Seattle City Council Select Budget Committee 7/29/2020 Session I

Hey everybody, today is July 29th, 2020. The Select Budget Committee will come to order.

The time is 10.03 AM and I'm Teresa Mosqueda, Chair of the Select Budget Committee.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Peterson.

Here.

Swann.

Here.

Strauss.

Here.

Gonzales.

Here.

Herbold.

Here.

Lewis.

Present.

Juarez.

Here.

Chair Mosqueda.

Here.

Eight present.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk.

Good morning, colleagues, and good morning, members of the public.

Thank you again for joining the Select Budget Committee on July 29th.

Again, this is a two-part conversation today, but colleagues, you can really think of this as a two-part series this week, with Wednesday's meeting being combined with Friday's conversation as well.

As you saw from the agenda today, we will have robust public comment given the number of people signed up, which is almost 300 people.

I'm really going to endeavor to try to get through as many people as possible.

For folks who are listening in on the listen in line or waiting for their name to be called, we are going to scale the time to 45 seconds so we can get through as many people as possible.

I'm also going to start public comment with 90 minutes so we can see how many folks we can get through.

and then I will extend it if there is a possibility of getting additional folks heard today.

What that means, colleagues, is that the majority of our agenda today will be discussed in the afternoon portion.

I appreciate all of your folks who have provided additional feedback on the non-SPD-related amendments.

Your offices have been incredibly helpful in thinking through non-SPD amendments, and that discussion last Wednesday was robust.

we do have a handful of additional non-SPD related amendments that will be discussed today and then voted on on Friday morning.

Today we will also have an overview of what the SPD inquest has entailed so far and what the process looks like next.

As a reminder, our non-SPD amendments today will be voted on on Friday morning, but the majority of Friday will be dedicated to SPD related amendments.

Those SPD related amendments, if we do not finish those on Friday, will be discussed again on Monday morning, August 3rd, beginning after council briefing.

We will then have the opportunity to follow up with votes on SPD and any additional amendments on Wednesday, August 5th, with the intent to finally wrap up our 2020 rebalancing package with a final vote on Monday, August 10. Council colleagues, this is a timeline that I walked through on Monday.

If there was the need for additional time to both draft amendments and to make sure that we got feedback from central staff and law.

what does look like we will need the Wednesday, August 5th date.

So please do note that there is a calendar hold coming your way for August 5th as well.

So as a reminder, it's really a two-part series this week.

Today, wrapping up our non-SPD conversation, a conversation about what the SPD inquest has included so far, and continuing those conversations on Friday with a vote on non-SPD amendments and diving into the menu of SPD-related amendments on Friday.

Are there any questions?

Okay, seeing no questions.

If there's no objection, today's agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, let's go ahead and launch into public comment.

As I mentioned, there's over 280 people signed up for today's public comment, so we are going to have an extended public comment today.

Please note that we are continuing to operate and learn as we work from home due to COVID-related pandemic, and we are looking for ways to fine-tune this process.

I appreciate all the folks who've been calling in between shifts and caring for folks at home and running small businesses.

We're going to try to get through as much as we possibly can today, recognizing that we've had public comment at every meeting, but we have not been able to get through everyone at some of those meetings.

Last Thursday, we got through the entire list, which was really It felt really good to be able to call on everybody, and we're going to try to endeavor to do that today again.

The public comment here is going to last for 90 minutes.

Each speaker will be given 45 seconds.

You will have a chime that you will hear at 10 seconds into the remainder of your time, and we will make sure that folks get the chance to send in remaining comments to councilatseattle.gov.

You can also email our individual offices as usual.

I'm going to call three speakers at a time in the order in which they have signed up.

That includes folks who are also calling in who may work in Seattle but don't have a Seattle zip code.

We're just going to go ahead and go through the order in which folks have called in today.

You will hear a prompt to unmute yourself.

That's your cue to begin speaking.

Please state your name and you are welcome to talk to any item That is in front of the Select Budget Committee.

That includes SPD and non-SPD related issues, as we had an individual ask that question last time.

I wanted to make sure folks know you can speak to any issues related to the budget.

Again, once you've completed your public comment, we will ask you to hang up on the call-in line, and that gives you the chance to watch on Seattle Channel, either their online streaming, on TV, or listen in on our listen-in line.

The public comment period is now open.

It is 10.09 a.m., and I will call the first three speakers.

Samuel LeBlanc, Lynn Madala, and Jazlyn Huerta.

Samuel, good morning.

Hello, my name is Samuel Wong, and I'm a resident of District 7. I'm honored to have the privilege of starting off public comments by saying we must defund Seattle Police by at least 50% because the people of Seattle will not stand for anything less.

Despite new laws and promises from Seattle's leaders, including Mayor Durkan and Chief Best, Seattle Police have continued to use violent tactics against protesters, including use of tear gas, pepper spray, and blast walls.

These weapons continue to be used indiscriminately against peaceful protesters, legal observers, and reporters alike, with no regard for public safety or human morality.

absolutely disgusted and ashamed of our city's police response.

The motto of the Seattle Police Department is service pride dedication.

But it is clear to me that the police are only dedicated towards serving their own needs of white pride and white supremacy which they get from harming the Black and Brown people of Seattle.

I call on the Seattle City Council to honor their commitment to defunding this fundamentally flawed and racist institution.

Thank you very much, Samuel.

Before we move to Lynn, I just want to say thank you to Council Member Morales, who has also joined us a while back, and I did not get a chance to welcome her.

So thank you for being here, Council Member Morales.

Lynn, good morning.

Welcome.

Good morning.

My name is Lynn Mora.

I'm a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and a Seattle resident.

Black young men and boys are dying from gun violence at an alarming rate.

It's critical that we reimagine our public safety system and invest in local BIPOC-led violence intervention and prevention organizations.

In the revised 2020 budget we urge you to allocate $4.7 million for community passageways to build out their capacity to prevent gun violence in a way that builds safe and strong communities.

And $10.8 million for the Seattle Community Safety Initiative a partnership of four people of color-led organizations including community passageways whose strategies are highly effective in preventing and reducing gun violence.

These funds could be could not be better investment of our tax dollars.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Perfect timing.

Thanks Lynn.

Jazlyn welcome.

Hello I'm Jazlyn Huerta.

I live in District 3 on Capitol Hill.

I'm calling to request that you decrease the SPD's budget by at least 50 percent and reinvest that money into community led solutions.

I'm excited for decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now's four point plan.

I think it's smart, practical, and a step in the right direction.

We ask too much of our police force, and it's clear that it's not working.

In the last 60 days, I've witnessed and experienced unconscionable terror at the hands of the SPD.

As a society, we've made the mistake of giving them too much power, too big of a budget, and too many weapons of war.

It's time to correct that wrong.

Let's demilitarize the SPD and reinvest in community-led solutions.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.

I yield my time.

Thank you, Jocelyn.

The next three are Sean Butterfield, Dan Cavanaugh, and Alan Ballway.

Sean, good morning.

Hi, my name is Sean Butterfield.

I'm a home care aide, renter in District 3, and a member of Socialist Alternative.

My disabled partner and I marched on Saturday from Seattle Central College around the neighborhood and then down 12th.

As we turned from 12th onto Pine at the East Precinct, heading back to where we started, we were met with flash bangs and tear gas, even without any audible notice dispersed.

What kind of operation is SPD running?

One minute we're in a perfectly peaceful march without any violence to human beings whatsoever, and the next there are flashbangs going off of the wheels of my partner's wheelchair as the frightened crowd pours around her to escape the maelstrom and tear gas fills the air.

Mayor Durkin goes on CNN and tells the world she doesn't want Trump's federal agents here, but then authorizes the same level of violence against protesters herself.

It's fucking perverse, and we can't accept this.

Seven of you promised to deliver a 50% cut on the SPD budget, and it is time to deliver on that promise.

Thank you, Dan.

Welcome.

Hey, my name is Dan.

I'm a member of Socialist Alternative, and I'm a nursing student.

And me and my classmates think it's outrageous that SPD makes a nurse in the face at Saturday's protest.

And not only that, at that protest, Mayor Durkan's police fully collaborated with Trump's federal agents.

And it makes me furious to hear council members go on and on about how defunding is a long, drawn-out process that will take time.

We never hear these excuses when you want to cut funding for housing, transit, homelessness services.

This is a delay tactic.

We won't stand for it.

You say you have to negotiate with Spahn.

The president of Spahn called for Trump's federal dudes to come to Seattle.

And this is the organization you want to negotiate with?

Go around them.

Defund by 50 percent now in this year's budget.

No delay.

Alan, welcome.

My name is Alan Ballway.

I'm a resident of District 7 and I want to talk about what systemic racism looks like today.

Systemic racism is when appropriations are altered to fund new car infrastructure for West Seattle, one of the whitest communities in Seattle, while public transit projects are cut across the board.

Systemic racism is increasing appropriations for the police department and even adding a new position.

while we are in a budget crisis, while there's been no justice for Charlene Lyles and her family, while we still don't know the name of the black man who was murdered by Seattle police when they shot him in the back, while nonviolent protesters for black lives continue to be tear gassed, maced, blast balled, shot at, arrested without cause, and denied their civil liberties by police, while police intentionally attack legal observers and media reporting on police brutality, and while some members of this council scramble to find excuses not to meet the demands of the community and defund us.

Thank you.

The next three people are Tushar Kurnan, Lucas Vargas-Zapatillo, and Uma Rao.

Tushar, welcome.

Hi, my name is Tushar Khurana and I live in Seattle District 6. I'm calling because I believe that defunding SPD by at least 50 percent and reinvesting in community is necessary for public safety.

Particularly in the context of the pandemic real safety involves funding healthy communities not divesting from social services and then paying more and more police to prevent violence through the threat of more violence and brutality which they have been doing.

Please meet the demands put forward by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now to defund SPD by at least 50% and reinvest in community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Lucas, welcome.

Hello, I'm Lucas, a graduate student at the University of Washington and a resident of D3.

I have attended many of the peaceful protests since George Floyd's murder and I urge the city council to defund the Seattle Police Department by at least 50%.

Our police department's bloated budget takes away invaluable resources from communities of color during a pandemic that has killed Black and Hispanic people in King County at a rate more than twice that of white residents.

The police in the city have spent the months since Floyd's murder attacking peaceful crowds, arresting protesters at random, and issuing half-hearted justifications for their violence.

They are running amok through the streets and do not deserve the privilege of being at the table when budgetary discussions of their institution's future take place.

They have lost any claim to the public trust and their budget allocation must reflect this.

Please listen to Black leadership and vote to defund the SPD by at least 50 percent.

Thank you.

Uma welcome.

Good morning.

My name is Uma.

I'm a member of Salvation for Black Lives.

I'm calling to support decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now's demands to defund SPD by at least 50 percent and to reinvest in our community.

To know that our schools and education budgets get cut and I consistently have to vote through levies to bring funding to our schools while the police budget continues to increase and remains ineffective is, in my opinion, a terrible use of resources.

Our police force does not keep our community safe.

They violently displace our homeless neighbors consistently.

The sweeps don't make me feel safer.

They make me feel more afraid.

The city should really invest in housing, education, and other priorities that your residents have been advocating for for years.

As a proud resident of Beacon Hill, I support the demands to defund SPD by at least 50%, and thank you to Council Member Morales for representing me in this, and I urge the entire council to stand behind this commitment.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

The next three are Siri Gillespie, Peter Chalinto, and Chelsea DePasque-Hunton.

Siri, good morning.

Kiilaax, good morning.

My name is Siri, and I'm Alaska Native, Unangax, therapist, social worker, student.

Currently living in District 4 on stolen land of the Duwamish people.

I'm urging council to support defunding STD by 50 percent.

The police are tasked with violently enforcing marginalization and displacement of BIPOC peoples the history of which is worse right here in District 4. Alex Peterson your email signature says Black Lives Matter and Black and Indigenous communities have told you what matters to them and you've dismissed this.

These demands are not made lightly and they are the result of decades of research and resistance.

reflect on your anti-Black and anti-Indigenous paternalism, and take action to right this violence.

I urge council members to support Dream Seattle and King County Equity Now's four-point plan for community reinvestment in those funds.

Ungunas kugasikas.

Thank you.

The next person is Peter.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Peter Shelito.

I'm a scientist living in Alex Peterson's District 4 in Wallingford.

I support participatory budgeting as the best way to reinvest the money that will be divested from SPD.

As a former NASA contractor, I have seen how successful competitive budgeting strategies can be.

The system allows for desirable outcomes to be explicitly requested and fulfilled using metrics decided ahead of time.

Here in Seattle, participatory budgeting can be designed to explicitly provide for safety and health.

The project-based focus of PB ensures that failed ventures will not result in lasting harm or expense, in stark contrast to the current police force which needs to be defunded by at least 50%.

Thank you to the seven council members working on my behalf.

A successful transition away from police-controlled 911 and towards a civilian-led system depends on your continued strong leadership.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Chelsea, welcome.

Good morning.

My name is Chelsea DePasquale-Hunson.

I am an educator with Seattle Public Schools.

And I am also calling to call on the council to defund Seattle Police Department by at least 50 percent.

