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Analysis of Seattle City Council Proposal to Excuse And Dismiss Most Misdemeanor Crimes (PDF)

By Scott Lindsay – attorney; Seattle resident; former public safety advisor and special assistant for police reform to the City of Seattle; former senior counsel to House Oversight Committee Democrats. On Wednesday, October 21, Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chairperson of the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee, introduced far-reaching legislation to excuse and dismiss almost all...

Seattle is Feeling the Effects of Losing the Navigation Team

The Seattle City Council recently voted to reduce funding for public safety and completely eliminate the Navigation Team without a plan on how to address safety issues in parks. The Navigation Team’s absence is already being felt by many city residents. KOMO reported on the increasing presence of homeless encampments in Seattle parks in the last several...

Had enough?

Night after night, peaceful protests are co-opted by people destroying businesses and homes, setting fires, assaulting officers, throwing explosives, and blocking first responders. Peaceful protests and legitimate calls for social justice reforms are being drowned out by relentless violence, mayhem, and illegal behavior. Had enough? We have. It is frustrating to see Seattle’s reputation suffer as...

King County Residents Want Reform, Not Defunding Police

As this summer’s protests against police brutality continue into the fall months, more information is coming to light about where the public stands on the central issues of the protests. According to a new Crosscut/ Elway poll, the majority of voters support the broad goals of the protests, but remain against cutting the police by...

Seattle City Councilmember Praises Navigation Team Minutes Before He Votes To Eliminate Them

In an email to his constituents last week, Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss wanted to “address the homelessness in district 6.” Strauss said that action was needed to get homeless people out of parks, libraries, and bus stops and into adequate shelter. One of the best tools for this, Strauss wrote, was the Navigation Team....

Mayhem Downtown Drains Seattle’s Resources and Reputation

The Seattle Times’s Dominic Gates reported that arrests and property damage in downtown Seattle are impacting SPD’s ability to respond to other crimes happening in the city and the overall public safety of the community. Following demonstrations over the weekend, interim SPD Chief Adrian Diaz pleaded to members of the community for the violence and...

“Self-Inflicted Wounds” Have Hollowed Out A Once Vibrant Seattle Downtown

The recent closing of Columbia Sportswear in downtown Seattle during the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many during this tumultuous year. According to the Downtown Seattle Association, 126 street-level downtown businesses locations have closed since the pandemic began. But in Seattle, the exodus started even before COVID-19 swept the world, and many of the...

Sawant Gets a Lawyer and Taxpayers Get Stuck with the Bill

A Superior Court Judge ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward with the recall petition against Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. According to a King 5 News report, the judge ruled that four allegations made against Sawant can proceed. These are serious allegations ranging from misusing public resources to doxing Mayor Durkin. Sawant...

BLMSKC Urges Immediate Investigation of Seattle City Council

Black Lives Matter of Seattle King County (BLMSKC) is taking the fight to the Seattle City Council. According a report from MyNorthwest.com the group sent a letter to the Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) calling for an immediate, transparent and aggressive investigation into the actions and conduct of the city council. The letter asks SEEC...

Jobs Continue to Flee Seattle As Violent Crime Surges

In what is being described as “mayhem”, the uptick in violent crime is forcing more and more people to pack up and flee Seattle, costing even more jobs that our community needs right now. Brian Nordwall, who owns Seattle E-bike, told KOMO News that the downtown area has become like open season for crime, and...

Faith Leaders Call Out City Council’s Treatment Of Chief Best

In a press conference, interfaith leaders from Seattle’s communities of color demanded that the City Council work to repair the damage it inflicted through its mistreatment of SPD Chief Carmen Best, the first African American woman to serve in that role. According to a report in the Post Millennial, Rev. Leslie Blackwell urged Chief Best...

Seattle City Council Offers No Plan to Address Violent Crime

Seattle Times reporters David Gutman and Mike Carter wrote about the mounting backlash the City Council is facing over its actions to defund the police, with no plan in place to maintain public safety. According to Gutman and Carter’s report, former SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole says the city is headed for trouble and urged council...

Seattle Residents Have Already Felt The Effects Of Defunding The Police

Seattle continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. A recent New York Times story showcased the chaos that played out in our city and how the “lack of a robust public safety presence” has left a lasting impact on citizens and businesses alike. It is a frustrating and all too familiar story for...

Historic Tax Hike Threatens to Push Jobs Out Of Seattle

As the local economy continues to reel from the global health pandemic, Seattle’s business community is facing a host of new challenges courtesy of a massive business tax adopted by the City Council. The new tax would affect more than 700 local businesses and many of those business owners say it is a direct threat...