Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka thinks now is the time for the city to acknowledge the "failure of defund movement." The West Seattle representative's symbolic resolution that "reiterates support for first responders, acknowledges failure of defund movement and embraces focus on underserved communities" will come in front of the council's public safety committee Tuesday. "This Council, in collaboration with the Mayor's Office has made improving public safety an absolute priority," Saka said in the announcement of the proposed resolution. "This is finally the time to acknowledge the lessons of the past and pivot decisively toward a better, future-focused public safety model. We are committed to making everyone in our community feel safe and to enhancing our accountability system." Mayor Bruce Harrell is also ready to declare a new pro-police era in Seattle.
"I join the City Council in celebrating the dedication and hard work of our public safety professionals and in recognizing the importance of a diversified emergency response system," the mayor said about the proposed resolution. "I look forward to working with our police department, accountability partners, and Council members as we move to finalize requirements under the consent decree."
The push from two Black leaders of one of the most progressive major cities in the country comes as Seattle City Hall attempts to walk a fine line standing up for civil rights while also staying out of the MAGA crosshairs.
Good.
The "defund the police" ~movement~ was a failure from the start.
There was no basis for it.
What is should have been was more along the lines of ...
State Policing Reforms Since George Floyd's Murder (2021)
www.brennancenter.org
... While the past year has seen some victories, transformative change in policing remains elusive. ...
States too have responded to calls for change. Throughout the past year, at least 30 states and Washington, DC, enacted one or more statewide legislative policing reforms, ensuring greater policy uniformity within each jurisdiction. While the new laws cover a wide range of issues, 25 states and DC addressed at least one of three areas directly related to the circumstances of Floyd's killing:
- - - use of force;
- - - duty for officers to intervene, report, or render medical aid in instances of police misconduct; and
- - - policies relating to law enforcement misconduct reporting and decertification (i.e., the revocation of a person's authorization to serve as a police officer.) ...
That is, imo, just an overview. But a good starting point for a discussion.
Defund? Absolutely not.
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