Cleveland Stockmeyer, described by one friend as "the quintessential activist-attorney-about-town," has passed away at the age of 59. Friends said he died in his home from a heart attack.

Progressives the city over are mourning his loss. Stockmeyer helped to write the voter initiatives that became law and radically altered Seattle's voting system in recent years—switching to district-based city council seats and to a public financing model designed to counter the influence of big money.

As a reporter covering the Seattle police department, I met Stockmeyer a few times. He had sued the SPD repeatedly, winning settlements for the Center for Open Policing when the police withheld data from public disclosure, as well as for victims of police brutality. He was insightful, forceful, and more good-humored than any other lawyer I've encountered. He was lovably cantankerous, hammering away for a better world.

Stockmeyer was adamant that the Department of Justice had been derelict in its investigation and supervision of the SPD: In 2012, the feds found that police used unconstitutional, excessive force—he memorably called "excessive force" a code phrase for "beating people up"—in roughly 20 percent of all cases. "Not one of those cops were identified, disciplined or fired," Stockmeyer told me last year. "DOJ did not identify or help the victims, did not help them get justice or compensation. Now we have a so-called reform that is also designed to not result in any discipline or firing."

The remembrances and tributes from around this city are piling up on Stockmeyer's Facebook page today. City Council Member Mike O'Brien sent this statement:

Cleve was an amazing advocate for the people of our city. I will remember Cleve for his dedication to public financing [of elections]. When the initial public vote failed by less than 1% two years ago, we regrouped to figure out next steps, where it was ultimately decided to run a citizen initiative. Cleve was instrumental in drafting that initiative and in getting it qualified for the ballot. I remember dropping off signature forms at his house and being energized by the discussions with him. For generations to come, people who have never heard of Cleve will benefit from his good work around public financing and all his powerful advocacy.

City Council Member Kshama Sawant:

I only met Cleve for the first time a few years ago, but I immediately liked him. He had a sharp wit, a brilliant mind, and a fiery and honest spirit. He was also a genuine and committed activist who didn't back down from a fight in the interests of ordinary people. His political impacts on Seattle have been considerable, from his recent leadership on the Honest Elections and Districts Now initiatives, to his ongoing battle to hold the SPD accountable. His activism spanned multiple decades. I got to work with him personally on the 15 Now ballot initiative, which big business later admitted was the key point of leverage which forced them to concede on the $15 minimum wage ordinance. I will miss Cleve Stockmeyer. Future movements will miss him.

Jon Grant, the former head of the Tenants Union of Washington:

I'm still in shock to learn of the passing of Cleve Stockmeyer, one of Seattle's greatest activists. Cleve played a huge role in the fight for $15, passing district elections for city council, and winning Honest Elections. He was one of my earliest supporters when I ran for City Council, and offered incredible insight in advocating for greater police accountability. Seattle is a more progressive city thanks to his work, and I am so sad to have lost a great collaborator.

Alan Durning, the founder and Executive Director of the Sightline Institute:

Cleve Stockmeyer wrote more of the words in Honest Elections Seattle I-122 than any of the rest of us. We sat around his dining table night after night, debating the fine points but he usually came up with the right words.

He was a fierce and unflinching advocate for his values—a street fighter for justice in law and politics. I only got to know him in 2015 on the I-122 fight, but the more time we spent together, the more uncanny overlaps we found between us. We shared a history that included Oberlin, Nicaragua, and his brother Carl Leubsdorf. Like me, he quoted Churchill and was adamant for active verbs and Anglo Saxon words in drafting.

That Cleve died suddenly Sunday night, possibly of heart failure, is a sign that God needed an advocate in heaven who would fearlessly stick it to entitled SOBs, and who would do it with a smile, humor, and a sense of history.

Brother, Cleve, as we learned from the Sandinistas in the 1980s, when the movement loses a fighter, he is never gone. Cleve Stockmeyer: presente! Presente! Presente!

Rest in power, Cleve.