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PROTEST: Evening March in West Seattle for 5th time in 11 nights, returning to Councilmember Lisa Herbold’s neighborhood

August 3, 2020 8:53 pm
|      93 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle protests

8:53 PM: For the fifth time in 11 nights, the Evening March protest group is in West Seattle again tonight. Last night, they were in North Delridge, outside City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda‘s home; before that, dating back to Friday, July 24th, they’ve been to the homes of City Councilmembers Lisa Herbold in Highland Park and Lorena González in The Junction, as well as County Executive Dow Constantine in west Admiral. Each of those elected officials came out to talk with them. Tonight, they gathered at and just left from Highland Park Elementary, which might mean a return to Herbold’s home. A livestreamer with them is being featured here. Updates to come.


9:13 PM: They’ve been winding through side streets, cars and marchers, about 100 strong per tonight’s streamer. Headed toward 9th/HP Way south of Holden.

9:22 PM: They are at Herbold’s house and she is coming out to talk with them – for the second time in a week and a half.

9:42 PM: She’s seated on the pavement talking with the group’s leaders. Main topic is what happened when armed neighbors blocked them from going to SPD Chief Carmen Best‘s house in Snohomish last Saturday night. (added) Herbold noted that in her work as a community organizer in other states many years ago, she had organized protests at the homes of “people in power.”

10:03 PM: The conversation turned to the council’s proposed SPD cuts/changes and Herbold is explaining why they can’t cut as drastically and quickly as activists want. (added) As other councilmembers have told the group, the process of determining next year’s budget starts in six weeks, and that’s where they might be able to do more.

10:24 PM: The conversation has wrapped up.

10:55 PM: They’re now marching back to the school, where they started the evening. (Cars and bikes caravan with them.)

ADDED: Here’s the video that Malcontentment Tango streamed, including the conversation with Herbold.

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93 Replies to "PROTEST: Evening March in West Seattle for 5th time in 11 nights, returning to Councilmember Lisa Herbold's neighborhood"

  • A August 3, 2020 (9:37 pm)

    Can someone explain to me how marching to council members houses making demands is appropriate? Seems like an intimidation tactic to get what you want. The issue of defunding the police is way too big of an issue to be decided by activists or by the council. It really should be decided by a vote of the people of Seattle. If you want to make a change and gather and march together then by all means please do that. That is what is great about this country is you are free to do that. When the marches lead to politicians houses is where you are crossing the line. You are either intimidating these people to get what you want and/or this is just a publicity stunt and the politicians are in on it and eager to use it to pander to potential voters. Either way it is completely unacceptable in a democracy

    • Brian Laird August 3, 2020 (11:00 pm)

      Just want to take a moment to agree with you1🌎💜

    • barb August 4, 2020 (1:05 am)

      Couldn’t agree more.  It infuriates me that the council has the hubris to make a HUGE decision like this, seemingly overnight, without first consulting  the populace. As it is, it seems SPD is already short staffed, with overtime being discouraged. Yes, many 911 calls concern mental health issues, but it seems they often include guns, knives, machetes,  etc.  Will we be sending out armed social workers? I’m sure they would prefer a police escort. I’m seriously wondering where I’ll get the plywood for my big front window, and who will hoist it’s  homeup and nail it into place. I’ve long had a baseball bat by my side, but I know how easy it would be to overpower me. I now feel the need for thicker doors and better locks, as well as firearms. Our property taxes will be far from adequate to protect the city and its residents from the Wild West, where 911  might bring no one to help in your time of. need.  I do agree that racism  is systemic, but it escapes me how defunding SPD can obviate that situation.

      • Duffy August 4, 2020 (7:48 am)

        They are short staffed and low on budget because a percentage of the force makes over 200k a year, some over 300k a year. Some of the salaries were even higher because of the retroactive pay from 2015; but that does not account for all of them. The “budget” shortfalls are the result of a group of officers making too much money. Since this is the case, I propose a cap on pay so that they can hire more police officers. We don’t need to defund them. We need to institute pay cuts so that they can be adequately staffed. This has been analyzed and reported on before but folks don’t want to look into it. Plus, it isn’t just police. Ever wonder why the City of Seattle has a budget that exceeds the GDP of many countries? Because this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2020/06/23/why-the-city-of-seattle-and-their-police-department-is-in-trouble/#755db7d7cb1aI mean, the assistant to the Chief Librarian makes 100K a year…

      • Beth August 4, 2020 (8:48 am)

        Barb – agree! They didn’t even have the wherewithal to discuss this, at the very least, with the Chief of Police. They make decisions inward using emotion and “loud tactics” (if you’re the loudest one in the room, you’re the most right one in the room 😏) They are one-track minded and out of line.

