Seattle Protests: Council Promises 'Deep Dive' On Police Budget

SEATTLE, WA — More Seattle city councilmembers called on Mayor Jenny Durkan to resign during public meetings Monday, amid growing concerns over the Seattle Police Department's actions during ongoing protests over police killings and brutality.

The Seattle City Council discussed plans to ban "crowd control devices" and will weigh cuts to SPD's funding in the weeks ahead.

Monday's meetings followed two nights of protests on Capitol Hill where police again deployed flash bangs, pepper spray and "chemical irritants," despite a directive temporarily prohibiting the use of CS gas by most officers unless directly authorized by the police chief. Chief Best told reporters Saturday that "OC canisters" were deployed.

After police used the the devices on protesters Saturday, several state and local leaders headed to the frontlines of the barricade, outside the East Precinct, and demanded de-escalation.

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Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant said she was among hundreds of protesters who were pepper-sprayed and gassed by officers as demonstrations continued early Monday morning.

At a council meeting just hours later, Sawant recounted her first-hand experience with police tactics, as she previewed legislation seeking to ban all forms of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, water cannons and sonic weapons.

"There was no provocation," Sawant said. "The reason I am able to testify is because I was on the front lines. There were no projectiles, no incendiary devices, nothing harmful."

The Seattle Police Department tweeted that a dispersal order was given shortly after midnight, and said use of CS gas authorized after the crowd thew "projectiles and fireworks" at officers.

"All the weaponry was on the side of the police force," Sawant said. "There is absolutely no question that the Seattle Police Department, and Chief Best and Mayor Durkan are responsible for wanton and vicious violence."

Videos shared by witnesses and local reporters again showed thick plumes of tear gas smoke pouring through one of the city's densest neighborhoods, reminiscent of the police response in Capitol Hill one week ago that prompted multiple probes into police actions.

A story shared on Reddit, and referenced by Sawant Monday, recounted a harrowing scene when medics rushed to treat a seriously injured woman as tear gas and flash bangs rained down around their medical tent.

More leaders call for Durkan's resignation

Sawant publicly called for the mayor to step down or face impeachment Saturday, citing Durkan's handling of protests and a lack of response to community outcry.

"Under Durkan's direction, the police have inflicted tear gas, mace, rubber bullets, flashbang grenades, curfews, arrests and other oppressive tactics on Seattle activists and residents, including children, in an attempt to bully and silence the protest movement," Sawant said Monday. "The police, under Durkan's leadership, have deployed militarized tactics in full riot gear to try to spread fear among ordinary people."

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During Monday morning's briefing, councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Tammy Morales added their voices to a growing list, urging the mayor to consider resigning.

"I think the mayor should assess in this moment, and ask herself if she is the right leader in this moment and resign," Mosqueda said.

Later on Monday, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, a large Seattle labor union, said the mayor should resign for failing "to enact changes required to respond to community demands around the city's budget and to protect working people from ongoing police violence."

Asked Sunday night about calls for her resignation, Durkan discounted Sawant's statement as a "political ploy," and said she was not concerned.

Council will move to address police budget

Councilmember Mosqueda, the council's budget chair, reiterated her full support for the movement seeking to halve the Seattle Police Department's budget, redirecting funds to community-led health and safety strategies — an effort also supported by Councilmember Sawant.

Under the 2020 budget, more than $400 million in the city budget was earmarked for Seattle's police force.

Mosqueda said the council will launch an inquest into the police department's budget before approving next year's spending. The plan has received widespread support from her colleagues.

"We will not pass the mayor's proposed budget until we as a council have a chance to get a full, thorough, simultaneous, transparent, deep dive into SPD's funding," Mosqueda said.

Beginning on Wednesday, the councilmember said her committee will identify several areas in the mayor's proposed budget that should be refocused. Further discussions are tentatively planned at the council each Wednesday through mid-July.

Sawant introduces bills to ban crowd control devices, police chokeholds

Councilmember Sawant formally introduced two bills Monday, seeking a ban on most police "crowd control devices," and eliminating police use of chokeholds.

The first bill would ban the police department from purchasing or using all forms of tear gas, pepper spray, flashbangs, water cannons and sonic weapons.

"Mayor Durkan's announcement that there will be a 30-day so-called ban on the use of tear gas shows the pressure of the movement," Sawant said. "However, she has demonstrated night after night that her press conference pledges were empty PR gestures that bore no relationship to reality on the street."

The chief's order Friday suspended use of CS gas, without direct approval, for 30 days while police accountability groups develop new policies. Sawant said simply training officers is not going to solve the problem.

"The order specifically notes that SWAT team members continue to have the authority to have chemical weapons, to include the use of CS gas, continuing this idea — that we don't accept — that somehow with appropriate training, it's okay for the police to inflict this violence," Sawant said. "This is not about training, this is about what kind of society and what kind of city we want to be."

Many councilmembers expressed support for Sawant's legislation, which could be up for a vote by next Monday, June 8.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold also introduced a bill that would legally enshrine requirements restricting officers from covering their badge numbers with items such as mourning bands.