I have watched our kids struggle with lack of resources.

I've watched the school struggle with lack of resources.

I've watched homeless pence go up all over the city that have that were not there as I was growing up in Seattle.

And I.

feel like the council needs to prioritize the people of the city and what the people of the city are asking for specifically the brown and black populations of the city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three people are Mike Sloan Thomas Hudson and Megan Tamwali.

Mike welcome.

My name is Mike Solon.

I'm the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

I call on the Seattle City Council to vote no on defunding SPD.

If SPD is defunded the chopped crime wave would spread across our entire city.

Just today in Seattle we are seeing a 40 percent increase in homicides.

Eighty five percent of the police budget is salary based.

Removing 50 percent of the police budget you would force the city to fire up to 800 officers and crime will skyrocket.

Council members Herbold Strauss and Lewis said less than a year ago that Seattle needs more police not less.

In less than 36 hours SPOG has collected over 20,000 signatures at StopDefunding.com.

Seattle City Council.

Stop playing politics with public safety.

Stopdefunding.com.

Thank you, Thomas.

Good morning.

Hello, my name is Thomas Hudson and I'm just a human.

But I think after we defund SPD, because I know we will, we need to really invest that money into the black communities who have been most affected by the damage that police and systemic racism in this country have been causing lots of damage to.

And specifically, I think that needs to really go into education and housing and health services to help build a better future for the people who have had a future damaged repeatedly by this nation.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Thank you, Megan.

Welcome.

My name is Megan.

Good morning.

I am a resident of district 7 and I'm calling in support of defunding the remaining 2020 budget by 50% at the very least.

And I stand in full and unconditional support of the everyday March.

Police officers are public servants who are meant to protect and serve us.

They're making hundreds of thousands of dollars annually while there are homeless citizens, underfunded schools, and families who are at risk and have been evicted.

And this is unacceptable.

This money must be reinvested into Black communities.

In a racist system and within a city that has specifically targeted Black communities, we have to specifically invest in Black communities.

This has to start now with no excuses and no rules.

If you're going to say that Black Lives Matter, please prove it.

Defund it.

To do anything less is a disappointment and direct violence to the communities that you serve.

This isn't politics, it's human rights.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three people are Josh Castle, John Thoreau, and Ellen Lovelace.

Josh, good morning.

Hi, good morning.

I'm Josh Castle with Lehigh.

Thank you last week City Council members for passing $18 million per year for affordable housing in the central area to combat racist gentrification and $3.6 million for more tiny house villages to help get more people inside and protected from COVID.

We stand in solidarity with many other organizations and community leaders that the referral process for the villages and other shelters needs fundamental reform and a transition away from SBD involvement.

And you received a letter this morning from us as well on this.

People and families experiencing homelessness the City of Seattle and the many organizations who currently receive NAVTEAM referrals such as Lehigh DESC and The Bridge would be better served if these referrals were from organizations that are culturally qualified to do this work such as Urban League, Casa Latina, Chief Seattle Club, Seattle Indian Center, Reach and Faith Communities in the Central Area.

Thank you Josh.

John welcome.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is John Thoreau and I'm here in support of defunding the SPD by 50% by following the comprehensive plan put forward together by King County Equity Now.

The police do not keep us safe.

They protect systems of white supremacy.

Our police violently respond whether crime is occurring, has ended, or is perceived.

Every day we see the misuse of this violence and experience the massive damage it has had on our black and indigenous family.

As the media has shown, they would rather use chemical weapons on peaceful protesters than stop killing black people.

They would rather arrest bystanders and pepper spray nurses than look for real agitators.

We, Seattleites, are not criminals to be rounded up.

We are people.

We are supposed to be free citizens.

And our police are attacking us with impunity.

The mayor and chief vets have been caught lying many times, including about SPD's role in the death of Lorenzo Anderson.

Thank you.

Ellen, Mark, welcome.

I'm Ellen Leibis, a District 6 renter, St. John's parishioner, and member of the Sunrise Movement.

I too believe we need to defund SPV by at least 50% in reinvestment communities.

Council members, will you allow the police to enforce a white priority status quo by terrorizing black and brown communities?

Will you remain complicit in armed relocation of folks without homes during a deadly pandemic?

Will you allow fear-mongering from the police guild to control our city?

or will you pass a budget that truly represents the values you claim?

Please cast your votes for justice.

Defund the city by at least 50% in the 2020 rebalance, including eliminating the navigation team.

Sign on to the four-point plan from decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now and use extensive participatory budgeting for 2021. End of comment.

Thank you.

The next three are Beth Deringsen, Ashlyn O'Brien, and Guy Oren.

Beth, good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Beth Duranciang.

I'm from District 5 in North Seattle.

Defunding SPD is a radical experiment that will hurt the vulnerable at the most.

And why are you cutting the protection when many of you have called on the Seattle City Council have called SPD for protection recently?

We know you have.

Why are you cutting the protection for everyone else?

Why have you not denounced the arsons and violence by rioters or the injuries to SPD officers, your own employees?

That's unconscionable.

You should be protecting your own employees when they're injured on the job by violent attackers.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ashlyn.

Welcome.

Hi I'm speaking today on behalf of the Seattle chapter of the International League of People's Struggles ILPS.

We stand in firm solidarity with the Black Liberation Movement and decriminalize Seattle's proposal to replace the current 9-1-1 system with a civilian-controlled one.

Fund the scaling up of community-led solutions.

Support a community-created roadmap to life without policing and invest in housing for all.

We know that police like the U.S. military are a force of violent occupation within oppressed communities.

and will not be safe until they are abolished completely.

One way the city can reinvest funding in black community-owned institutions is to return rightful ownership of what is currently known as NAM to the African-American heritage museum and cultural center.

City Council should investigate the Urban League, support turning the museum over to its rightful owners, and invest in a genuine cultural center that the rightful owners are building.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Guy, good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Gaya Wong.

I'm a member of the End the Deadly Exchange campaign and a resident of Seattle.

I am here in full solidarity with the decriminalized Seattle and King County equities now demands and four-point plan to defund the SPD.

The SPD's violence has only gotten worse and is part of a global trend of militarization, surveillance, and police brutality.

People can reinvest in me instead of funding these harmful systems.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ian Robinson, followed by Annalee Bremler, and then Hannah LeBlanc.

Ian, good morning.

Good morning.

I'm calling in support of decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now's demands to defund the police by at least 50% and reinvest those funds in black communities specifically.

Seattle Police have shown us with ample evidence over the past few months that their priority is not public safety.

Their priority is suppression of dissent.

This organization needs to be defunded immediately.

I yield my time.

Okay, thank you.

Good morning, Annalie.

Hi, good morning.

My name is Annalie D. Miller.

I live in District 6. Thank you for your pledges to defund the police by 50%.

I need you to hold to that.

And not only do that, but give the money to Black communities.

This isn't even just about the protest.

Even before all this stuff went on, the police have been preying on Black communities and killing them again and again.

There was a moment where a person of color wouldn't leave my apartment, and I was afraid to call the police because I thought they would show up and shoot them.

This is unacceptable.

We need real public safety and not just men showing up with guns and murdering people.

Do you understand?

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Hannah, good morning.

Hi, my name is Hannah LeBlanc and I am a lifelong resident of the Queen Anne neighborhood.

I am adding my voice as support for the call to defund SPD and reinvest that money in black and brown communities and community safety.

If anyone on the city council has not seen videos of the violence that police were inflicting against peaceful protesters in our city this past weekend I urge you to do so.

There are many of them and they are horrifying.

My family is scared of me protesting because they are scared of me getting assaulted by the Seattle police.

We are a White family and this is a new scare for them.

They are suddenly experiencing just a taste of what Black and Brown parents deal with every day when their children leave the house.

My community was safe growing up not because it was heavily policed.

It was safe because people had resources and we need to use SPD's budget to give resources to communities that need them.

I had the privilege of growing up in a Seattle where I did not have to fear the police and that should not be a privilege granted only to some.

Thank you.

Ryan Yuka followed by Michael Menley.

Sorry Mel Melanie.

and then Kate Simpson.

Ryan, good morning.

Hello, my name is Ryan Yucca and I'm a resident of District 3 and a member of UAW 4121. I'm calling today to urge council to take $85 million from the 2020 police budget and invest that into affordable housing and community services for Black and Brown communities.

This includes cutting the homeless sweeps program, which is ineffective, harmful, and inhumane.

If we want to decrease crime in Seattle, then we must invest in community resources to prevent the root of causes of crime, not continuing with an outdated punitive system of policing.

Seven of nine council members have promised to cut SPD budget by 50 percent and it's time to make good on that promise.

SPD does not keep us safe nor do they prevent crime and merely react to crime.

If SPD has overspent their budget earlier in the year then that is mismanagement and they must now deal with not us.

You must cut the remaining SPD 2020 budget by 50 percent and the people of Seattle will not accept anything less.

Thank you.

Thank you Michael.

Good morning.

Hi, I'm a Capitol Hill resident calling to denounce the truly disturbing behavior of SPD this summer, including we maced and clubbed legal observers, nurses, and demonstrators literally on top of the Black Lives Matter street mural.

I've called the council to commit to its pledge to defund SPD by 50% this year and next, and I'm supporting the criminal settlement King County Equity's now four-point plan for transition to more restorative justice plan.

especially point number three, to fund a community-created roadmap to life without policing that will help make sure the structure is in place for this transition.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Kate, good morning.

Sorry, go ahead, Kate.

My name is Kate Simpson and I live in Capitol Hill.

I'm in favor of defunding SPD by at least 50 percent and reinvesting in community and restorative justice.

Over the past two months, SPD has demonstrated they are accountable to no one.

They have been violent and unhinged towards protesters using chemical weapons indiscriminately.

It has become clear they do not keep our communities safe.

I support the demands put forward by decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now, defend SPD by 50% to use those funds to invest in public health and safety and eliminate and transfer SPD functions.

nothing less than defunding will begin to heal the violence committed by police against Seattle's Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

The next three people are Brigitte Smith, Soo Young Yoon, and Stephan Welch.

Brigitte, good morning.

Hi, I'm Brigitte Smith.

I'm calling to say I think the City Council should commit to defunding the Seattle Police Department by at least 50% for the remainder of 2020. equivalent to $85 million, and reallocate the funds to Black communities, focusing on affordable housing and education.

The president of SPOG called today to say the SPD budget is 85 percent salaries, and cutting it would force him to fire a large number of officers.

And he's right.

Let's fire the officers who think it's OK to tear gas citizens of their own city, and instead give the money to communities who've been suffering at the hands of the police for decades.

And also, the new youth jail should not be closed in 2025, but should be closed right now, and the children being held should be released.

The city pushes people into poverty and criminalizes poverty and homelessness and offers no resources to help those most at risk.

Do your job.

I yield.

Thank you.

Su Yong, good morning.

Hi, my name is Su Yong Yoon.

I'm the program manager at APACE, Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment.

I'm calling to support decriminalized Seattle and King County equity knowledge demand to defund SPD by at least 50% and reinvest in community using the four-point plan.

Policing is a racist, anti-Black, and anti-Indigenous institution that doesn't keep our community safe.

As an Asian-American and office resident in the Chinatown International District, I see how police do not prevent crime in our community.

They respond to crimes late and sometimes not at all, and inflict more violence on our communities by criminalizing poverty and violently displacing our homeless neighbors.

The city should invest in housing, drug user help, and other forms of caring services to ensure that safety is extended to everyone in our community.

As a resident of the CID, APAE supports the demands to defund SPD.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Stephan, welcome.

The misfortune to have a complete stranger.

My name is Steve Welch.

Don't defund the police.

Here's why.

I had the misfortune to have a complete stranger try to kick in my Green Lake apartment's door.

This person kicked the living daylights out of a steel door over 20 times, and the more I spoke to him, the more enraged he became.

I dialed 911. Police arrived quickly and de-escalated immediately.

They even asked me if I wanted to come out and talk to the person once calm.

They demonstrated a dramatic decline in the use of force, which bears out in SPD statistics.

I then arranged a ride along in the South Precinct.

I learned that if grandmothers had their way, there would be a lot less law breaking.

From SPD officers, I saw patience, respect for others, competence, and calm, clear communications.

Thank you, Stephan.

And if you have more, please do send that in.

Appreciate it.

Telshon Turner, followed by Blake Madden and Derek Lum.

Telshon, Telshon, welcome.

My name is Telshon Turner and I'm one of the organizers of the Every Day March.

And I'm calling in support to defund the SPD by 50 percent.

I have personally been a victim of their brutality.

June 26th is a prime example of that.

When I was pulled over for no reason at all after somebody decided they wanted to lie and pull a gun on me and say it was me.

I was confronted by SPD officers with guns.

Arrested, no charges ever filed.

So therefore, SPD needs to come up off that because they've been doing this for way too long and we ain't standing for it no more.

We're not taking nothing less than that $85 million, I promise you that.

By any means, we're not taking nothing less.

So defund SPD this year by 50% and reallocate those funds to Black communities specifically.

Thank you very much.

Blake, welcome.

Thank you.

My name is Blake Madden.