    • junctioneer August 4, 2020 (7:25 am)

      It does seem that way. Didn’t realize a group to Chief Best’s home too. I’m glad she doesn’t have young children. “A teaching moment”, maybe. From my experience as the son of an officer, I would have been so scarred by that (as a protestor, I’d also have been scared of neighbors “defending” with guns). Already live in fear someone found my parent and decided to take revenge. Death threats are numerous. I get they are protesting something important also with deadly consequences, but seems like there are other ways of being even more disruptive if we want that don’t go to homes. Do the council members really make themselves unavailable to require that? Judges are a part of this system, are they fair game? Neither of those are rhetorical.

    • Sarah August 4, 2020 (8:29 am)

      Spot-on.

    • Tony W August 4, 2020 (11:51 am)

      Excellent! Couldn’t agree more.

    • Real West Seattleite August 4, 2020 (5:14 pm)

      LETS CREATE AUTONOMOUS ZONES IN FRONT OF ALL THE ELECTED’S HOUSES! THEN SEE HOW QUICK THINGS GET DONE! 

  • Jsparra August 3, 2020 (9:46 pm)

    Gotta reap what you’ve sown Lisa….hope you get no peace….stop defund conversation, apply the law, propose real solutions, listen to rational people not social justice bullies and mobs.

    • Derek August 3, 2020 (11:04 pm)

      I’m a rational homeowner in West Seattle, for years. And I support defunding. 

      • WS Resident for Social Justice August 4, 2020 (6:18 am)

        … Defunding what? … Defunding how?    What’s your vision?  Defunding without a plan, without specifics is the Trump way of doing things.  Ill pass on your desire to be more like Trump.

        • JES August 4, 2020 (1:17 pm)

          WS resident for social justice- there IS a plan, have you just not take the time to read it?

      • Cbj August 4, 2020 (7:24 am)

        I’m a rational progressive west Seattle homeowner too and a biracial man, and I do not agree with defunding the SPD in fact like to see laws enforced it’s become the Wild West 

      • Anne August 4, 2020 (8:10 am)

        I too am a “rational homeowner in West Seattle for years”-I support working together to see what issues would be best served by other than SPD-who might actually welcome those changes. The term defund- seems to me to have become a punitive term-so I think reallocate is a better term-  but I believe it needs to be a cooperative effort that includes SPD. Above all -major changes like this -that affect each & every one of us needs to be voted on. If we can’t vote on this issue-we certainly can vote for those that make the decisions. 

        • Nigel August 4, 2020 (10:42 am)

          I hear you, pragmatism and compromise should go a long way. The mayor has already suggested a detailed plan for immediately reallocating 22% of the Police department budget to other departments, including moving the 911 center to civilian control. She also stated she was open to addressing continued reallocation in the upcoming budget cycle, just 6 weeks away. Her ideas were rejected as too slow and not enough. What we see before us is nothing but a “money grab.” These new emerging groups and leaders want money and it appears the city council is willing to buy votes by giving away taxpayer money. Please show me an existing 501c3 non-profit with a proven track record that is responding to the city of seattle request for proposal for needed social services, youth programs, childcare, home repairs/home ownership programs, etc. All I see is “protesters” demanding money and the details will be worked out later. 

      • JES August 4, 2020 (8:56 am)

        Same.

      • Blm August 4, 2020 (5:19 pm)

        Ditto!!!!!! 

    • JillJ August 4, 2020 (10:04 am)

      Agree 100%. Thank you 

  • Duffy August 3, 2020 (9:50 pm)

    At least our elected officials are earning their money. Are they getting paid overtime for this?

  • J August 3, 2020 (10:17 pm)

    I DON’T RECAL HAVING GIVING THESE PEOPLE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ME ON IMPORTANT MATTERS THAT COULD CHANGE MY LIFESTYLE.

    • Matt P August 4, 2020 (12:47 am)

      So everyone who wants to speak out needs to get your permission first?

      • Pelicans August 4, 2020 (2:39 am)

        Matt P, No permission is  needed for them to speak to CM’s, but CM’s need to realize the reported approximately 100 noisy, entitled, and possibly intimidating protestors don’t speak for all 80,000 people on the peninsula. Only a portion of us . The other portion(s) aren’t out marching. We vote, pay taxes, and are quietly seething that these people have the potential to affect how our city is run without even a vote.   And we demand a vote of the people on an action with this potential to change all our daily lives. Mob noise should never dictate how our city functions. In this pandemic they are taking advantage of the fact we can’t attend city council meetings in person. But it looks like they’re doing that on an individual basis, one by one. Is this the new normal of how our city government is going to operate from here on out? Are they all marching home, smugly satisfied that they will get their way? If that is so, and the city council votes according to only protestors’ wishes, we are done. 

      • Also John August 4, 2020 (7:21 am)

        @Matt P…….It’s called public voting.  

  • Too Much August 3, 2020 (10:25 pm)

    I hope the wsb readers are listening to the audio. I worry that the protesters are getting played and manipulated by her and who knows who else. Sad. 

