4 ms·

I would like to hear from any Seattle residents who are among HN readers, as to how accurate they think this article is in regards to the behavior of the City C

I would like to hear from any Seattle residents who are among HN readers, as to how accurate they think this article is in regards to the behavior of the City Council and former mayor. Obviously if you're not a police officer it would be difficult to know what conditions were actually like in that job, but the article also portrays a city government making some very anti-police statements, and I'm wondering how accurate that is, or if it is being taken out of context?

vineyardmike 5y ago
The council did make very aggressive statements in the height of the George Floyd movements. Mostly after the SPD defied court orders and city law to not use tear gas on crowds - and tear gassed the city council. The city did defend the police after judges came after them for defying court order. Take that how you will. The actual passed policy has been WAY more water down. And the rhetoric around defunding mostly died in 2020. The SPD, like many large cities, has had its share of issues and court orders etc. Suburban people tend to not know the political power of police in cities and also their propensity to be the center of scandal. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/court-order-city-council-law-didnt-stop-seattle-police-from-using-pepper-spray-projectiles/ https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/court-ord...
cjwilliams 5y ago
Our elected City Council does not make crime a priority. It also continues to be popular to recast the realities of unchecked drug abuse and crime, as housing affordability issues. The new mayor and city attorney are diverging slightly from this, but it's an uphill battle since the bulk of government here and especially the judges make leniency a priority. And the populace is obviously very liberal, so calls for accountability are muffled by disappointment that the well intentioned zeitgeist around policing needs to be more nuanced. The issue is also influence by many non-progressive-law-and-order liberals migrating to the soulless suburbs/eastide. Despite all of this, there's no other city I find more desirable in the US. People want to be here regardless of increasing crime (still lower than comparable US cities); though the issue of drug related homelessness is also a growing problem (everywhere).

vineyardmike 5y ago

The council did make very aggressive statements in the height of the George Floyd movements. Mostly after the SPD defied court orders and city law to not use tear gas on crowds - and tear gassed the city council. The city did defend the police after judges came after them for defying court order. Take that how you will. The actual passed policy has been WAY more water down. And the rhetoric around defunding mostly died in 2020. The SPD, like many large cities, has had its share of issues and court orders etc. Suburban people tend to not know the political power of police in cities and also their propensity to be the center of scandal. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/court-order-city-council-law-didnt-stop-seattle-police-from-using-pepper-spray-projectiles/ https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/court-ord...

cjwilliams 5y ago

Our elected City Council does not make crime a priority. It also continues to be popular to recast the realities of unchecked drug abuse and crime, as housing affordability issues. The new mayor and city attorney are diverging slightly from this, but it's an uphill battle since the bulk of government here and especially the judges make leniency a priority. And the populace is obviously very liberal, so calls for accountability are muffled by disappointment that the well intentioned zeitgeist around policing needs to be more nuanced. The issue is also influence by many non-progressive-law-and-order liberals migrating to the soulless suburbs/eastide. Despite all of this, there's no other city I find more desirable in the US. People want to be here regardless of increasing crime (still lower than comparable US cities); though the issue of drug related homelessness is also a growing problem (everywhere).