I live in District 3 on Capitol Hill with my wife, one block from the East Police Precinct.

I demand the council defund SPD by at least 50% and reinvest in community safety now via decriminalize Seattle's plan.

This past Saturday, as we tried to exercise our First Amendment right to protest, my wife and I were shot at with rubber bullets, hit directly with flashbangs.

We ate tear gas.

We were tackled, beaten, arrested, and jailed overnight for simply not retreating from a police onslaught fast enough.

My wife was denied medical attention and now has a serious neck injury because an officer literally put his knee in her neck.

We're through with our money paying for our abuse and the abuse of black and brown communities.

I don't know why Council Member Peterson is determined to be on the wrong side of history, but he might want to wake up.

Thank you for sharing your story, and I think folks will follow up with you.

The next person is Derek Lum.

From CDA Today, Chief.

Oh, hi there, council members.

My name is Derek Lum, Cedar Rapids Interim CDHC, calling on you to support decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now's calls for defunding SBD by 50% and reinvesting in community solutions.

I can just say that I see police respond to things that they have no ability or need to respond to, such as being a part of homeless cabinet sweeps.

There are social workers who can do that work, and you do that work, and there's no need for the police to be involved in such matters.

Please reinvest in community solutions, make all of our communities safer.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three people are Kelsey McGrath, Gabrielle Pelli, and Matthew R. Kelsey, good morning.

Hi, my name is Kelsey McGrath.

I live in District 3, and I'm a teacher.

I'm urging the city council to vote to defund STD by 50 percent this year and next year.

Execute the four-point plan put forth by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now to invest in community-based solutions to health and safety and use participatory budgeting in 2021.

To those who are worrying we are moving too quickly to dismantle white supremacist institutions.

Hear words from lawyer and abolitionist Derecka Purnell.

But if abolitionists waited to convince every single person that liberation was worth the pursuit, Black people might still be on plantations.

Slavery's violence and repression was riskier than Black people's planned imagination and will to be free.

So they held the uncertainty in their bellies and started running.

Rather than waiting for comforting answers to every potential harm ahead of us, let's run.

Thank you and please do feel free to send in the rest of your comments.

Gabrielle, welcome.

Hi, my name is Gabe Pelley.

I'm a resident of District 4 and a member of Socialist Alternatives.

I'm speaking in support of the demands of the People's Budget Movement because the capital system is entering the next Great Depression and already over 40% of renters are facing eviction and 40 million Americans are unemployed, disproportionately impacting our black and brown neighbors.

Our movement will not accept an austerity budget that taxes the hell out of working people who are already at the breaking point.

Regressive taxation that funds racist police and cuts community funding is exactly how we got here.

Cut SPD by at least 50%, $85 million this year, and invest that money in social needs, including housing in tiny households, restorative justice and jobs programs, eviction defense, and renter organizing.

And lastly, stop the sweeps and pass the Nicholsville North Lake Proviso.

Appreciate it.

Thank you, Matthew.

Welcome.

All right.

Hello.

I've lived in Seattle my whole life.

This is Matthew here.

And I've worked for the city for 15 years, the last eight with the police department.

I've been at protests that are peaceful and some that were more like riots.

I've tried hard to listen and ask questions when I can.

So I wanted to share a little bit from my perspective.

A lot of the change people have told me they want is already occurring at SPD as far as accountability, transparency, mental health court, drug referrals, victim support, working with service providers, and collaborative policing.

I've heard a lot of people say they're upset with the disparities to housing, schools, health care, lending practices, food insecurity, environmental injustice.

I've also heard city council members say they are confident they will be on the right side.

I think we as a city need to come together more than ever.

Instead of taking sides, we recognize we all want Seattle to be a better place.

Set up ways to connect instead of furthering the divide.

That's what I'm asking, just to connect and be together.

Thank you for your message.

If you had more, please do feel free to send that in.

The next three people are Jessica Scoslow, Madison Lynn Howie, and Indu Nair.

Jessica, good morning.

Hi, good morning.

My name is Jessica Scalzo.

I live in District 3. Thank you for the opportunity today.

I am calling again to encourage the council to defund SPD by 50%.

for the rebalancing of the 2020 budget because this can eliminate SPD functions that harm people, such as homeless sweeps, attacking peaceful protesters, and surveillance of black indigenous people of color.

We can transfer that money to invest in underfunded black and brown community-led restorative justice programs that actually help and support people.

Our budget reflects our values.

So let's change our values from surveillance, violence, and white supremacy to community inclusiveness, access, and opportunity.

I support the four-point program by King County Equity Now in decriminalized Seattle.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

Madison Lynn, welcome.

Hi, my name is Madison Lin and I am a resident of District 7. I am calling today to urge the council members to defund SPD by at least 50%.

I am not only the daughter of a Florida State Trooper, but also a protester who has been present on the ground and witnessed multiple instances of SPD's use of excessive force.

Time and time again over the last six weeks, the SPD has proven that they are the escalators of violence at these protests and their actions have been rewarded by the virtue of absence of consequence.

On Saturday, SPD's indiscriminate use of chemical weapons on protesters came mere hours after the ban was irresponsibly lifted by Judge Roberts.

SPD deliberately targeted the press as legal observers, which is indisputably on video evidence, as well as illegal chokeholds.

What we learned over the last six weeks is that these acts are not one-off.

They are not a result of failure of training.

In conclusion,

Madison Lin, please do send your conclusion in to us.

The next person is Indu.

Welcome.

Hi, my name is Indu Nair, and I'm representing the Seattle American Coalition.

I agree with the ACLU.

They said that SPD does not want to be held accountable for police brutality.

There are clearly identifiable medics, journalists, and photographers who were attacked by them.

I heard someone say stop playing politics with public safety, and I agree.

This is why I insist that this council defund police, because not only are the police playing politics, they are fear-mongering and attacking the people they have sworn to protect.

They have failed in the one thing they were hired to do.

It's clear that SPD is overrun by white supremacists.

How dare they say that they would fire BIPOC if their budget is cut?

Release the protesters that you have arrested.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

The next three people are Ashton Eby, Allison Eisinger, and Tati Swan.

Ashton, welcome.

Hi, my name is Ashton Eby.

I'd like to say that Black Lives Matter.

I support decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now 4-Point Plan.

SPD must be defunded by 50% at least, and this must not just be a ledgership.

There need to be 50% fewer boots on the ground.

The problem with patrol is that it's 28% of the budget.

It puts fresh officers in contact with over-policed communities.

It leads to violence against these police communities.

It's ineffective.

In 2014, NYPD did a work slowdown and saw a statistically significant greater than 15% reduction in felony crime.

1973 Kansas City Preventative Patrol Experiment found no relation between patrol and crime rate, between patrol and perceived police presence, between that and crime reporting rate, between that and time spent.

in any way.

I support the four-point plan, no new youth jail.

Okay, wonderful.

Thanks.

Allison Isinger, welcome.

Thank you, council members.

Good morning.

My name is Allison Isinger.

I'm with the Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness.

The coalition supports the work of decriminalized Seattle.

and the overdue work to craft a city budget that begins to invest significantly in what makes us truly safer and healthier.

True public safety and community health means putting people first, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, Brown, and people who are inconveniently, invisibly poor, disabled, and homeless.

Because of the movement for Black lives and the suffering, injury, and death of countless numbers of people, this city has an opportunity to close wasteful, counterproductive, and harmful programs.

The entire navigation team must be defunded and the resources redirected to genuine health promotion, health care.

Thank you, Allison.

Please send in the rest of your comments via email.

Tati, good morning.

Hi, my name is Tati Swan.

I'm an organizer with the Everyday March and I stand with the Summer's People Budget.

I'm a Seattleite fighting for the defunding of SPD by 50% and reallocating those funds to Black communities like the Central District, the South Bend, and White Center.

If Black lives truly matter, I urge Alex Peterson and Debra Wars to stop ignoring the Black community and side with the Black community by defunding the police by 50%.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Derek Bonafidia, followed by Sept— Derek Bonafidia.

Excuse me.

Derek, if you could just put your...

There you go.

Just put it on mute real quick.

The next three people are Derek Bonifilia Sept-Gorentz and Zeenat Yahan.

I apologize for the mispronunciation.

Derek, good morning.

Derek, can you hear us?

Just go ahead and put the mute on the audio that you're listening to.

That way we don't hear it reverberate over here.

I think that worked.

Go ahead, Derek.

So fucked up.

You're still there, Derek, if you can go ahead.

Oh, sorry.

You're good.

We have your time ready to go.

OK.

Good morning.

Go ahead.

Hi.

I'm a renter in D6.

I'm a renter in D6, an unceded Duwamish land.

I'm calling today to express my support for defunding SPD by 50% and investing in black communities now in this budget cycle.

You've all seen the videos of them singling out legal observers and press in addition to their indiscriminate violence against protesters.

This is how they're treating people in our society with the most protection, in broad daylight with cameras all around and thousands of witnesses.

What's far more heinous is how they're treating black and indigenous communities when they think no one's watching.

when they shot Sean Pierre in the head while he held his baby in his arms, when they murdered Charlene Lyles in front of her children.

We spend $409 million a year on this murderous force, while crucial community-based organizations go underfunded, while drinking water at South Seattle schools are contaminated by dangerous amounts of lead, while thousands...

Thank you, Derek.

Please send in the remainder of your comments.

The next person is Zeenat.

Welcome.

Hi, my name is Zenit Yahya, and I'm a resident of District 3. I'm asking the City Council to reinvest in community-based solutions to health and safety by voting to eliminate and transfer SPD funds and reduce the budget by $94 million as requested by decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now.

I believe defunding SPD is necessary because a budget is a statement of values.

And if the city, we say we value Black lives and support today's movement, then it's time for our budget to reflect that.

Black people are three times more likely to be shot and killed by police than white people.

That's someone's daughter, mother, child, husband, father, or sibling.

Policing is an institution rooted in racism and slavery.

My ask is that the city stop placing value on an institution that was directly created to continue enslaving and killing Black people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three people are Marietta, Adelita, Erica Jacobson, and Evan Weiderspan.

Marietta, good morning.

Hi, my name is Marietta.

I'm an immigrant and a person of color.

I live and work in downtown Seattle, just six blocks away from the January mass shooting at Thurton Pine.

Do not define SPD by 50%.

SPD is already understaffed and with the city growing rapidly, calls for service are increasing.

I do not want less officers.

I want more officers who are able to respond to priority calls in seven minutes or less.

We don't live in utopia.

There are criminals, rioters, arsonists as we have seen just this last weekend during the peaceful so-called peaceful protests.

I urge council member to vote no on defunding SPD.

Thank you.

Erica.

Welcome.

My name is Erica Jacobson and I rent in District 2. I urge you all to commit to the demands of King County Equity Now and decriminalize Seattle.

I grew up and loved seven brilliant Black cousins and a Black uncle who immigrated from Nigeria.

We grew up within 10 minutes of each other, were homeschooled together, played together, and went to church and high school together.

Our families are inseparable.

In 2017, I woke up to a phone call from my mother with the news that my 24-year-old cousin had been murdered by a police officer speeding in his own neighborhood.

These stories are so incredibly common within the BIPOC community.

Every BIPOC family I know has a story of police violence.

The disparity and equity that Black families face at the hands of the police is disgusting and unacceptable.

Reforms have been proven not to work.

Defund SPD by 50% immediately.

Say his name, David Amico-Morty.

I shouldn't have to share my family's trauma with you all to recognize the urgency of these demands.

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your story, especially about David Amico-Morty.

The next person is Evan.

Evan, welcome.

Hey, my name is Evan Wiederspan from District 2. I'm calling to state my support for defunding the Seattle Police Department.

I want to reiterate the demands made by a decriminalized Seattle organization, including defund the SPD by at least 50%, reallocate those funds to community-led safety systems, and release the protesters arrested during this uprising without charges.

Money that has moved away from the Police Department should be reallocated to local groups that have a proven history of increasing public safety.

That is why I also want to support the participatory budget process created by Decriminalize Seattle and King County right now, where community members get to decide how to spend a portion of the city budget.

This will give power back to our communities that have been marginalized by overpolicing and let them decide how to improve their public health and safety.

Everybody in Seattle wants everybody in our city to have access to resources.

They need to be safe and healthy.

I believe that the plan put forth by these groups is the best way to make that happen.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three are Aaron Ettinger, Abra Salee and Samuel Valentin.

Erin good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Erin and I am a member of District 6. I am calling today to urge you to defund SPD by at least 50 percent this week.

The Seattle Police Department is completely out of control and Mayor Durkin and Chief Best's responses are unacceptable.

Their goal on Saturday was not to protect the public.

Their goal was to exercise their power through attacking peaceful protesters with military weapons and instilling fear in our city.

I also urge you in addition to defunding SPD by 60 percent to please support decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now's four-point plan for community reinvestment of these funds to replace current 911 operations with a civilian-controlled them, scale up community-led solutions, fund a community-created roadmap to lifestyle policing, and invest in housing for all.

Please support defunding SPD and community reinvestment now.

Thank you very much.

The next person is Avra.

Good morning.

