Surprise! Apparently Wyking is going to give a response to Durkan's interview at 7pm so I am quickly going to give you a thread on the interview with Durkan AND then live tweet the conversation with Wyking.

#SeattleProtests #SeaBudget2021

She really could've just said "independent journalism."

and yes, $100MM for communities over 10 years, so a total of $1B dollars. That would be roughly equivalent to the $1B ask from KC Equity Now for their "Anti-Gentrification Fund"

Mayor Durkan admitting that the city and the nation has no invested enough in BIPOC communities over time.

Stating clearly that the task force will be made up of BIPOC individuals and they will decide who gets that money. Now citing the median income we all saw from Gene today.

Again the "South Park / Laurelhurst" line she uses.

(granted I don't think she'd allow for more housing in Laurelhurst)

The $100MM will come directly from the General Fund.

Wants to focus on outcomes and how the ten years of investments could work over time.

"We have to have systemic investments" decided by the community for the community.

Omari now saying "you know we hear community and it sounds vague. Can you be more specific as to who you mean by community?"

The Task Force for this $100MM will be announced next week (who is on that task force or been asked to join, no one knows)

Now talking about "The Chicken Dinner" about inviting WMBE to engage on projects but creating multiple barriers that either set up those individuals for failure or prevent them from getting any work at all due to not "qualifying."

Mayor Durkan saying she's invested in lowering the barriers on programs. Citing expanding more BIPOC contractors on projects, including the West Seattle Bridge. (...)

Omari asking about the bucket of money and how that gets doled out.

Mayor Durkan says the Task Force will be making the decisions and the Mayor's office will not be making the decisions. (just the decision of who is at the table)

"It's not gonna be hunger games"

Saying she's tried really hard to protect that $100MM dollars.

TraeAnna now asking what caused the shift from her statement in June stating the $100MM was for Black communities and now it's expanded to BIPOC communities.

(They're showing the income by race which clearly shows Black households make 20k less than any other racial group in the city, including Native Americans.)

Says that the task force will most like decide that most of the money should go to Black groups

(they're doing a really good job of following up on previous quotes and now showing a video of what she's said in the past around Fire Station 6 and other properties)

Omari now asking where we are in the process of actually transferring Fire Station 6.

"I think we're done," which from what I know the legislation has been sent so it just needs to be approved.

Durkan (correctly) stating that it's not just about the $100MM but continuing the other promises and investments it is already doing.

Omari now asking what success looks like so that we don't have these same conversations generations from now.

"What are the metrics?"

"I think that's a great question."...Essentially says every child in Seattle should be able to grow up in a community they feel safe in.

(a double-edged sword that is also blunt and lacking clear metrics)

"These metrics together have to be holistic." (Again, not saying what specific metrics)

'Neither I nor any council member can dictate what success looks like.' (paraphrasing)

(mhmm...)

Now chatting about the State House Bill that acknowledged the history of racism against Black people and those living in the Central District specifically.

(once again, Durkan speaks well and eloquently on the issues. The concrete details / solutions? That's another question.)

(Omari now giving Mayor Durkan one more time to explicitly explain what is going to happen with the $100MM dollars in the budget. I will quote below)

"This 100MM dollars is going to be in a community equitable account, if you will. We will kick off a task force that will have a range of people from BIPOC communities to look at basically four areas—from the conversations I've had with people I think this is the initial areas...

"...people look at but the task force and community may decide to look at others. It's building opportunity in an inclusive economy. And we've talked about that here this morning; about how that has not been the case.

There's community wealth building and cultural spaces..."

"...and that relates to everything to access to loans to properties, to how do we ensure access to cultural spaces in the city of Seattle that reflect that.

We have community wellness. You know, we have Odessa Brown clinic and we have clinics in our schools, but if you..."

"...look across access to healthcare, it is again a place where the Black community and other communities of color have been left behind—and by every wellness indicator, left behind.

And then looking in those categories, the last one is..."

"...the climate and environmental justice and the Green New Deal. You look at those communities again—access to healthy foods, green space, parks—the disproportionate pollution and toxic waste in communities of color, even here in Seattle. So looking across those, thinking..."

"...'what outcomes do community want and how do we design programs to do that?' And so this task force will itself be the ones to engage and prioritize.

I see it probably will work in phases: the first phase would be 'how do we allocate and prioritize ourselves so that we..."

"...'can get outcomes—concrete outcomes.' And then, how do we as a city and through others get the support and research and data they need to design how that looks.

And then the final stage would be to come back—because you have to, finally, have an ordinance that..."

"...appropriates the money and puts the programs in place, because it is public money—but really a process to design where those priorities are going to be; what outcomes do we want.

"In order for it to work, Omari, it really can't be a one time deal..."

"We as a city have got to commit to this over time, and I will be looking for dedicated funding of this magnitude over the ten years because otherwise you won't move the needle.

That doesn't come close to where people have been underfunded for generations..."

"...but it is, I think, can start making a difference. So looking for progressive revenue—"

(Omari and Trae have not spoken through this entire monologue, for the record)

"I believe we need a city income tax, and if we did [have one] I believe we could dedicate part of..."

"...that to this over a period of years. If we can't do that, I want to work with the task force and others to say 'do we, for example, need an equity levy?' like the Families and Ed[ucation] Levy where we know there is dedicated funding over a seven year period that will..."

"...ensure that we are using money for preschool and childcare and free education and college.

So it's a combination of both: how does community decide how to do this, but then how do I and others work to ensure that this can continue over a period of years."

(END)

ok and now Wyking is live and you can watch that here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3327923780626031&extid=fVFbsjYtvt4JOgPl

Ok so back to this thread since Wyking is no where to be found.

NOW the other juicy bit where they talk to the mayor about her veto being overriden.