End Police Brutality
The Seattle Police Department has been under a Federal Court Decree to rid itself of unnecessary Police Brutality since 2012. Our Seattle Police Department, the Mayor, the City Counsel, and the City Attorney have had 9 years to reform and yet in 2019, the City and the Police Department were found to be in violation of this decree, and the main reason is that Police continue to have protection from oversight by the City through their Union Contract. In fact, the City renegotiated the contract with the Police Unions in 2018 and allowed even less oversight and more protections for police who misbehave. The renegotiation included body cams, but body cams must go with accountability or police can still get away with murder, it is just that everyone knows about it.
In order to live in a civil society, we need a transparent process where police can use necessary force to maintain civil order. The ideal police officer is an agent of peace who informs citizens of society’s rules and regulations and gives them the opportunity to do the right thing whenever possible. And when these efforts fail to resolve the problem, then the police may be required to use reasonable force to protect the citizens of our community.
You cannot have effective policing unless the community believe the officers are working for them to protect their civil rights. If people do not believe the police are protecting their civil rights, the police will be ineffective. The police must align themselves with the community. If that means the police need to carry elderly people’s groceries, then that is what they need to do to build up trust. It is the police’s job to built up trust one way or another.
Public safety is always more important than property. Under normal circumstances, we should not have to choose. Those who destroy property, whether in a protest as a group or as teams or individuals breaking windows of business, or vandalizing private and city protesters are not peaceful protesters and need to be stopped.
I participated in the WTO protests in 1999 as a protester. It was a peaceful protest with a handful of violent and destructive individuals using us peaceful protesters for cover. The police could and should have arrested them, with ample just cause and opportunity. Instead, the police did nothing and watched these bad actors breaking the law right in front of them, waited for hours, and then essentially became an angry mod themselves, assaulting everyone and violating countless civil rights. I saw police spray pepper spray into the cars of people who were trying to peacefully leave and the police assault people peacefully walking on the sidewalk, doing nothing to anybody. The police did not act when they should have, and when they did act, they overreacted terribly.
In order to live in a civil society, we need a transparent process where police can use necessary force to maintain civil order. The ideal police officer is an agent of peace who informs people of society’s rules and regulations and gives them the opportunity to do the right thing whenever possible. And when these efforts fail to resolve the problem, then the police may be required to use reasonable force to protect the people of our community.
Violence on our streets must not be tolerated, either by our police or by our citizens.
We can not afford to wait for another incident of police brutality to unfold. We need action now. We cannot not wait for another Police Union contract to be negotiated.
Here is what I will do if I am your mayor:
The federal court has ruled that the City of Seattle’s Union Contract with the Police is in violation of Federal Law. That portion of the Union Contract needs to be declared null and void immediately by the City Attorney and the Mayor of Seattle.
A new culture of community connection and accountability must replace police brutality and use of excessive force. The old ways must not be tolerated and those who refuse to change must be terminated. As we do in medicine, we will put in place an internal review process that is separate from disciplinary processes so that officers can share and learn from their mistakes
New practices of police oversight by the public will be put in place. Each police interaction with the public is an opportunity for learning and improvement. Three point satisfaction surveys will in instituted for each and every interaction the public has with the police and the results will be used for process improvements and to hold police leadership accountable to the community in their precincts and to the people in the city.
Police who fail to protect the public through diplomacy and when indicated, use of reasonable force will be disciplined. While Police who use excessive force will be disciplined, police need to be allowed to do their job. Acting as the enforcers of our laws of justice, police are authorized to take actions that are unlawful for a normal citizen. The potential for abuse of this power is significant and needs to be balanced by special oversight at all times. Police who continue to use excessive force must be disciplined, removed and if appropriate prosecuted.
In order to live in a civil society, we need a transparent process where police can use necessary force to maintain civil order. The ideal police officer is an agent of peace who informs citizens of society’s rules and regulations and gives them the opportunity to do the right thing whenever possible. And when these efforts fail to resolve the problem, then the police may be required to use reasonable force to protect the citizens of our community.
You cannot have effective policing unless the community believe the officers are working for them to protect their civil rights. If people do not believe the police are protecting their civil rights, the police will be ineffective. The police must align themselves with the community. If that means the police need to carry elderly people’s groceries, then that is what they need to do to build up trust. It is the police’s job to built up trust one way or another.
Public safety is always more important than property. Under normal circumstances, we should not have to choose. Those who destroy property, whether in a protest as a group or as teams or individuals breaking windows of business, or vandalizing private and city protesters are not peaceful protesters and need to be stopped.
I participated in the WTO protests in 1999 as a protester. It was a peaceful protest with a handful of violent and destructive individuals using us peaceful protesters for cover. The police could and should have arrested them, with ample just cause and opportunity. Instead, the police did nothing and watched these bad actors breaking the law right in front of them, waited for hours, and then essentially became an angry mod themselves, assaulting everyone and violating countless civil rights. I saw police spray pepper spray into the cars of people who were trying to peacefully leave and the police assault people peacefully walking on the sidewalk, doing nothing to anybody. The police did not act when they should have, and when they did act, they overreacted terribly.
In order to live in a civil society, we need a transparent process where police can use necessary force to maintain civil order. The ideal police officer is an agent of peace who informs people of society’s rules and regulations and gives them the opportunity to do the right thing whenever possible. And when these efforts fail to resolve the problem, then the police may be required to use reasonable force to protect the people of our community.
Violence on our streets must not be tolerated, either by our police or by our citizens.
We can not afford to wait for another incident of police brutality to unfold. We need action now. We cannot not wait for another Police Union contract to be negotiated.
Here is what I will do if I am your mayor:
The federal court has ruled that the City of Seattle’s Union Contract with the Police is in violation of Federal Law. That portion of the Union Contract needs to be declared null and void immediately by the City Attorney and the Mayor of Seattle.
A new culture of community connection and accountability must replace police brutality and use of excessive force. The old ways must not be tolerated and those who refuse to change must be terminated. As we do in medicine, we will put in place an internal review process that is separate from disciplinary processes so that officers can share and learn from their mistakes
New practices of police oversight by the public will be put in place. Each police interaction with the public is an opportunity for learning and improvement. Three point satisfaction surveys will in instituted for each and every interaction the public has with the police and the results will be used for process improvements and to hold police leadership accountable to the community in their precincts and to the people in the city.
Police who fail to protect the public through diplomacy and when indicated, use of reasonable force will be disciplined. While Police who use excessive force will be disciplined, police need to be allowed to do their job. Acting as the enforcers of our laws of justice, police are authorized to take actions that are unlawful for a normal citizen. The potential for abuse of this power is significant and needs to be balanced by special oversight at all times. Police who continue to use excessive force must be disciplined, removed and if appropriate prosecuted.