Hello, my name is Avra Soule and I'm a resident of District 5 in North Seattle.

I am speaking today on behalf of Never Again Seattle, a network of Jews and allies rooted in the lessons of Jewish history, history and tradition.

to organize in solidarity for safety and justice.

We support King County Equity Now and decriminalize Seattle's four-point proposal and demands to defund SPD by at least 50 percent.

Reinvest these funds in community-based solutions for health and safety and release all protesters without charges.

We thank the council for using your representative and institutional power to listen learn from trust and invest in Black Seattleites' wisdom about what is necessary in our city to achieve agency and self-determination.

We urge you to make Black Lives Matter true in our city by dedicating city resources to making it a reality.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Samuel, good morning.

Good morning.

My name is Samuel.

I'm a resident of District 4. You know, I think we've seen that the argument against defund SPD really rests on the consent decree and fear tactics.

But we saw the consent decree basically used to say, hey, let's have more tear gas to cause more harm rather than help.

White gatekeepers have not created a better world at this point.

Look at our city.

Look at our country.

Alex Peterson, I really urge you to stop being a white gatekeeper.

What do you know that the Black community doesn't know?

And I yield my time.

Thank you.

The next three people are Carly Gray, Sarah Scott, and Erica Irwin.

Carly, good morning.

My name is Carly Gray.

I'm a renter in District 4 and a member of Sunrise Seattle and UAW 4-1-2-1.

I'm calling today to demand that every city council member sign on to the 4-point plan by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now to defund SPD by at least 50 percent.

Thank you to the council members that have.

Unfortunately my council member Alex Peterson has not.

You all have an opportunity to write a new chapter in Seattle's story in which all residents have the ability to feel safe.

Police are not here to keep us safe.

Policing is a system of white supremacy that we've continuously funded at higher and higher rates year after year.

They've targeted dissenters, black and brown residents, and medics and journalists repeatedly.

They absolutely do not deserve the largest portion of our city budget, especially if they have already mismanaged their budget and spent more than they should have.

Their mismanagement cannot be your scapegoat to let them keep our tax dollars.

Do not wait.

Do not stall a demand that you defund SPD and follow the demands of King County Equity Now and decriminalize Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sarah, good morning.

Good morning.

I implore you to not defund the Seattle Police Department.

Cutting funding does not make the city safer.

I want to share with you three numbers 2 4 and 1.5.

2 is the number of minutes it took SPD to respond to the Jewish Federation shooting in 2006 and 10 minutes later they had the suspect in custody.

4 is the number of minutes it took SPD to respond to the Cafe Racer shooting in 2012. 1.5 is the number of minutes it took for SPD to respond in 2010 to the mass shooting in West Seattle where a grandmother killed multiple members of her family.

In each of these situations can you imagine what those people were going through waiting for the police to arrive.

Now imagine if you defund the police.

How long then will those innocent victims have to wait.

Please don't harm Seattle by defunding the police.

Thank you.

Thank you Sarah.

Erica welcome.

Just confirming the next three will be Erica Irwin, Gabrielle Mahan and Peter Hasagawa.

Do we have Erica with us?

Can you hear me?

Yes, thank you, Erica.

Please go ahead.

Sorry, Erica, we can't hear you now.

Do you want to try that again?

Okay, Erica, we're having a hard time hearing you.

If you call back in, we'll make sure that you get a chance to speak as soon as you dial back in.

Oh, there you are, Erica.

Go ahead.

We'll restart your time.

Okay, me now, Councilwoman.

I sure can, thanks.

Okay, thank you.

Erica, District 2, I am not in favor of defending police.

Seattle City Council, you are irresponsibly not fully representing your constituents by making the reckless decision of defunding our police department 50 percent.

You're allowing special interest groups to criminalize Seattle to drive decisions at the expense of our public safety.

We are potentially we are potentially going to be throwing millions of dollars into programs that we don't even know are going to be successful.

Things like this should be that things like this should be voted on by the taxpayers.

Lisa Herbold.

You have 80,000, over 80,000 people in your district, West Seattle, that may lose their precinct.

How, what is your plan for public safety if they lose the police precinct in West Seattle?

Thank you.

Thank you, Erica.

Gabriel, welcome.

Hey, my name is Gabriel and I'm a tech worker and renter in District 3 residing near the intersection of Harvard and Thomas.

I say that location with such specificity because that is the exact location that police pushed protesters to, all the way from 12th and Pine, a distance of over 12 blocks from my literal front door, through an overwhelming use of blast balls, pepper spray and tear gas.

This incident is a perfect encapsulation of why we must redirect funding from SPD and reinvest it in the community.

The only tool the police has is force, and force alone cannot aid the community, and it cannot bring justice.

We must defund SBD by at least 50% to redirect that funding into the community, and we must do it now.

I urge the council not to wait until next year, not to tell the community that justice must yield to the arbitrary restrictions of a calendar year.

Thank you.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Peter Hasegawa.

Good morning.

Oh, did you want to reclaim it?

You're welcome to.

Oh, never mind.

Sorry.

That's fine.

I didn't know I was muted.

Don't worry.

Okay.

All right.

Well, thanks for calling again.

Good morning, Peter.

Good morning.

This is Peter Hasegawa from MLK Labor, reading a statement from Paula Lou Kasich, the president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, Local 1488, who is an essential worker and has to be at work right now.

Our local union represents custodians and trade people who work at the University of Washington, and we have a very large membership of workers of color.

We are proud to support the call to defund the Seattle Police Department and to fund community investments that represent true health and safety.

We urge the city council to support these changes.

Black lives matter.

Thank you.

Thank you, Peter.

The next three are Rebecca Levine, Keisha Elder, and Jillian

Good morning, I'm Rebecca Levine in district 4. 2020 rebalancing should defund SPD by 50% and reinvest in community solutions for a more just and effective use of public dollars for public safety.

To my district councilmember Peterson, now is the time to make good on your pledge to redirect police funding to community alternatives.

You're aligned with the four principles in the blueprint from decriminalize Seattle and King County equity now yet for weeks you've resisted calls from hundreds of constituents like me to make specific commitments consistent with the significance of this pledge.

I urge you to support 2020 budget amendments to defund SPD by 50 percent and to support reinvestments to scale up community services black and brown communities already know work.

Make sure District 4 and this city stands on the right side of history.

Thank you.

Keisha, good morning.

Hi, good morning.

My name is Keisha Elder.

I am a resident of District 3, and I'm calling to voice my support for defunding SPD by 50% at least this year and next year.

Black and brown communities have been neglected and mistreated for years due to racism and racist policies.

It's important that you invest in Black communities and work with the community-led organizations that you are currently working with right now, like King County Equity Now and De-Criminalize Seattle.

Fog only cares about themselves.

Prove that you care about Black lives by defending SPD and working with the Black and Brown communities.

Thank you and I yield my time.

Thank you.

Jillian, good morning.

Hi, my name is Jillian Coggeshall, resident of D6.

My friend Ash, resident of D7, was arrested at a protest on Saturday, but is too traumatized to comment, so I'll be doing so in her words.

I spent 18 hours in jail, sleep deprived and wrongfully transferred to Kent.

I was forced to sit in a concrete cell, hands cuffed behind my back for five hours.

I was hit with a baton, shoved, dragged across gravel and tackled by SPD.

My charge of failure to disperse was dropped.

The abuse I experienced and worse is not new for people of color.

Black Lives Matter, defund SPD by 50% at least.

Follow the lead of King County Equity Now and decriminalize Seattle.

I'll now be playing audio of Ashes Abuse by SPD, content warning for the audience, police violence.

Jillian, we weren't able to hear all of that.

It just started, but it was pretty faint.

I know that there was audio that folks wanted to share.

So if you could send that to me, I will also share it around with folks.

And if we can get that, feel free to send that directly to me at theresa.mosqueda at seattle.gov.

Thank you, Jillian.

The next three people are Kate Rubin, KC, and then Maximilian Coburn, who will be followed by two folks who called it on earlier, Ethan Mons and Seth Garnett.

So those are the next three.

Kate, good morning.

I think we just lost Kate.

Okay, no problem, Kate.

If you do get the chance to call back in, we'll come back to you.

KC, good morning.

Hi, can you hear me?

Hello?

Yes, thanks.

Hi, my name is Corey.

80% of SBD cops don't live here in Seattle.

Their budget siphons resources into other cities.

We need to stop pretending SBD is the last line of defense.

They can't even get through rape kit backlogs or answer a wellness check without killing someone in need of social services.

Sorry they got addicted to our money but it's time to build our community and new services and incentive funding cop wealth.

We need to dwell on Seattle poverty the source of crime while millions have leached into SPD paychecks and pensions into their city's taxes and their white schools.

Stop paying to Karens and gentrifiers with yard signs.

They're not outside getting gas for what they believe.

50 percent of the remaining SPD budget to Black communities at least.

We need to do it now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Maximilian.

Welcome.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, good morning.

Hi, so basically I have a few things to say.

If the budget is not cut by $85 million, if you think what you've seen recently is bad, it will only get worse.

And I want you to think about why we've only heard from white people calling saying that they support SPD.

So I want you to think about that and I do not yield the rest of my time.

I want this time to think about it in silence.

Yeah, that was weird.

I'm a district resident, a black district resident, and I'm calling in support of defunding SPD or 50% and reinvesting in communities.

Our communities are safety.

We deserve to be safe.

Public safety comes from investing in communities, not policing them.

Safety comes from investments in housing and land ownership that builds wealth, opportunity, and economic security and stability.

Safety comes from investments in equitable education for our children and youth, and interventions that cultivate their brilliance and honor their identity.

The Seattle Police Department has failed to keep us safe.

They have not, will not, and do not prevent violence from occurring in our community.

We know this because we're not safe from violence today.

Seattle's Black community faces tremendous violence and loss right now.

Police over-patrol in neighborhoods and respond to violence by using violence.

They do not prevent it.

Police create and exacerbate violence.

On Monday, Seattle City Council has the opportunity to be on the right side of history and vote to defund the police by at least 50% and reinvent the community.

Thank you.

Thank you very much Ethan for calling back in.

And then we'll hear from Sept Garnett and Kate Rubin.

Sept, good morning.

Hi Sept, can you hear me?

Yes, now I can.

Please go ahead.

Okay.

Hi my name is Set Gernes and I live in District 4.

So this comment goes to Alex Peterson.

I want you to know that your district believes that Black Lives Matter that the police institution works to uphold white supremacy and that we will support you on defunding SPD by 50 percent at least and reinvesting into Black communities.

You said yourself that we need actions not just words.

Please act.

Don't wait and see.

Just do it or we'll vote you out.

Thank you.

And do we have Kate with us?

Hi, Kate.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Just one second, Kate, if you don't mind.

Could we tee up the timer one more time just for my benefit, folks from IT?

Kate, you can go ahead.

Good morning.

My name is Kate Rubin.

I'm the Executive Director of DSeattle and I am joined by Dee Powers who is one of our board members.

We are calling in support of defunding SPD by at least 50 percent.

Black and Indigenous people of color experience homelessness and violence at the hands of the police at disproportionate rates.

Investing in Black and Brown communities rather than funding their oppressors is the first step towards a more equitable Seattle.

People experiencing homelessness including myself deserve to be treated with respect not a nuisance to be swept away.

Sweeps are a violation of CDC pandemic recommendations and removing police from the NAB team is a good start in reducing that police budget.

As Sergeant Zero Lone earned a salary of over $331,000 last year how many people could have help?

Is that not enough to build more first choice shelters such as tiny house villages?

I yield my time.

Thank you very much.

The next three people are Alex Emery, Jill Anderson and Steve Downey.

Alex, good morning.

Hi, I'm Alex.

I'm a homeowner in District 2. I stand in solidarity with the everyday march to decrim Seattle and county equity now.

I want to voice my full support for defunding the Seattle Police Department's remaining budget for 2020 by 50% at least approximately $85 million and diverting those funds specifically to black communities.

Pay the fee.

This action should be taken immediately and without negotiation.

It doesn't matter if they've overspent.

In fact, if they can't manage a budget appropriately, that's all the more reason to cut their budget immediately.

Black communities need funding more than they need police.

Full stop.

Don't compromise on funding Black communities.

I want to thank Council Member Morales for centering racial equity and working with community members to find a better solution.

And I'd also like to thank her for coming out of her home and speaking with the everyday Marks who visited her over the weekend.

If all of our council members were as responsive and respectful to their constituents, our city would be a much better place.

Peterson, Juarez, I'm looking at you.

If Black Lives Matter, prove it.

Defund SPD, fund black communities, free all protesters, shut down the...

Thank you.

Jill Anderson, welcome.

Hi my name is Jill.

I live in District 2. The SPD budget must be cut permanently and annually by at least 50 percent.

This money must be returned to Seattle's most over-policed and underfunded communities through direct and organizational aid.

Black Indigenous Chicanx and homeless folks need and deserve these funds more than anyone should make half a million dollars a year to brutalize their neighbors.

Also, no new youth jail.

Do you really think it's more violent to skip school or smoke weed or just be poor than to forcibly lock children up in inhumane conditions?

Like, how does that make sense?

