>We demand investments in the education, health and safety of Black people, instead of investments in [i.e. divestment from] the criminalizing, caging, and harming of Black people.

the tens of black people who live north of downtown?

I see the point in protesting a ridiculously overpriced police bunker, maybe even in protesting the youth detention center, but getting rid of the entire police department? Yeah...#notgoingtohappen

Taking their cues from the national leaders of the movement, their goal is for the city to divest from all police and prisons and to invest instead in education, healthcare, and affordable housing.

The national movement is advocating that America not have law enforcement? Am I misunderstanding this? That can't be a position advocated by serious adults, can it?

Instead of blocking the hiring of new policemen, how about they all join the force? Change from within, anyone?

mmm... no.

Oh please. Here's what happened: After the uproar, the SPD pulled back the plans for "the bunker". That means they'll scale back on some of the stuff - like the proposed 1MW of solar on the roof, and some of the other friendlier features - and come back with a more realistic price (which is government 101). They'll get what they really wanted after pretending to concede. The council will agree to it, because that's how it works.

As for the rest of the "demands": Good luck with that. The juvenile jail - a county facility - was specifically spelled out in a bond issue, so the choices are build it, or refund everyone's money and start again. Since the planning has already begun and money has been spent, it will be built.

Stopping the hiring of new police - maybe they can get that through. After all, it's cheaper to not hire people, but the political ramifications among the larger population might eventually overrule that.

Aaand THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE is (half of) why I can't consider myself a supporter of BLM as an organization, as much as I agree with their central principle.

@2: This.

@4

"Black LIves Matter" is a slogan, not an organization.

The (long) list of (tiny) organizations backing this call to abolish prisons and police departments can be found here: https://policy.m4bl.org/about/

Not one of America's large established civil rights organizations (e.g: NAACP, Urban League, Rainbow PUSH, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, etc) is on that list.

@8

Don't be distracted by the fringe radicals attempting to co-opt the very real issue that you and so many other non-fringe-radicals care about.

And incidentally, don't refer to them "as an organization," either; you'll find these fringe radicals tend to be quite keen on "horizontal" or "non-heirarchical" social structures (which you may remember from Occupy Wall Street).

I really don't get the call not to hire more cops. We need more cops and better cops. It'll be easier to have better cops that are new cops than to turn the entrenched Obama-hating, Seattle-hating, suburbanites on the force into good cops.

Have they apologized to Officer Wilson for the racist policophobic hate speech LIES BLM spread about him?

@11 said what I was going to say, only sooner and better.

Dwight dear, here's the thing - having to live in the city and be a city employee was ruled unconstitutional (in Washington state) back in the 70's. So you can't require the police or any other municipal employee, to live in the city.

And, on balance, that's probably a good thing. Can you imagine what city government salaries would be if they required that all the employees live in Seattle? Mr. Vel-DuRay and I get by okay on our dual government salaries, but we are lucky to have bought property here when it was still reasonable - and I'm certainly happy that my employment is not based on living here. We'll fly the coop as soon as we get an offer we can't refuse, especially now that there's Sounder.

I guess I can see where someone sees the cops only ever hassle them, never do shit about crimes /against/ them, and concludes they should be gotten rid of. But you realize, if you eliminate the police, they will be replaced by armed and totally uncontrolled private security groups organized by concerned Magnolia neighbors.

When I was a teenage anarchist, I believed in eliminating all government law enforcement, but I have to admit I was an anarcho-capitalist who figured on guns and private security to defend people. Look, I was a teenager. If that's not what you want, though, what do you think is going to come out of eliminating government law enforcement? I don't get the endgame.

I'll stick with keeping the cops thank you. It could be a hell of a lot worse. We could be the Philippines with vigilante death squads. Over 3000 killed but the government is hoping for 100,000 before its all over.

If we stop hiring more of them, maybe they'll get the message we don't appreciate them. Maybe they'll find work somewhere that does. Or maybe they'll even go on strike. Or try a work slow down. Remember when the NYC cops got all offended nobody loved them, and refused to arrest anybody unless "necessary"? Causing no harm at all, except no unnecessary arrests, for a couple days.

Anything we can do to get less work out of our police force. Anything. Any money we save can fund services that make an actual difference.

