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Link to the WSJ article referenced in the article: https://archive.ph/hUmyv https://archive.ph/hUmyv Summary: >> The testimony revealed business desperation,

Link to the WSJ article referenced in the article: https://archive.ph/hUmyv https://archive.ph/hUmyv Summary: >> The testimony revealed business desperation, but don’t expect help from Seattle’s politicians. In response to a business owner’s question about how to address gun violence, City Council President Debora Juarez said, “I don’t have an answer for you” about “what’s going to happen to stop people from getting a gun and coming into your store.” >> She admitted that black Seattle residents want some assurance of safety. But she added that “to be frank with you, I don’t also believe that hiring way more police or addressing every issue with a gun and a badge works either. Because we know who gets affected the worst. It’s people of color. They get killed.” >> In other words, as criminals terrorize Seattle, its leaders still think police are the problem. The lawlessness will persist until Seattle voters stage a revolt.

Cymrukicks 5y ago
Wow what a poor take. "In other words, as criminals terrorize Seattle, its leaders still think police are the problem. The lawlessness will persist until Seattle voters stage a revolt." I think a better take would be that it leaders acknowledge that police are not the solution. They would probably be basing this off the fact that the US has the highest incarceration rates and still has the highest violent crime. This a complex situation that requires pretty much all stratas of society to come together to solve. Going 3000 AD isn't going to help.
techsupporter 5y ago
This is a staggering misrepresentation of what Councilmember Juarez wrote. (I will point out by way of potential bias that CM Juarez is the councilmember for my district and I voted for her in the last election.) Seattle PD is the problem in a lot of ways. We've made one simple ask of them: stop arbitrarily shooting people. They have failed in that task, and every time we, the voters, try to hold them accountable, we are told that "the Mayor doesn't supervise the police department" or "Office of Police Accountability has no authority" or "the consent decree prohibits us from passing that ordinance." CM Juarez, who is a person of color I might add, is correct that the actual statistics say that being a person of darker colored skin around a Seattle PD officer is a risky endeavor. So adding more badges and guns to the street won't do much.
- adamredwoods 5y ago
  Harrell, from his state of the city in Feb, is attempting to find solutions: https://harrell.seattle.gov/2022/02/15/mayor-bruce-harrell-state-of-the-city-tuesday-february-15-2022/ https://harrell.seattle.gov/2022/02/15/mayor-bruce-harrell-s... >> My administration is reaching out to members of the criminal defense bar, many of whom are my friends, to let them know that when we make arrests, we will make sure constitutional rights are protected; alternative forms other than arrest are explored; treatment plans are in place and that a militarized or racialized approach will not be tolerated. >> Part of that plan requires more officers. The depleted staffing we see today does not allow us to react to emergencies and crime with the response times our residents deserve. It does not allow us to staff the specialty teams we need for issues like domestic violence or DUI or financial crimes targeting the elderly. It does not allow us to conduct the thorough investigations we expect to make sustainable change. I always thought i-940 was good policy to help address police issues, but it seems stalled / falling short? https://www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission/give-community-a-say-in-police-training-and-reform https://www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission/give-com... >> We witnessed this system fail last year. After 60 percent of Washington voters approved Initiative 940 requiring independent investigations of police killings, the rules for how independent investigations would work were ultimately decided by the WSCJTC. What they approved did not meet community expectations. That is one of the reasons why that issue has still not been settled, and the Governor has had to create yet another commission to advise him how to properly implement independent investigations.
- ianbicking 5y ago
  I wish the movement had approached this differently. We need a professional, competent police force. The problems with police are largely about a lack of professionalism and consistently applied professional standards. Professional police do a better job. They act consistently (a big part of what "professional" means) and that builds trust which makes them capable of operating in these communities they are consistently failing. The police force keeps growing because we DO need them to do their job, and they keep getting worse at their jobs, so we keep adding more of them. I really like the Peelian Principles [1], I wish that sort of thinking was also part of the conversation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#The_nine_principles_of_policing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#The_nine_pr...

Cymrukicks 5y ago

Wow what a poor take. "In other words, as criminals terrorize Seattle, its leaders still think police are the problem. The lawlessness will persist until Seattle voters stage a revolt." I think a better take would be that it leaders acknowledge that police are not the solution. They would probably be basing this off the fact that the US has the highest incarceration rates and still has the highest violent crime. This a complex situation that requires pretty much all stratas of society to come together to solve. Going 3000 AD isn't going to help.

techsupporter 5y ago

This is a staggering misrepresentation of what Councilmember Juarez wrote. (I will point out by way of potential bias that CM Juarez is the councilmember for my district and I voted for her in the last election.) Seattle PD is the problem in a lot of ways. We've made one simple ask of them: stop arbitrarily shooting people. They have failed in that task, and every time we, the voters, try to hold them accountable, we are told that "the Mayor doesn't supervise the police department" or "Office of Police Accountability has no authority" or "the consent decree prohibits us from passing that ordinance." CM Juarez, who is a person of color I might add, is correct that the actual statistics say that being a person of darker colored skin around a Seattle PD officer is a risky endeavor. So adding more badges and guns to the street won't do much.

adamredwoods 5y ago
Harrell, from his state of the city in Feb, is attempting to find solutions: https://harrell.seattle.gov/2022/02/15/mayor-bruce-harrell-state-of-the-city-tuesday-february-15-2022/ https://harrell.seattle.gov/2022/02/15/mayor-bruce-harrell-s... >> My administration is reaching out to members of the criminal defense bar, many of whom are my friends, to let them know that when we make arrests, we will make sure constitutional rights are protected; alternative forms other than arrest are explored; treatment plans are in place and that a militarized or racialized approach will not be tolerated. >> Part of that plan requires more officers. The depleted staffing we see today does not allow us to react to emergencies and crime with the response times our residents deserve. It does not allow us to staff the specialty teams we need for issues like domestic violence or DUI or financial crimes targeting the elderly. It does not allow us to conduct the thorough investigations we expect to make sustainable change. I always thought i-940 was good policy to help address police issues, but it seems stalled / falling short? https://www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission/give-community-a-say-in-police-training-and-reform https://www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission/give-com... >> We witnessed this system fail last year. After 60 percent of Washington voters approved Initiative 940 requiring independent investigations of police killings, the rules for how independent investigations would work were ultimately decided by the WSCJTC. What they approved did not meet community expectations. That is one of the reasons why that issue has still not been settled, and the Governor has had to create yet another commission to advise him how to properly implement independent investigations.
ianbicking 5y ago
I wish the movement had approached this differently. We need a professional, competent police force. The problems with police are largely about a lack of professionalism and consistently applied professional standards. Professional police do a better job. They act consistently (a big part of what "professional" means) and that builds trust which makes them capable of operating in these communities they are consistently failing. The police force keeps growing because we DO need them to do their job, and they keep getting worse at their jobs, so we keep adding more of them. I really like the Peelian Principles [1], I wish that sort of thinking was also part of the conversation. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#The_nine_principles_of_policing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#The_nine_pr...