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An entirely non-Black @SeattleCouncil is introducing a bill that guts efforts to divest from policing & invest in Black community. Ignoring calls from 1000s & 1000s of Black community members & capitulating to a wealthy white mayor is unacceptable. It is anti-Black.
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(a thread)
Let’s properly frame this move: the Black & white wealth gap in Seattle is $433,000.00. We are owed quite literally trillions for exploited labor, police violence, economic exclusion, discriminatory housing practices & more.
Already facing COVID-19’s economic fallout, conditions for Seattle’s Black community are on a trajectory to worsen. Against that backdrop, community mobilized to demand true investments in public safety solutions that work for us (& at minimum, don’t kill us with our own money).
How did @MayorJenny & @CMLGonzalez respond? Mayor Durkan (personally worth over $6M) flat out rejected these initial solutions. No Black-led “reimagining” here. Just personal pandering & anti-Blackness between non-Black people.
@CMLGonzalez's bill represents complete capitulation to Seattle’s wealthy white Mayor, who has shamelessly refused to move from her anti-Black, pro-police position.
We reject this surrender to @MayorJenny and question the motives behind it. We urge @SeattleCouncil members to override the Mayor’s veto outright. To for the first time stand on the right side of history & for Black people & reject the Mayor’s expected anti-Black obstructionism.
This summer’s historic uprising in defense of Black lives inspired millions to demand an end to racist policing. These movements forced @SeattleCouncil to heed calls for an end to bloated police budgets & failed “public safety” models that resulted in police murders of too many.
After tremendous community pressure, @CMLGonzalez and @SeattleCouncil voted for the 1st time to modestly reduce SPD’s budget, rather than grow it.
They voted for a small $3M investment to fund a Black-community led research process to lay the groundwork for true public safety & allow those most impacted by policing to lead the planning of a new world beyond it.
See: http://www.kingcountyequitynow.com/blackresearch
See: http://www.kingcountyequitynow.com/blackresearch
@CMLGonzalez @SeattleCouncil also approved $14M to fund community interventions to generate safety that doesn’t rely on policing, including $4M to address urgent gun violence needs in the Black community.
@commpassageways
@commpassageways
These bills passed with a veto-proof majority. While @MayorJenny’s August 21st veto clearly highlighted her disregard for Black lives & commitment to racist policing—it was expected. We know who Mayor Durkan is & @SeattleCouncil knew they were signing up for an override vote.
In fact, this was @MayorJenny’s fifth veto of a council bill—more than any of the previous five mayors had during their tenure. Her anti-Blackness runs deep.
Since then, nothing has changed except @MayorJenny’s & SPD’s tandem PR team went into overdrive to block small cuts to a small portion of SPD’s budget, & minor investments into the Black community.
@MayorJenny continues to strong-arm @SeattleCouncil into doing her will. She is actively writing herself into the history books, arm and arm with policing. https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1306343257979273217?s=20
To be clear: we reject @CMLGonzalez’s bill. We reject a bill that doesn’t reduce the size/scope of SPD, that keeps the nav team mostly in place, & includes budget lines for mounted police, police officers in school, & more. @JessedHagopian @BLMAtSchool
We reject a bill that offers $200,000 in BONUSES to cops hired in 2020, as essential city workers face layoffs. We reject a bill that slashes Black community investments in public safety from $14M down to $2.5M—intended to address urgent gun violence needs in our community.
We reject a bill that locks 1000's of Black community members—especially elders, youth, & anyone that’s not @MayorJenny’s handpicked gatekeepers—out of the process of reimagining public safety.
Our @SeattleCouncil members were elected to serve their constituents. This summer, we saw them begin the process of creating true community safety. We saw them vote for Black lives. We urge them now to override the veto outright & reject @MayorJenny’s anti-Black, pro-police deal.
There is only one side to be on. This is one of the most important votes of your career. And we will see where y’all stand. @CMLGonzalez @Lisa_Herbold @CMTammyMorales @CMkshama @D5Juarez @CMDanStrauss @LewisforSeattle @CMTMosqueda
We urge @SeattleCouncil to stand for Black lives and to restore badly-needed balance to the legislative/executive relationship. We ask them not to flip-flop on one of the most important votes of their careers.
Nothing has changed—our city is still in urgent need of rethinking our approach to public safety. The material conditions for most Black people haven't changed.
To an entirely not-Black @SeattleCouncil currently capitulating to a wealthy white Mayor: stand in defense of Black lives. Stay the course and follow through on your public commitments to defend Black lives. Override the veto.
