Excellent DS9 ref. I’d say leave policing to Sisko and Odo. They’re far more interested in fair justice. Well, Odo may have to tone it down.

Carmen Best has a strong sense of honor and loyalty, and I have no doubt she has struggled mightily to balance her commitments to the police department, the mayor, and the public. She's in a tough spot, and I can only wish her the best.

And likewise to the dozens and dozens of small business owners left with big expenses, much extra work, and lost clientele because of the recent looting and vandalism. Consider patronizing a business looted or damaged during the recent protests--especially because many of them are getting no media coverage. I would imagine the situation is depressing and frustrating for many of them. And this after the coronavirus--and before what is likely to be a large upsurge in local cases. Not easy to be the owner of a looted and vandalized business... All best wishes to each of them.

The only decent thing SPD can do is to permanently concede the East Precinct. Their presence at that location has done little but damage and hardly made anyone safer in the area. Hardline policing is a failure in Seattle.

@2: Has anybody else noticed that you never see Odo and Mark Fuhrman in the same photograph?

The city council (and slowly state leaders) are slowly turning on Durkan for fudging up the response to the protests so bad. You'd almost think she took the same playbook Trump did, only without asking armed white nationalists for help.

The "Best" thing she can do to maybe hold on to her office is firing Best. And she'll need to do it before Best does what other chiefs around the country are doing and resigns. That still won't be enough at this point, she's garnered too much bad will. An about face and working with the council to defund and demilitarize the SPD is about the only thing that could bring her social capital ledger back from the red and even that might not be enough.

"without mention that an East Precinct cop's brother has just been charged with shooting a protester last week."- why would she mention it?

Going forward, Durkan's problems are manifold. First and foremost, she's not left enough for the left, and now many of the moderate voters who supported her feel betrayed and disappointed. What constituency does she have left? I'm not seeing her as the first choice of either the left or the moderates. She's in big, big trouble politically. Second, she's probably permanently alienated Carmen Best. Best might not leave and Durkan might not fire her, but mistrust and disrespect will taint their relationship. Third, the City Council is only barely still open to letting Durkan remain mayor. She can play woke/hip counterculture "Summer of Love" grandma all she likes, but who will buy the act, coming right on the heels of the tear gas? Again, the left's utterly rejecting her, and moderates increasingly fear she has sold them out to stay in good enough graces with the council to keep her job. She might keep her job--barely--but at what cost to her career--and at what cost to the city's sense of pride and community? It's not looking good for Jenny Durkan, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a recall Durkan movement get going. Meanwhile, someone must govern the city...