I yield my time.

Thank you, Steve.

Welcome.

How do we have Steve with us?

Okay.

Steve, if you can hear us and you're not on the line, please do call back in, Mr. Steve.

Oh, hi.

I can hear you now.

Great.

We'll restart your time.

All right.

Thank you very much.

I'm a resident of Greenwood, and I would like to say as criminals, organized crimes and gangs are not defunding.

They are already carving up Seattle in anticipation of a 50% police reduction.

And those of you city councilmen who have been threatened by these nuts These nuts are now going to feel emboldened because they're going to carry out their threats against you and your family and not feel a problem.

The biggest industry that's going to love a 50% reduction is the gun industry.

Gun ownership in Seattle will explode, which increases school shootings, suicides, and domestic killings.

And last but not least, Camden, New Jersey fixed this problem.

Why don't you get somebody out from Camden to help you resolve it, rather than slashing the police button 50%?

They're now 60% reduction in police, criminal, and the police and the public can have better relations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Steve.

Michael, Andrew, followed by William Bullock and Rebecca Finks.

Michael, welcome.

Good morning.

Thank you.

I'm Mike Andrew.

I'm a resident of District 3, and I'm a member of Pride at Work, an LGBTQ labor organization.

During the time that I've been a labor activist, I've seen seven mayors, five police chiefs, and four different presidents of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

These people, all of them, have done nothing but talk, reform, reform, reform.

But when it gets down to street-level police action, it's always the same brutality, the same violence, the same disregard for Black, Indigenous, and people of color's lives.

If you want to do something to dismantle systemic racism and policing, you have a chance to do it now.

Defund SPD and work together with community-based organizations to build an entirely new system in its place.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mike.

William, welcome.

Hi, my name is William Bullock.

I'm a resident of Queen Anne.

I support defunding SPD because they have consistently shown over the last two months that they view the citizens of Seattle with open, violent contempt.

No amount of reform can truly change people who don't want to be reformed.

And if their protection of us is dependent on never truly being held to account, then they are not a law enforcement agency.

They are a mafia protection racket in nice blue uniforms.

And frankly, to ask us to keep living in the same house as them after the behavior that we have witnessed is akin to coercing someone who has been brutally beaten by their spouse into going back to their abuser because they've promised to be good this time.

It's indefensible.

Please defund SBD by at least 50% and reinvest in BIPOC communities.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Rebecca, welcome.

Hello, I am Becca Finkus.

I work for Lehigh with the Tiny House Program and live in District Q. I urge you all to support efforts to defund the Navigation Team and reinvest in community-led organizations that prioritize healing and value-based care rather than criminalization of homelessness through sweeps.

We heist in a letter this morning formalizing the stance through a request to restructure the referral process for tiny house villages away from the Navigation Team.

It is critical that we refuse to be complicit in trauma affecting people experiencing homelessness.

Please invest in community partners that will more appropriately support our own house neighbors and furthermore make tiny house villages more accessible, inclusive, and equitable.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three people are London Judge, Madeline Cooley, and Gavin Bradler.

London, welcome.

Hello, council members.

I'm a homeowner in Ballard in District 6 and I'm calling on all of you to meet community demands outlined by decriminalize Seattle to defund Seattle police by at least 50 percent.

Defunding SPD is necessary to protect Black and Indigenous lives from police violence in our city.

Incremental reforms and changes to policing have not worked.

While SPD's response to Black Lives Matter protesters have been abhorrent It's not new or unexpected.

Despite numerous reforms implemented under the consent decree and Initiative 940 Seattle Police continue to criminalize brutalize and kill BIPOC residents like Charlena Lyles and Sean Furr without facing any consequences.

This is completely unacceptable.

We cannot wait until more Black people are murdered before we make real change happen.

We need to defund SPD now.

Thank you.

Madeline Welcome.

Hi, my name is Madeline and I'm a resident of District 7.

I am calling on my Council Member Andrew Lewis to fully commit to defunding SPD by 50% this year.

In an email you sent yesterday, you stated we need to build in new models before cutting the budget.

We cannot afford to wait, nor would we have the funding for new programs unless we defund SPD now.

It is unacceptable that on Monday the City Council passed the Transit Benefit District package that cuts funding for the services many Seattle residents depend on.

despite calls from community.

Why can we cut transit without hesitation?

And why are we only concerned about gaps in service when it comes to police?

Public safety includes access to safe and reliable transportation.

Public safety includes housing, health care.

Law enforcement does not keep us safe.

We fund SPD, invest in the community, stop the sweeps, and remove Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Thank you.

And the next three people are Gavin, Bradler, Elliott, Bailey and Brendan McGovern.

Gavin, good morning.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, city council members.

My name is Gavin Bradler, and I would like to affirm my support of the proposed amendment to defund SPD.

As a student in District 6, I believe it is imperative that we defund the Seattle Police Department by 50% and no less.

Let me tell you, it comes at no surprise to me which city council members have withheld their support for this amendment.

And to this, I say that while the veto-proof majority is already established is heartening.

This amendment must be supported unilaterally across all Seattle districts to help repair the damages that North End interests have had against districts in the South End specifically Black communities.

Listen to the organizers at King County Equity Now and Decriminalize Seattle for their plans to divest the funds into education and community-based solutions.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Thank you Elliot.

Good morning.

Hi, good morning.

My name is Elliott Bailey.

I'm a resident of West Seattle.

I first of all want to deconstruct the false narrative that protesters are separate from constituents.

All of these people that have called in to ask you to defund SPD today are the people that voted you in from all over the city.

When you do defund SPD, I want you to make sure you get that money to black communities, not to communities.

And that's 86 mil.

Not 20 percent.

Not any less.

Half of their budget.

Thank you.

The next person is Brendan.

I'm a substitute music teacher with the Seattle Public Schools.

I support Council Member Sawant's People's Budget Amendment.

I'm also a member of Socialist Alternative.

Last Saturday I was.

uh...

among of the crowd of protesters uh...

and i was hit by a tear gas in a flashback bang grenade that was thrown directly at me and i've seen even worse horrible wounds and wealth on protesters due to rubber bullets pepper spray numerous other tactics that fpb and potentially federal forces have used uh...

disproportionately on us about three with where we converge media journalist was hit in the back the time we are demanding that you defund fpb and you do it now because it is clear that do not keep us safe.

We need to end the navigation team sweeps of homeless encampments, fund renter defense, and not cut public education child care.

Thank you, Brendan.

Kanti Mahi, followed by Mayor Joyce and Heather Addy.

Apologies for that.

Kanti, good morning.

Hi, good morning.

I'm a volunteer with the Coalition of Seattle Indian Americans.

We follow the leadership of King County Equity Now and decriminalize Seattle.

The ACLU tweeted last night.

The evidence is pretty clear.

SPD does not want to be held accountable for police brutality.

Clearly identifiable medics, journalists and photographers were attacked.

defund SPD by 50%, divert the money to community-run health and safety programs, release all protesters, drop all charges, and fire Mayor Durkan and Police Chief Best.

This is an emergency.

It's atrocious that you sit in the comfort of your home week after week while the people who elected you to serve them face violent atrocities by the mayor and cops.

Thank you.

Mayor, good morning.

Hi this is Mayor Joyce Shiher.

I'm the founder of the participatory design studio Do Big Good and a constituent of Council Member Strauss.

Thank you for your support.

In support of the 50 percent CD cut I'd like to read a quote by author Edgar Villanueva which I've edited for time.

Colonialism white supremacist organizational practices seem inevitable because they were so universally adopted but they were design choices.

That means other choices are available.

I commend the council for resisting the abuse tactic of fear used by SPOG and taking practical steps to redesign the safety institutions of our city.

Thank you.

Heather.

Good morning.

Hi.

My name is Heather Eady.

I live in District 6 and want to comment on funding for policing and the rebalancing package.

I support the four-point plan by decriminalized Seattle and King County equity now.

We must pair defunding of SPD by 50 percent with reinvestment of that money into community-led health housing and public safety solutions.

Let's have qualified professionals not armed police respond to 911 calls about homelessness addiction and mental health issues.

Policing does not prevent crime but strategic community investment can.

We must act with urgency because justice for our Black community members is long overdue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Marlena Bennett, followed by Kassi Sabani and Allison Ong.

Marlena.

Hi, I'm a homeowner from D2 and a nurse.

I support the demands of decriminalize Seattle Coalition.

Cut SPD's budget by at least 50% and reallocate those funds to generate true public safety informed by our community needs, not just white people needs, and release protesters arrested during this uprising without charges.

These cuts should include the city of California and the city of California and the city of California and the city of California.

California.

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California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

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California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

California.

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California.

Calif My name is Cassie Sabania, and I'm a domestic violence survivor.

City Council, you need to remember that there are vulnerable people in our community that don't have the privilege like you do to live in wealthy neighborhoods or have a job in a pandemic.

If the police department gets defunded, I have no doubt that you will hire your own private security for your neighborhood.

But what about your constituents that don't have that advantage?

What about the women that are strangled by their partners in front of their children?

Or the children that are raped by predators in their neighborhood?

Or the young men that have been killed in shootings throughout the city within the last two months?

What about them?

The police are at the forefront of responding to these incidents and yet without any experience you've decided that what's best for the people in the community.

Do not defend the Seattle Police Department.

You can be against police brutality and still support the police at the same time.

I yield.

Hi my name is Allison Ong.

I'm a landscape architect and a renter in District 4. The policing system we currently have in place systemically punishes Black and Indigenous people and that is unacceptable.

Please vote to defund SPD by 50 percent now by $85 million and invest responsibly in community-based solutions such as restorative justice and affordable housing initiatives.

City executive and SPD salaries should be capped at no more than $150,000 a year.

I think that we can design and implement a better system that better serves our Black and Brown neighbors.

I'll yield.

Thank you, Allison.

And Max, followed by Max Report, followed by Samia Tripathi and Nicole Grant.

Good morning, Max.

Morning, my name is Max Rappaport and I'm a mental health counselor and resident of District 3. I'm calling to express my support in defunding SPD by at least 50%, including $85 million in cuts for the rest of 2020. I'd like to applaud the seven members of the council who made the pledge to be funded by 50%, but also let them know that we're watching and that we won't accept any half measures or budgetary slights of hand, and will not allow you to hide behind the process or fear tactics by SPD and the mayor.

Council members Strauss and Lewis, you were elected last year by a coalition of younger, more diverse, progressively-minded Seattleites who rejected your Amazon-backed opponents.

Those same voters will place their support elsewhere next time around if you fail to be courageous.

They won't forget and history won't forget what you do in these next two weeks.

Thank you.

Next person is Somya.

Hi, my name is Somya Tripathi.

I'm the Director of Policy and Civic Engagement at Asian Counseling and Referral Service.

I'm calling to express our agency's support for decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now's demands to defund SPD by at least 50% and reinvest in communities.

As an agency serving API immigrants and refugees, we know that it's holistic, culturally responsive, and accessible social service and programs that keep our communities safe and healthy, not the police.

SPD has responded to black indigenous people with violence, protesters with violence, and our unhoused community with violence.

With the recent removal of encampments in the CID, we have already seen political attempts to scapegoat our local API community as a model minority.

We resist and resent this notion and firmly stand in solidarity with the ask of Black organizers to defund SPD.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Nicole, good morning.

I'm Nicole Grant with MLK Labor, and this is my first time testifying on a policing issue since SPOG was removed from our organization.

After the murder of George Floyd our Labor Council passed a resolution stating that systematic racism exists in the City of Seattle Police Department and that this problem must be immediately addressed to protect BIPOC individuals in our community from harm.

It also demands that the city re-examine all budget choices to prioritize non-law enforcement investments in the community.

I believe that's what you're here to do, and we thank you.

Thank you very much, Nicole.

On the next three are Brent McFarland, Jamie Patik, and then Kahan Lee.

Good morning, Brent.

Hello, Council.

Hi, I'm Brent McFarland.

I live in District 5, and I'm calling as a member of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action.

This is a group that's been fighting for over a quarter century.

multi-generational and anti-racist work.

We are in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in demanding that the city defund Seattle Police Department by at least 50 percent for the rest of this year and going forward.

Reallocate those funds to community-led health and safety systems.

Release protesters arrested during this uprising and drop and support the King County Equity Now demands for giving spaces and land back to Black-led community organizations.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next speaker, please go ahead.

Do we have Jamie with us?

Hi.

Thank you.

Can you hear me?

Thank you.

I'm Jamie Wilson.

I'm Jamie Wilson, a District 3 resident and English instructor at North Seattle College.

I'm speaking today as a member of AFT Seattle Community College's Local 1789. We have over 550 members and we support the plan put forward by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now to defund the SPD by 50% and reinvest in community, starting now with the current rebalancing process.

I'm speaking today because our students and members are under attack.

The current system blocks our access to housing, health care, and employment, while at the same time targeting us with police violence.

Charlena Lyles was a North Seattle College student when Seattle police laughed at her in their car and then killed her in front of her children.

Please do not continue to fund the violent policing that starves, cages, and kills our students.

Break this cycle now.

Follow decriminalize Seattle.

Thank you, Jamie.

