THURSDAY: Online ‘town hall’ for West Seattle with mayor, police chief, SDOT director, others

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Just in, the mayor has called another online “town hall” for West Seattle while hot topic from the bridge closure to police “defunding” continue to burn. Here’s the announcement we received:

Please join Mayor Jenny Durkan and City of Seattle department directors for a conversation with West Seattle residents about how we can work together to build safe and healthy communities.

Community members are the City’s most vital resource, and the best solutions often come from community which is why we’re working to bring City Hall to you.

During our community discussion, you can work directly with our City departments on resources and solutions that are important to you.

When: Thursday, July 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Who: West Seattle residents, Mayor’s Office representatives, and representatives from the following departments: Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department, Human Services Department, and Seattle Department of Transportation

You can RSVP here and send a question in advance; the meeting link will be here. The city’s last “virtual town hall” for West Seattle was two months ago; here’s our coverage.

P.S. No word yet if Councilmember Lisa Herbold will be participating; the announcement from the mayor’s office didn’t mention her, but the one for the May event didn’t either, and she did wind up being included.

Jgreene July 21, 2020 (7:58 am)

I hope Lisa Herbold & other city council members show up. I would love a discussion on what everyone thinks the future of policing in King County will look like going forward. I’m all for change. We need the PD to stop racial profiling and targeting BIPOC. We need to hold officers accountable for bad behaviors and get rid of repeat offenders. We need to ramp up bias training (not cut it). We need funds for better training on de-escalation and programs to retrain our current officers to new and improved standards. This is just a start at retooling our local PD, but all of this takes money and I don’t see how we will have any funds for any training and/or ongoing officer development programs if we are looking at a 50% blanket cut of the Seattle PD budget.

Brandon July 21, 2020 (10:05 am)

The two At Large CM’s should be included in the Town Halls also. They are Policy Makers that encompass the entire city including WS, so they should take questions too. With this lineup and issues at stake, this should be an all nighter.

Fred Willburg July 21, 2020 (10:23 am)

Well guys this is our chance to voice our concerns for this hasty plan. We need to be civilized but vocal about the way this council is driving us down a dangerous path. We can improve our police department without drastic defunding. Let’s have a conversation instead uneducated, emotion based decisions.

GreenLakesLover July 21, 2020 (10:46 am)

Fred, ”uneducated, emotion based decisions” is not what Lisa Herbold is about. In the end you may not agree with her, but one thing you can trust is that whatever conclusion she has come to is evidence based.
- Fred Willburg July 21, 2020 (11:27 am)
  
  Greenlakelover,i immensely disagree if you only educate yourself on one side of an argument and placate to facts that only support your claim without researching the topic in full and listening to experts from both sides inherently your decision is not educated. I believe CM Herbold is not about finding a solution. Just look at how this whole thing unfolded. A protest at the end of May requested a 50% defunding of Olive they continued to chant this narrative as time passed with another research into the matter. Now the council, CM Herbold included are working to fit the 50% defund. I have yet to see them speak to any experts that counter this movement. Only decriminalize Seattle and king county equity now. When she listens to other sides I’ll agree with you about educated.
Joe Szilagyi July 23, 2020 (12:57 pm)

They’re not uneducated, emotion based decisions because one does not like the conclusions reached. Elections have consequences. Convince more people to vote your way; that is your only standing. If a position or ideology lacks electoral support, why should it be supported?

Rob July 23, 2020 (5:12 pm)

Just started. No Herbold.

Celeste Gazarek July 23, 2020 (5:13 pm)

At 5:10 July 23….have not been able to join the meeting after numerous attempts and pre registration. My husband and I both get the error message “invalid address” on our iPads. What a disappointment.

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