Yeah @16 makes a relevant point. Brutal violence and death squads are usually a reaction after crime is seen as out of control.

Not an excuse for "a little brutality now prevents death squads later." But radical de-policing may not be a great idea.

17

Remember when a corrupt prosecutor went after innocent police just doing their job in Baltimore?
And people rioted against the police? (and looted and stole and burned, while they were at it…)
The police sure got the message...
The murder rate, already sky high, doubled.
Vicious gangs rule the city,
few murders are solved because witnesses are intimidated.

Good times, those...

Thanks for the input, Racist Guy. I think everyone appreciates knowing what the racist point of view in this situation is. What would a racist have to say if one were sitting here next to me right now? Well, now we know. Everyone who would like to be just as racist as you is no doubt feeling inspired. You also serve as a good example of the kind of mentality that we'd have less of if we had fewer cops.

Feel that chill? It's the welcome mat rolling up. You guys must be wanted somewhere. Where? Never know if you don't go looking. Happy trails.

@10: Okay, I'm no supporter of BLM as a disorganization. Better?
Yeah, I remember OWS and how they were dead-set against any sort of organizational scheme. I also remember how they didn't accomplish SHIT.

And when I see prominent BLM spokespersons tolerating racism and anti-Semitism within their movement, I find it hard to excuse the movement as a whole. The hypocrisy of fighting hatred and prejudice with hatred and prejudice sits a little sour with me.

I can see the future.On a soon to be Mayday.The disarmed police and citizens are skipping down 3rd avenue,singing Cum bai a.Shots ring out,people drop from being shot.People yell "where are the police to take care of this.A officer taking cover says,you took our guns away,you take care of it.

@22 lol. It's really not my problem that you're an irrational scaredy cat.

@17, "Causing no harm at all, except no unnecessary arrests, for a couple days." Yeah that was pretty funny that crime rates dropped when the police stopped policing. (Basically, people get along when the po-po gangs aren't on the streets stirring up shit). They sure showed US!

minuteman dear, it's spelled "Kumbaya".

And I should clarify what I wrote earlier about police: The way the city government works is that each position has a "pocket", and it's very hard to get a new pocket created. To appease some of the more strident BLM activists, the city could agree not to fill pockets when police retire, or not ask for new pockets until people cool down a bit, but there's no way they'd reduce the number of pockets allotted to the police.

But here's the thing: Seattle activists (and the journalists who write about them) are extremely gullible. Instead of looking at what was accomplished with the north precinct (if indeed they accomplished anything) and considering their next move, they fly off the handle, declare victory, and demand silly stuff like the police department be shut down and the money for the juvenile jail be redirected to something of their choosing. That's undergraduate level activism, and it doesn't help Black Lives Matter - in fact, it makes them look like the anarchists who like to make a joke out of every political protest in town. I know that BLM is supposed to be leaderless (thus assuring its irrelevance) but they at least need some grown-up strategists.

"...divestment from exploitative forces including prisons, fossil fuels..." Wait what? Now turning on my BBQ is oppressive?!?

20
The Truth is not Racist, dear friend, even if it hurts your feelings….

Good Morning,
I agree with many of these comments on this posting. BLM is problematic and stands to become greatly irrelevant. #blockthebunker movement may come to naught as well.

For me, I've never liked clichés. Great movements for reform of ____ must be organized and have leadership. I recently read one of the 'leaders' of BLM was killed (shot, I believe). Most unfortunate and it didn't bolster BLM at all.

My understanding is the North Precinct HQ is still to built granted with some reduction in the budget. But we need the Police force and especially, well-trained officers. We also may have need of more of them.

At the end of the day, an investment in law enforcement AND civic engagement/schools for youth are necessary. We can't divest from either.

Ugh, I have sympathy for BLM but injecting race politics into an ordinary budgeting issue is NOT the way to help their cause. What's next, is transit going to become a race issue? This trend towards extreme left wing politics is just going to do is gum up the works so the city can't address real issues. Read up on the issues facing San Francisco, and that city's inability to address them if you want to see where this leads.

$15 per hour was undergraduate level activism. The Seattle Office of Labor Standards is undergraduate level activism. And these new renter's rights? Sheesh. These kids need to grow up and learn to set some realistic goals and stop wasting so much effort on things that will never happen.