Let's go back up to Khanh Le.

Thank you for calling back in.

Hello.

Can you hear me?

Sure can.

Thanks.

Go ahead.

Okay.

I'm Khanh Le and I'm with Uprooted and Rising Seattle.

We support food sovereignty for all, especially those most vulnerable in our community.

Please meet the demand put forward by decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now to defund SPD by 50%, reinvest in community-based solutions to health and safety, eliminate transfer SPD functions, and reduce SPD's budget across the board.

As a document immigrant, I have faced homelessness, hunger, and unemployment, yet I could not protest or rely on calling 911 for help due to the fear that I would be treated with contempt and violence by the police, simply because I'm an immigrant and a queer person of color.

Because the pandemic is hitting communities of Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ the hardest, we must divest from the police force and invest in community health, especially in those most vulnerable.

Thank you.

The next three people are Amy Leung, Aaron Matthew, and Steve Leonard.

I want to give folks a heads up just before Amy speaks.

We do have quite a few people that we are not gonna be able to get to if we keep it at 45 seconds.

So I wanna give a heads up after these three, we will go down to 30 seconds, which is not ideal, but that'll allow us to get as many folks in as possible.

Amy, please go ahead.

Do we have Amy with us?

Amy is here.

OK, Amy, if you can hear us, we cannot hear you.

Let's try one more time.

All right, Amy, I cannot hear you.

I'm sorry.

If you call back in, we will come back to you.

The next person, Aaron Matthew.

Hi, can you hear me?

Sure can.

Thanks, Aaron.

Hi my name is Erin Matthew and I live in Alex Peterson's 4th district on the stolen land of the Duwamish people.

I'm in full support of the five demands of the everyday march as well as the Seattle People's Budget.

The five demands are defunding the SPD by at least 50 percent.

Redistributing those funds to Black communities.

Freeing all protesters without charges.

No new youth jail.

And that Jenny Durkin must resign.

As his constituent I'm highly disappointed in Council Member Alex Peterson for not endorsing defunding SPD by at least 50 percent.

I call on him to stand with this plan that has come from decades of work by Black and Brown communities.

If you say Black Lives Matter, prove it by defunding the SPD and reinvesting that money in Black communities.

Police do not prevent crime.

They do not keep us safe.

Healthy communities with well-funded social services keep us safe.

Black Lives Matter, defund SPD now.

No delays.

Thank you very much.

The next speaker, please go ahead.

My name is Stevie Leonard.

I do not support defunding the Seattle Police Department and doing so on your part will be reckless and dangerous to the citizens of Seattle.

It is common sense that if you have an area in a city void of police crime will move in.

This City Council has shown no transparency or competency with regards to being good stewards of public money.

You have spent $200 million on homelessness and repeat offenders and the problems have gotten worse.

Defunding the Seattle Police Department will only make this city more dangerous for everyone.

SPD, along with the DOJ, have made this police department a model for police agencies all across this country.

Defunding SPD will destroy all the gains made by SPD and the DOJ.

The people...

Thank you, Stevie.

Please do send in the rest of your comments.

Gabrielle, welcome.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can.

Please go ahead.

Hi my name is Gabby and I'm a student and a renter in District 6. I'm here to add my voice to the call to defund SPD by at least 50 percent invest that money into Black communities and drop charges against all protesters.

We cannot reward SPD for blowing through millions of dollars in their violent and outsized response to the recent protests by by delaying on the promise of defunding SPD by 50 percent.

The seven councilmembers that have already committed to defund SPD by 50%, including my councilmember Dan Strauss, don't let the fog scare you into breaking your promise to the city.

Delay is the tactic of oppression.

We need action now.

Now is the time to prove your moral courage.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you so much.

And I just want to confirm, did we get Amy back on the line?

Amy Lung.

Affirmed.

Okay, Amy, if you're- Hello, can you hear me?

I can now, yes.

Please go ahead.

Perfect.

All right.

Thanks.

Good morning.

My name is Amy and I'm with Apollo, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance at Seattle Chapter.

We are speaking in support of defunding the Seattle police.

We stand in solidarity with black workers and community calling for a change.

We believe in a more equitable world where workers are respected and valued.

We cannot see that when our people, black and brown workers and community are disproportionately dying at the hands of police and suffering from institutional racism.

During strikes by trade unions, the working people, the historical roles of police have been to protect the property of the bosses.

They do not stand in solidarity with the working class.

Funds should be reallocated from the police and invested in building black and brown communities such as programs to create pipelines to good union jobs, benefit, dignity, and respect.

Fund needs to be reinvested into the community.

Black lives matter.

Thanks.

Thank you very much.

Council colleagues, we have gone just about 90 minutes.

I would like to extend public comment for another 90 minutes to get through as many folks as possible.

Again, we have gone over 100 speakers so far, and there's over 300 signed up.

So doing 30 seconds is not ideal, but it helps us get through.

If there's no objection, public comment will be extended.

Hearing no objection, public comment period is extended for another 90 minutes.

Emily Murphy, followed by Bob Purcell and Jonah Bitton, Thank you for calling in and apologies for the short time frame.

We're going to try and get everybody heard.

So Emily, thanks for calling.

Good morning.

I'm Emily Murphy and I live in District 4 and I was born and raised in District 5. I call on CMs Peterson and Juarez to be on the right side of history and defund SPD by at least 50% now and reinvest those funds in black communities.

My mother has lived in the same modest one-bedroom apartment in Lake City for over 35 years where she raised me and now can't afford to live as a taxpayer worker.

Where my White mother struggles to live Black mothers like Charlena Lyles are dying at the hands of SPD and our racist budget.

Alex Peterson don't — Thank you Emily.

Bob welcome.

Hello can you hear me.

Sure can.

Thanks, Bob.

Yes, this is Bob Purcell.

I'm a participant at Cher's Maple Leaf Shelter.

I've been homeless here for seven years and feel fortunate to have found my way into this organization.

It might sound improbable that a group of homeless individuals could pull together and manage themselves for mutual benefit, but this has been my experience with Cher.

It's shown itself to be a functional and cost-effective stopgap for those waiting, generally in vain, for affordable housing.

After 30 years, the notion of homeless folks banding together to solve their problems should no longer be considered radical, but we have proven our system works.

I hope you will.

Thank you very much, Bob.

Jonna Bitton.

Hello this is Joanna from District 7. I'm calling to express support for defunding SPD by at least 50 percent and to reallocate those funds to Black communities including Black education public health and housing.

We need all $85 million to be invested in Black communities not the measly $3 million King County Equity now proposed.

If you don't support defunding by SPD by 50 percent you support police brutality against your constituents.

Alex Peterson Deborah Juarez I'm looking at you.

Choose the right side of history.

Andrew Lewis my my councillor you as well.

Support everyday March demands and recall Jenny Durkin.

I yield my time.

Thank you very much.

The next three are T, Kaike, Ezra, Delson, and Jackson Pichi.

T, good morning.

Okay, looking for T.

Hello, can you hear me?

Now we can, yes, thank you.

Thank you.

ACAB Black Lives Matter.

Hello.

My name is T.Syack and I'm a resident of District 3.

I believe defunding by at least 50 percent and subsequently abolishing SPD and reinvesting in communities is necessary because police reform is simply not possible.

What do we reform to?

SPD is operating as it was intended to control, abuse, and terrorize black and brown communities.

The police do not protect us.

The police do not deter crime.

Please continue.

I urge council members to support decriminalized Seattle and King County Equity Now's four-point plan for community and reinvestment of those funds to replace current 9-1-1 operations with civilian-controlled systems, scale up community-led solutions, fund a community...

Thank you very much, T.

Ezra, welcome.

Thank you, Council Member.

My name is Ezra Dolphin.

I'm a resident of District 3 and I've been teaching preschool in South Lake Union for the last two years.

I support defunding the Seattle Police Department by at least 50 percent.

I apologize if my voice is hoarse as I'm still experiencing the aftereffects of being tear gassed by SPD for simply standing and holding an umbrella.

Specifically Dan Strauss I'm calling on you as a fellow Jew to stand by your commitment and practice tikkun olam to defund SPD and show Seattle that we as Jewish people will not stand for the horrific violence the Seattle Police Department is enacting.

Thank you very much.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Jackson, welcome.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Hi, great, thank you.

My name is Jackson Peach.

I'm a resident of District 4. I'd like to express my support for the demands of Every Day March and Decrim Seattle and King County Equity Now in defunding SED by at least 50% for the remaining year and investing in Black communities and amnesty for protesters known as Youth Jail and Jenny Durkin's resignation.

If the reformed SPD is still resisting accountability for murder and abuse of protesters, then those reforms haven't worked.

It's that simple.

And reject the false dichotomy of the idea that we have no safety without police.

There are other plans in place to improve society.

Thank you.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Catherine Dawson, Violet Levati, and Sam Stumper.

Catherine, good morning.

Hi, good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes, thank you.

My name is Catherine Dawson.

I'm a resident of District 3 calling to voice my support for defunding the Seattle Police Department by at least 50%.

The police exist to protect power and property.

They disproportionately harm people of color, especially Black and Indigenous people, and they've killed 23 people since the 2012 consent decree.

As a teacher, I'm outraged by the funding that we devote to policing.

The city budget reflects our priorities, and we're investing in punishment rather than community, housing, and education.

As Officer Mike Sloan mentioned in his comment, 85% of the police budget is salaries, yet many police officers earn three times as much as a teacher with a PhD and 15 years of service.

As a survivor, I know that policing does not keep us safe or provide justice.

We need to invest in community-led solutions like restorative justice and alternative.

Thank you.

Violet, welcome.

Hi, thank you, Council Member.

My name is Violet Labatai.

I'm the Executive Director of the Tenants Union and I'm calling that some of the funding to invest in tenant organizing and also eviction defense fund.

I'm imploring you to fund this because we're going to see a lot of evictions in the coming months and putting investing this back into our community will help.

It will help a lot of our communities.

Majority of them are Black people.

And so I'm calling on council members to fund eviction, defense funds, and tenant.

Thank you very much.

Sam, good morning.

My name is Sam Sumter, and I'm a renter in D3 and vice president of UAW 4121, the union of 6,000 academic student employees and postdocs at UW.

I urge the City Council to immediately begin defunding the Seattle Police Department as part of the 2020 budget rebalancing.

Seattle's police budget has grown 68 percent in the last 10 years but more police has not meant more safety.

It has meant more violence against BIPOC communities.

We must instead prioritize true community safety by investing in housing community run crisis intervention violence prevention and violence interruption.

These investments can and must begin this year.

City Council should also fund organizing by renters and should end sweeps of our homeless neighbors and should renegotiate collective bargaining agreements with city's police unions to fully realize the 2017 accountability ordinance.

Thank you very much.

Sarah Starman, followed by Eva Mintz and Kimberly Gonzalez.

Sarah, good morning.

Hi, my name is Sarah Starman and I'm a resident in Penny Ridge District 6. Like almost everyone else here today I'm urging City Council to defund the police by 50 percent.

If we want to make our city safe we need to invest in affordable housing education community safety and directly in Black communities not in a militarized police who make hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries and use weapons of war in our neighborhoods.

I'm asking all of City Council to step up and protect our communities or step aside so we can vote for someone else who will.

Thank you.

Eva good morning.

I'm a member of Socialist.

Hi my name is Eva Metz.

I'm a member of Socialist Alternative and part of the People's Budget Movement.

And as so many have said we need to defund the SPD by at least 50 percent starting with this year the rest of the year's budget.

And we can't afford to wait.

This will create $85 million to invest in black and brown working class communities.

Some politicians are saying we need agreement from SPOG first, and this is ridiculous.

Will these same politicians get agreement from public sector workers before pushing mass layoffs and cutting important services like transit?

We can't take more time.

We need to build a movement to do this, and as a start to addressing gross injustices and racist policing.

Thank you.

Kimberly good morning.

Good morning.

Hello my name is Kimberly Gonzalez.

I am a homeowner in District 2 and I want to thank my council member Tammy Morales for being on the right side of history.

I am calling to provide my strongest support to defund the Seattle Police Department by at least 50 percent and to reinvest that money directly into specifically Black communities.

The way the SPD is currently operating and has operated in the past makes me afraid and does not make me feel safe.

If Black Lives Matter then prove it and defund the STD.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three are Leah Javik Jacob Stencil and Megan Matthew.

I believe we may have heard from her before.

Leah please go ahead.

Hello.

Hi can you hear me.

Yes thank you.

Go ahead Leah.

Hi.

My name is Leah Jarvik and I'm an educator and a resident of District 7. I'm calling to urge City Council to defund SPD by at least 50 percent and reinvest in community.

This is essential to protecting Black lives in our community from a system which habitually tears them down.

Some people dismissed the budget cut saying that it would leave Seattleites unprotected but nobody is asking that public safety systems disappear.

We want those systems to be changed to protect everyone rather than targeting our Black community members.

is seeing that the changes that have been in the past have not worked and we won't stand by it anymore.

This is an opportunity for real change to be counseled.

Please do not betray our trust.

Do not waste this moment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jacob, good morning.

