Nikkita Oliver, an activist and former mayoral candidate who helped organize Wednesday's events, also delivered a list of demands including:

• Defunding and demilitarizing the police department
• Funding community-health and safety programs
• Stop prosecuting protesters and drop all charges

A couple of hours after the meeting, the mayor announced on Twitter that she would cancel nightly curfews, previously extended until Saturday morning, after hearing community feedback.