The Seattle Police Department Will Brief the City Council Today on Its May Day Response: That's scheduled for the council's 2 p.m. public safety committee meeting. Let's hope we hear some questions about the department's generous use of flash bangs. But, really, the whole thing is probably going to sound a lot like this: "I was certainly surprised by the number of individuals that would be in what we would consider anarchist or Black Bloc type of clothing [and] masks," SPD captain Chris Fowler told KING 5. "This year, there were a lot more individuals that were going to be confrontational and they did it much earlier."

"We Absolutely Do Not Believe These Unfortunate Actions Speak for All Protesters": That's the message from the president of Seattle Central College, who wrote this letter to the editor to the Seattle Times. He goes on to say, "We hope they did not divert attention from the important messages communicated that day," and to thank those on Capitol Hill who helped clean up graffiti and trash from the campus.

Quit Calling Kshama Sawant "Unbecoming" and "Not Warm": "There is underlying sexism when someone talks about body language—when somebody talks about behaving in an unbecoming manner," Sawant told PubliCola. "You don't hear these things being said about men… I think that is not the most fundamental issue here, though. What's fundamentally at issue here, is that there are political differences that corporate media people might have from me. And political differences that other elected officials might have from me. And often these differences are presented as if to say, 'Well, I agree with her on everything, but I just don't agree with the way she's saying it… or with her personality.'"

What Kind of Monster: Torches a little free library?

These Two Programmers Are Holding Seattle Police Accountable: You have to read this new story by Ansel about two guys who've requested and received hundreds of reports, videos, and 911 calls related to the SPD's investigations of officer misconduct between 2010 and 2013 and "found several instances of officers appearing to lie, use racist language, and use excessive force—with no consequences."

Did the Port Debate the Shell Arctic Drilling Decision Behind Closed Doors? Who knows! Why? Executive session, that's why. Sydney has all the details right here. Port officials promise nothing shady—like violating the Open Public Meetings Act—was going on at the closed-door meeting, but it is just so hard to believe what they say. The port commission's next public meeting is May 12.

The Seattle Times Editorial Board Is at It Again: Defending Shell in Seattle, dismissing Arctic drilling as inevitable, etc. In a new editorial they say Mayor Ed Murray's Monday announcement about the port's land use permit is "politicking" that threatens Seattle's maritime industry. Meanwhile, here's a video from yesterday in which (starting around the 42-minute mark) the city council—even Tim Burgess—dismisses the "false dichotomy [of] the environment versus jobs."

Fewer People in Seattle Are Spending More Than Half of Their Income on Rent: The percentage of households spending at least half of their income on rent is up across the country but down in Seattle. Seems strange, right, considering skyrocketing rents? In fact, that explains it. Those strapped renters are being pushed out by higher rents and the people who can afford them. Gene Balk at the Seattle Times explains.

DEA Agents Who Jailed a Student Without Food or Water Got Only Reprimands or Short Suspensions: The 23-year-old UC San Diego student, according to the Los Angeles Times, "was swept up in a 2012 DEA raid on his friends' house, where he had gone to smoke marijuana. After an interrogation, he was told he would be released. But the agents responsible forgot about him… leaving him to drink his own urine to stave off dehydration."

Leftist Party Wins in Alberta, the "Texas of Canada": Not only did that put the conservatives there out of power after 43 years, the New York Times reports, but it also "may have implications for Alberta’s oil sands, which, many critics say, enjoyed a light regulatory touch under Conservative governments."