I'm Jacob from District 7, and I support reducing the SPD budget by at least 50% and reinvesting in BIPOC communities.

Here are a few names I didn't hear on Monday.

Charlene Allis, Sean Kirk, John T. Williams.

These are the people SPD murdered and legally got away with.

SPD has continually lied about their role in protecting the public.

Rayshana Weber was killed in Cal Anderson in 2019, and SPD did jack to stop that from happening.

I hear a 50% cut would result in layoffs.

This is by design.

We need to weed out the kids with power struggles, or power complexes.

Paying for officers to kill and maim you is a bad investment.

We don't need to re-imagine the police.

This isn't Disney World, and we're not Imagineers.

Also, feel all protesters, no-use jails, and Jenny Durkan resign.

And also, leave Kshama Sawant alone.

She speaks for us.

Come on.

Thank you very much.

Aaron, Mendel, Eric, Agaman, and Carol Thompson.

Aaron, good morning.

Hi, my name is Aaron Mandel.

I'm a lifelong District 6 member, and I'm calling in support of defunding the police by 50%.

And I'd also like to amplify the plan that King County Equity now and decriminalize Seattle, the four-point plan that they put together.

uh...

i would have the protest this saturday it was absolutely disgusting what the cops did it to my friend and about the people are there they'd be people they do flashbangs but what's more disgusting is the care that they have put in black and indigenous communities in the inception of police and the white supremacy that they uphold and we need to realize that they've killed people for countless years like charlene a while sean fear john g williams and we need to be

Thank you, Aaron.

Please send the remainder of your comments.

Eric, good morning.

Good morning.

Hi, my name is Eric Ajima with Puget Sound SAGE in support of defunding SPD by at least 50% and reinvesting in community.

And history has proven that policing is not the best solution for providing public safety, especially in black and brown communities.

And police violence-related deaths averages over 1,000 annually, and SPD is not an exception.

This is a chronic challenge which requires bold and creative solutions by addressing the root causes of the problem.

And it's time for our city to reimagine public safety.

So please invest in committed solutions to health and safety.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I just want to let folks know from I.T.

Real Be Free has logged back in.

So we're going to go back to him in just a minute if they're available.

And the next person I have called is Megan Matthew and then Carol Thompson.

Megan.

Hello.

Hi, I'm Megan Matthew calling from the 4th District, urging Alex Peterson and all of the council members to defund SPD by at least 50% and reinvest those funds in Black communities.

If you want to see a healthier future for our city, which all of you should, you'll invest in affordable housing, education, and health services, rather than a police department that spends millions using chemical weapons against its citizens during a global pandemic and recession that disproportionately affects Black and brown communities.

The police department is not only failing to keep our community safe, but actively causing violence against them.

And 40% of police officers commit domestic violence.

Black Lives Matter, defund the police.

Please take action and be on the right side of history.

We don't want to see more violence committed against our community members, and it's up to you to change that.

Please take action.

Thank you very much.

Carol, good morning.

Good morning.

Thank you so much Council Member.

You're doing a great job.

My name is Carol Thompson.

I live in Wallingford District 4. I am a pre-K teacher which means I teach 4 and 5 year olds how to love themselves and take care of each other.

I am on this call today to voice my support for defunding the Seattle Police Department.

I'm for defunding the police by at least 50 percent if not more.

That money should be used to take care of our community.

And by community, I mean the people of our community.

And it should not go to buying more and more ammunition and tanks and paying people to uphold a racist system.

Carol, thank you for your comments.

Please send in the remainder of your message, because I believe you had one more sentence there.

Let's go to real, be free, and then we'll continue with the list.

rail is not there.

Okay.

I'm sorry about that.

Um, rail, if you do call back in, we will try to get to you.

Will Peterson followed by Teresa Homan and Madison Walker.

Will.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Council members.

My name is Will Peterson and I'm an executive board member of United food and commercial workers.

Local 21 more than 10,000 UFC W 21 members live and work in Seattle.

I'm here today to ask that you vote to immediately begin defunding the Seattle Police Department as part of the 2020 budget rebalance.

I know that some people are fearful about what the future might look like, but I can tell you that many of us are fearful every day because of the system that is now in place.

It's time to take a real step towards a future where black lives are valued and protected.

And that means freeing up money that is currently funding an oversized police department and instead funding real community safety.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your time.

Teresa.

Hi, Teresa, can you hear us?

Teresa, hey, can you hear us?

Okay, we'll come back to Teresa.

Madison Walker, then Clara Lizar, and Michael Frost.

Madison, good morning.

Hi, my name is Madison Walker, and I live and work downtown Seattle.

Please do not defund the police.

Downtown Seattle is not safe.

I am constantly harassed assaulted and burglarized.

One year ago today the city council acknowledged the need for more police because they are grossly understaffed and a knee-jerk reaction to a demonstration.

You're willing to recklessly further compromise public safety.

Look at the number of 911 calls that go unanswered.

Look at the spike in crime and gun violence currently taking place in our city.

We definitely need reform but please do not defund the police.

Do not defund the police.

Take on Cahoots instead and have them help the police department.

Thank you very much, Clara.

Welcome.

Hi, my name's Clara laser.

I'm a renter in the Ravenna neighborhood of Alex Peterson's 4th district where I've also lived my entire life.

So this statement goes out to Council Member Peterson in particular, and I'm calling, like many other people, to speak in support of defending SBD by at least 50% and reinvesting that money based on King County Equity Now's four-point plan for community reinvestment.

We've shown that reform does not work.

SBD continues to use force against peaceful protesters, We need to defund the SPD and set in violence.

Thank you very much.

Michael, good morning.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Okay.

Defunding the police is a terrible idea.

The most basic purpose of the government is to provide safety and security for the members of society.

Defunding the police will result in more violent crime, but it just It would just be the default.

All of these good ideas of greater transparency, having the police live in communities that the police are excellent ideas, but it requires more money, not less.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And before we go on, is Teresa still available?

Teresa Homan.

Yeah.

Hi, Teresa, can you hear us?

Hi, my name.

I can.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Thanks, Teresa.

Please go ahead.

Okay.

My name is Teresa Homan and I'm the tiny house village program manager at Lehigh.

We want to thank you for your funding approved last week for more permanent housing and more tiny house villages.

I stand with others who think we should defund the NAV team and instead fund organizations like the Urban League, Seattle Club, Seattle Indian Center, and REACH and others who do humane outreach in a way that involves building relationships and staying involved with villagers and shelter inhabitants long-term.

Thanks.

I yield my time.

Thank you, Teresa.

The next three are Tyler's souvenirs.

Yeah, that's me.

Hi Tyler, sorry about your last name.

Then followed by Christina Schmitzu and Micah Flack.

Tyler, please go ahead.

Yeah, my name is Tyler Sovereigns.

I'm standing in solidarity with the Every Day March.

I live in District 4. I've lived here for five years.

I'm following up with Alex Peterson on the several emails and phone calls I've made that he hasn't responded to.

Alex the citizens in your district want SPD to be defunded by 50 percent at least and will not accept anything less.

These funds need to be reallocated to Black communities for health services housing and education.

Police do not keep us safe.

SPD has doubled down on intimidation tactics and brutalization of the citizens of Seattle whenever they're given the opportunity.

You need to stand up and support the people in your district that are asking you to do that.

Oh sure.

They just called me.

Hi, Christina, we can hear you.

Hi, I'm in another meeting.

Anyway, I'm going to express my support of defunding SPD by at least 50% now in the Rebounce budget and in the 2021 budget to align with decriminalizing our own King County Equity Now demands.

I'm calling as a worker in the Chinatown International District as someone that represents the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition and as former board president of Asian Pacific American Pacific Empowerment Vote.

I see how policing criminalizes poverty in our neighborhood.

It doesn't keep anyone safer.

It responds to crime.

It doesn't prevent crime.

We need housing services.

We need mediation.

We need drug user health.

We need so many other things besides the punitive force of police.

So please.

Thank you, Christina.

Mike Flack, followed by Brian Jacobson and Stephanie Hanley.

Mike.

Hi there, my name is Micah Flack, District 3. I'm calling in support of defunding SPD by 50%.

We need systems in place that are designed for actual crime prevention.

Our current police system has proven itself to be ineffective and also proven itself to be a part of what systemic racism looks like in this country.

So please, defund SPD, release the protesters with no charges and no more youth jails.

The system cannot be further reformed and therefore needs to be abolished.

Please reimagine what public safety can look like.

Thank you, I yield my time.

Thank you.

Brian, welcome.

Hello, thank you.

I'm Brian Jacobson, and I'm a resident of District 3 and proud protester.

I support defunding the SPD by at least 50%.

This means $85 million for 2020 and reallocated immediately to Black and Indigenous communities.

How long will you allow SPD to attack the media, medics, legal observers, and especially the citizens they're sworn to protect?

How long will you allow the mayor, police chief, and SPOG to use the media to spread fear tactics against its citizens, including yourselves?

If Black Lives Matter, then vote like Black Lives Matter.

No new youth jail, release all protesters without charges, and impeach Mayor Durkin now.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

And we have Stephanie.

Stephanie, good afternoon.

Good morning.

Stephanie, good morning.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

A lot of people on this call have talked about police don't prevent crime, they respond to it.

Who's going to respond to crime if you cut a police department by 50%?

Call up units who serve vulnerable victims or DV victims or sexual assault victims, sex trafficking.

Internet crimes against children will be cut and who will hold those exploiters accountable?

What happens when social workers and mental health workers who respond are assaulted or murdered?

300 speakers on this call are not representative of the entire city as a whole.

Thank you very much for your comments.

Barbara, welcome.

I'm Barbara Finney from D5 calling to defund SPD by at least 50%.

I'm a delegate to the MLK labor council that expelled SPOG last month and I'm asking you council to support council member Shalma Sawant's budget amendments to defund SPD by at least 50% for the rest of 2020 and into 2021. Transfer $85 million now from the police budget to black and brown communities.

Stop the sweeps of our homeless neighbors, build housing with services, and fund renter organizing and eviction defense.

Thank you.

Thank you, Barbara.

Cleve, welcome.

Lives matter, homeless, with support.

The city budget is changing because less money coming in, which leads to a crisis.

Also, SHARE supports Black Lives Matter based on cops killing black people all over the United States, plus defending the police and social work organizations that could free up $30 million to go to communities who are less fortunate.

I support city funding for SHARE 10-City-3.

10-City-3 is a blessing for shelter, food to keep you from hunger, and a safe place, also a destination for volunteers to give your part to society, which can lead to independence.

In Seattle, many people are migrating or American homeless and increasing because of pandemics causing loss of homes, jobs, and businesses.

Thank you very much.

The next three are Hussein Abshir, Wiel Lo, and Nathaniel Thomas.

Hussein, welcome.

Hello, my name is Hussein Abshir.

I am a Somali and Seattleite.

I was raised in Seattle and I'm calling to not support defunding the police department.

The Somali community has worked hard to get Somali officers in the police department.

If you fire...

Wait, did you guys hear that so far?

Yes, we can definitely hear you.

Okay.

I'm calling to not support defunding the police department.

The Somali community has worked hard to get Somali officers in the department.

If you fire them, you will fire the most diverse officers force.

Do not defund the police department.

Stop defunding.com.

Thank you very much.

Uh, we welcome.

Hi, my name is Wei, resident of District 7. The city needs to defund SPD by 50% and reinvest in real community safety through the four-point plan created by Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now.

I've seen SPD fail to protect against crimes in CID from white supremacists, yet retaliate against protestors as they exercise their First Amendment rights.

The mayor and SPD have made it clear they believe in policing first and community investment second.

My task follows to be going to the community, not systemical warfare, and militarized so-called authority figures with no accountability that don't even live in the city.

The budget is a direct reflection of the city's values beyond the right side of history.

I don't yield my time.

Okay, the next person will be Nathaniel Thomas, Rachel Jay, and Randy Husek.

Nathaniel, welcome.

My name is Nathaniel Thomas.

I'm calling in solidarity of the Everyday Marches and the EDM organizers.

When I say Seattle City Council, you say take accountability.

Seven of you have promised to defund SPD by at least 50% right now in this year's budget, yet only one council member saw one who's committed to the 50% amount of $85 million.

$85 million is 50%.

It's simple math.

The four-point plan from King County Equity Now and Decriminalize Seattle does not defund by 50%.

and does not specifically guarantee the reallocation of funds into black communities.

These four points do not meet our demands.

Rachel, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

My name is Rachel Kay.

I'm a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

I'm calling upon the council to defund the police by at least 50 percent.

for the 2020 and 2021 budget shortfall and to relocate $85 million to Black, Native, Hispanic, and working-class communities to fund affordable housing.

A lot of the landlords like real estate have benefited from gentrification and redlining, and this is...

Thank you, Rachel.

Randy, good afternoon.

My name is Randy Huser, and I'm a patrol sergeant with the South Precinct.

I strongly oppose defunding SPD.

Over the last eight years following the consent agreement, the department has become a model for police reform nationwide.

Agencies from around the country come to Seattle to look at a department that makes police reform work.

Your actions to cut the budget by 50% is reckless, irresponsible, and will have a dramatically negative impact on Seattle.

