SEATTLE, Wash. (KIRO/CNN) – In the streets of Seattle, the nation’s racial reckoning continued. Hundreds of demonstrators called for cutting funding to the Seattle Police Department. Earlier people phoned into a virtual city council meeting with the same message.
Councilmember Kshama Sawant proposed the most significant cut to SPD: $54 million from the rest of this year’s budget. Sawant said, “Real defunding is necessary because of the harm done in our communities from aggressive policing.”
Other council members voted down Sawant’s proposal, in part because the police union contract prevents immediate layoffs. But members made clear they are committed to cutting the police budget — starting with 100 officers — and more cuts next year. “We are going to continue to work to right-size the department,” said council member Teresa Mosqueda.
“There is a right way to right-size policing,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said. “But anyone who thinks it can happen overnight isn’t looking at the facts.”
A day after Mayor Durkan urged the council to slow down, members passed amendments as they craft their defunding plan. They include reducing the number of officers working the Harbor Patrol, SWAT team and public affairs office. The council wants to eliminate the Mounted Horse Patrol and school resource officers.
The council also took aim at the city’s navigation team, which activists say unfairly sweeps up people in homeless camps. After first voting to eliminate police officers on the team, the council voted 5 to 4 to effectively shut down much of the navigation team’s work.
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