Despite not having any law enforcement experience between the nine of you, you have somehow over the last two months become experts on police tactics, response, and training.

I strongly encourage you to attend a roll call, attend police training, or go on a ride-along so that you have an actual idea what it is that the Seattle Police Department does before you cut the department

Thank you.

Next we have Jenna.

Jenna Kunze Tyler Murrell and Anitra Freeman.

Jenna you are off mute.

Please go ahead.

Jenna can you hear us.

Okay.

Let's go to Tyler and we'll come back to Jenna.

Tyler good afternoon.

Hi.

Good afternoon.

My name is Tyler Merrill and I'm a resident of Queen Anne.

Calling today to ask you to invest in community-based solutions to public safety and health by defunding SPD by at least 50 percent and transferring functions such as 9-1-1 out of SPD's control.

Armed responders do not make our neighborhood safer especially when the vast majority of incidents responded to such as traffic violations mental health crises and wellness checks are non-violent and non-criminal.

Please continue to follow the lead of BCrims Seattle and King County Equity now to move the city toward unarmed community-based solutions to public safety.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anitra, welcome.

Good afternoon.

My name is Anitra Freeman, speaking from Wheel and Share in support of cutting SPD funding for the rest of 2020 by 50% and cutting suite funding entirely.

We need funding for housing, for tiny houses and other 24-hour shelter, for social services that improve lives and end homelessness.

Money spent on sleeping encampments or Nicholsville-Northlake isn't just wasted.

It is doing harm.

The situation of Nicholsville-Northlake is critical.

We all in share both ask that you protect our friends at Nicholsville.

Thank you.

Thank you, Anitra.

Before we move on, is Jenna back with us?

Jenna, can you hear us?

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and call the next three.

Catherine Little, Bradford Gerber, and Alyssa Webster.

Catherine, good afternoon.

Hello?

Hi, please go ahead now.

Okay.

My name is Catherine Little resident of District 3. I'm a Seattle Public Schools teacher and union member.

I support defunding the police by at least 50 percent.

Refunding communities of color and releasing all protesters without charges.

I stand in support of decriminalized Seattle and the everyday march.

I yield my time.

Okay.

Thank you.

Bradford.

Good afternoon.

Can you hear me.

Great.

My name is Bradford.

Yeah, my name is Bradford Gerber.

I'm calling as a citizen to support decriminalize Seattle's efforts to defund SPD and I'm calling as a staff at the Low Income Housing Institute to echo the sentiments of other testimonies and the BIPOC community leaders to defund SPD and remove SPD and Navigation Team funding from the budget.

I have seen firsthand these sweeps, and I've witnessed that we're traumatizing our neighbors with misguided, thought to be good intentions.

If you witnessed the forced removal of black and brown homeless neighbors, I think that you would agree.

I cede my time.

Thank you.

Alyssa Webster, welcome.

Oh hi.

My name is Alyssa Webster.

I live in District 6 and I support moving at least 85 million of SPD's remaining 2020 funds to Black communities specifically.

Clearly the increases in SPD's budget trainings and BIPOC officers which apparently make them a model for policing nationwide have not magically eliminated the issues within the department Seattle residents are pointing to.

Please follow the leadership of BIPOC-led community organizations including the folks in the Every Day March and investing in alternatives to policing which truly foster community health and safety.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three speakers are Arina Gettinger, Francisca Pachino, and Allison Buckley.

Arina, welcome.

Hi, my name is Arina Gettinger, and I'm a resident of District 3.

I'm calling to ask the council to support the plan by King County Equity Now, including defunding the police by at least 50% this year and next year, and reinvesting responsibly in black communities.

Seattle police have demonstrated that reform does not work, and systemic racism exists within their ranks.

They have failed again and again to protect community members, and instead have created a culture of fear and violence.

I'm concerned that the city's lip service the Black Lives Matter movement and continued lack of action.

It is up to you, council members, to listen to your constituents and defend SD now.

Okay, and I hear Francisco.

Please go ahead.

I hope you can hear me.

I'm walking in front of a march right now.

My name is Francesca and I live in District 4. It is imperative that we defund STD immediately by 50% and reallocate that money into Black communities.

Black families need affordable housing, particularly as we face a tsunami of evictions following the COVID-19 crisis.

Our city's history of redlining has created massive inequities in black families' access to education for their children, as schools are predominantly funded by property taxes.

Defunding SPD immediately means we can begin to make that change, addressing inequity in our city, making our city safer, and providing better resources to our residents.

I yield my time.

Thank you so much, Francisca.

Allison Buckley, Trace Bartoli, and Kiri Johnson.

Allison, good afternoon.

Hi, Council.

My name is Allison Buckley.

I'm a resident of District 6. I'm calling in support of defunding SPD by at least 50%.

I'm calling in support of this as a step towards justice for our community members that have been killed by SPD.

Charlena Lyles, Tommy Lay, Isaiah Obet, David Morty, John T. Williams, Robert J. Lightfeather, Malik Williams, Mantri Norris, Ryan Smith, Curtis L. Roytade, Eugene Nelson, Giovon Joseph McDade, Thank you.

Please do send in the remainder of the names.

Trace, good afternoon.

Thus far on this call, I've heard no direct evidence that taking money from the police department and allocating it towards communities in need will positively impact the everyday individual citizen.

I think the four point plan of a civilian police department will only end another catastrophe.

They seem just as susceptible to.

Please go ahead.

I just believe the civilian-led will be just as susceptible to corruption and transparency issues as any other organization could be.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Curry, please go ahead.

Hello, my name is Curry Johnson and I'm here on speaking on behalf of defunding the police and to protect the Nicholsville North Lake from our move date.

And that's pretty much what I got to say.

OK, thank you for hanging on the phone, for sharing that message.

We appreciate your time.

The next three speakers are Tara Dezo, Ellie Cassidy and Mahal Johnson.

Tara, good afternoon.

Good morning.

Good afternoon.

My name is Tara DeZeo.

I'm a proud homeowner in District 2 and a Maple Elementary School mom avid voter and not in a quote special interest group.

I'm calling today to urge you to defund SPD by 50 percent in 2020 and beyond.

Demilitarize them.

Ban chemical weapons and overtime.

Cap salaries to 150K and reallocate those of the communities of color.

I would also like to add that I'm appalled by the use of excessive force during demonstrations which I've seen with my own two eyes.

I believe that Mayor Dirksen and Chief Best have been intentionally spreading disinformation to scare the public and that they have not held SPD to oversight or accountability and should resign.

Do not wait.

Exactly.

There's things that would have been.

Thank you, Ellie.

Please go ahead.

Hey, Ellie, can you hear us?

This might be like 24. OK.

Hey, Ellie.

OK, we'll come back to you, Ellie.

Mahal.

Welcome.

Let's try this again.

Go ahead.

Hello, I do not believe that the Seattle Police Department should be defunded.

As a resident of District 2, I value police and their current presence in keeping our neighborhoods safe from the ridiculousness that our city is becoming known for.

defunding by 50% would overwhelmingly decrease the amount of diversity already in the department and eliminate valuable programs that SPD has already in place with the communities throughout the city.

BIPOC communities will ultimately suffer the most, and the speakers on this call do not represent the majority of the city.

I do not trust the city council recklessly experimenting with defunding public safety.

Thank you very much.

Ellie, are you with us still?

Hey Ellie can you hear us.

Hi.

Hi you're on.

We can hear you.

Hi sorry.

Hi this is Ellie Cassidy.

I'm from District 3 and I'm calling to support decriminalized Seattle's for things that they want to do.

And I also want to say that I was a member of a building leadership team at a Title 1 school and I want to implore you to put more funds into the REPA program because they mean a lot for schools that are Title I, that have lower income students.

Do something quickly and right away.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next three speakers are Maxwell Goodwin, Rebecca Ignite, and Amelia Maxwell.

Good afternoon.

Okay Maxwell can you hear us.

All right we'll go to Rebecca.

Rebecca welcome.

Hi can you hear me.

I can yes.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Rebecca Edding.

I've lived in Seattle my whole life and I currently live in the Maple Leaf neighborhood in District 5. I'm an attorney and a public school teacher.

I urge the council and particularly Council Member Juarez of my district to vote to defund the police meet the demands of King County Equity Now and implement the four-point plan put forward by Decriminalize Seattle.

The SPD has responded to the protests and demands for reform with violence misleading the media and threatening to lay off officers of color.

They are resisting change.

How will police how will you make sure the police doesn't use the remaining budget to harass protesters and people of color.

Please look to Black Brown and Indigenous people in our city to answer this question.

Thank you very much.

And going back to Maxwell.

That's you.

Thanks, Maxwell.

I'm sorry, I was out of March.

Hey, my name is Maxwell Goodwin.

I live in District 3, but my lease is up soon, and I'm not sure which district I'm going to move to.

I'm a small business owner.

I hope to have a storefront soon.

When I do, I hope that there aren't police using chemical weapons, explosives, military vehicles, and other things that are scaring business away, not to mention setting up little military-style checkpoints that are literally keeping people away, keeping customers away, and keeping people scared in their homes.

Sorry, I'm out of breath.

I was out of March.

But there's a lot of people, some people that are scared of violence from protests.

And honestly, the very few protests that do that, I mean, I've seen them hit like big banks and like Starbucks and like the jail and stuff.

Thank you, Maxwell.

Amelia Mix and then Cameron Taylor and Tara Sell.

Amelia, good afternoon.

Hi my name is Amelia Meggs and I'm a District 1 resident.

I'm calling in support of the five demands of the everyday march to support the funding SPD by at least 50 percent 85 million immediately and 50 percent continuing in the future.

I have personally seen racism in our school and this is only reinforced by a police force with a proven history of excessive force and failed attempts to reform to fund SPD and reinvest this money into Black communities specifically to fund affordable housing mental health and education.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Cameron, welcome.

Hi, this is Cameron.

Yeah, can you hear me?

Yes, thank you.

Okay.

Hi, my name is Cameron.

I'm a District 1 constituent and just want to add my voice to all of those who have come before me to Urge the City to defund SPD by 50% and reinvest in community-led solutions.

Today I'm calling specifically as a social worker.

I currently work at a shelter with folks experiencing homelessness, and I can't begin to stress how badly we need new alternatives for so many instances that forced me and all my co-workers to call 911 unnecessarily.

There are basically no better options, and the few alternatives are super underfunded.

Every week, my co-workers and I struggle to find better options for the folks we work for.

We don't want to have to call the police to the shelter.

They shouldn't be at the women's shelter for 99% of the reasons Thank you.

Tara Sells, followed by Dennis Thomas and Tess Fifield.

Tara, good afternoon.

Hi, my name is Tara Sells.

I'm speaking today as a Seattle citizen, a resident of District 3 in Capitol Hill, and a witness to police brutality at recent Black Lives Matter protests.

I strongly believe, based on the extreme violence and chemical warfare that I've seen directed at protesters, that the Seattle Police Department should be defunded by at least 50%.

I believe that if they are not properly using their grossly overfunded budget to actually protect Black citizens, an extremely valued and vulnerable part of our community, then they have clearly shown that they do not carry the proper responsibility to use such a budget.

This money can be used in so many other ways, to be put into low-income housing for Black citizens, youth programs, and directly as reparations to the Black communities in our city.

Especially during this current pandemic, low-income people are currently most at risk for deep financial hardships.

Mayor Durkan needs to take responsibility for her terrorism against the city that's supposed to be in her protection, using the SPD as her war pawns.

She should be ashamed.

Okay, thank you.

And then we'll do Dennis Thomas and Tess.

Dennis?

Hi.

On Saturday, I spoke with an officer at the front line of the protest.

I asked if he thought that with their resources, that there could have been a middle ground between allowing agitators to throw fireworks at them and attacking an entire group of 99% peaceful protesters.

And he literally said, OK, then tell me how we're supposed to do it.

They can't find an agitator in a crowd in front of their own precinct.

They don't know what they're doing.

Council members, we've seen the data on non-criminal calls that you've been presented and know a 50% defund is both reasonable and safe.

Move the funds to competent services, defund 50%, and set an example for other cities that this is possible and will work.

Thank you very much.

And after Tess, I just want to confirm if Rhea will be free and Jenna Kunze are on.

Tess, welcome.

Hi, my name is Tess Fifield.

I'm a human and I need you guys to commit to defunding SPD by 50 percent at least.

But we also need to make sure that those budget cuts don't come from losing our BIPOC officers first, as SPD has threatened.

Cut those racist and problematic officers first.

It's not that hard.

Furthermore, you need to reallocate those funds into black and brown communities, direct reparations, and education.

SPD has proven over and over again that they misuse and aren't deserving of these funds.

They react to crime, not de-escalate and protect.

Fuck SPOG.

Okay, and wanted to see if Real Be Free and Jenna are on.

Real, are you with us?

There's no Real.

Okay, and is Jenna?

Jenna's there.

Hi, Jenna.

Thanks for waiting.

Hi, my name is Jenna Kinsey, and I'm a resident of Nicholsville, Northlake, and I am calling in support of trauma-informed proviso and also to defund the police.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Do you want to say anything else?