  • Barb August 3, 2020 (10:32 pm)

    This is what you do when Lisa will not respond to emails!!! I can’t get her to respond to anything!!! She has yet to ask her constituents what we think. I have asked for a town hall meeting, I have asked for a reply and still nothing. . Yet when it comes time for re-election I get tons of requests. Done with her!!!!

    • J August 4, 2020 (8:39 am)

      Same.  She never responds.  I have emailed her and added a few other counsel members to emails during the HALA decisions.  Guess who responded?  Everyone but Herbold.

  • MrsT August 3, 2020 (10:37 pm)

    I can. Or, you can find it in Article I of the Constitution of the United States of America. It goes like “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.  The city council, the mayor, the police chief are the government, so this is indeed entirely acceptable in a democracy. I participated in the first one of these marches when I heard them marching down my street and the only violence was from a white lady who came out of her condo to scream at everyone. And the fact that so many of my neighbors are up in arms about these marches, and spreading a bunch of speculation (it is staged!) and flat out lies (they are violent!) about what is going on there is extremely troubling. You can even watch the streams as they are happening, so it isn’t like it is hard to learn the truth.

    Part of the point is to make you (us) uncomfortable. It sure must be uncomfortable as a black American to feel fear every time you see a police officer. It must be quite uncomfortable to live a life steeped in institutional racism from birth till death. I really do not know how any white person can feel comfortable again after seeing George Floyd murdered on video. The cries of sleep lost, peace disturbed, comfort delayed, and fear mongering about a “violent mob” ring so hollow in light of those truths I feel embarrassed every time I read them.

    • Ws August 3, 2020 (11:07 pm)

      The protesters should feel free to assemble in the streets but they should not feel free to assemble in front of our elected officials houses. It is intimidation no matter how you look at it. Peaceful or not it’s not OK to march up to a council members home. If you want your voice heard it should be heard the way the rest of our voices are heard. This is a new development this isn’t something that’s been going on for a long time. It should not be acceptable and the fact that you participated does not make it so.

      • WSB August 3, 2020 (11:41 pm)

        This is by no means new, as I noted in an earlier thread.
        https://westseattleblog.com/2009/10/update-protest-sleepout-on-beach-drive/

        • Michael Ostrogorsky August 4, 2020 (11:46 am)

          Historian here. This is by no means new at all. In fact, America was founded on rioting, destruction of property (Boston Tea Party comes to mind) and intimidation of British colonial officials attempting to collect taxes for the crown with threats of tarring and feathering. In Boston, rioters paraded Commissioner Andrew Oliver’s likeness through the streets and destroyed the brick building he had recently built along the waterfront. In case Oliver still hadn’t received the hint, the mob beheaded his effigy in front of his finely appointed home before throwing stones through his windows, demolishing his carriage house and imbibing the contents of his wine cellar. He resigned the position the next day. Additional riots broke out all across the Eastern seaboard.  So no, this activity is DISTINCTLY AMERICAN!

    • Mr T August 3, 2020 (11:36 pm)

      Would you then be ok with a form of counter protest that made you feel uncomfortable? This is a dangerous game that you are playing.

      • MrsT August 4, 2020 (11:08 am)

        I’d say that the suppression of the First Amendment to the Constitution to appease my white middle class comfort is the dangerous game. Now, if those folks were showing up at the homes of all these government officials pointing guns at their house and threatening to kill them, we would be having a different conversation. But when I see a council woman sitting criss-cross applesauce across from the protesters and engaging in a dialog I can’t help but wonder what exactly it is that you all are afraid of. 

  • Darryll August 3, 2020 (11:02 pm)

    It’s 11pm. We can hear these idiots a mile away. Not making much of a case for their cause. 

  • gws August 3, 2020 (11:06 pm)

    Perhaps if the City Council will not listen to all citizens and think about what they are doing to this city then it’s time to recall the bunch.  Yes, there is a systemic race issue in this city and with the police, but an ill planned and thought out ‘defund the police’ effort will not resolve the issues and will create a bunch of unintended new issues.

    • JES August 4, 2020 (8:57 am)

      Care to say what is ill thought out about it? Have you read it? Do you have specific suggestions?

  • Jonathan August 3, 2020 (11:54 pm)

    Never again do I want to hear complaints about my loud stereo system at 11pm driving through Seattle, or more specifically Alki. I’ll just say I’m protesting a made up issue if someone says I’m disturbing the peace or breaking the noise ordinance. Hey, maybe the social workers (police) wont even stop me! In actuality, I’m respectable and wouldn’t do that even though by this everyday example I have a valid reason to.Same should be said for loitering, erratic driving, unlawful assembly, jaywalking. The list goes on and on from what I saw in this ‘peaceful protest’. “No one is above the law” Isn’t that what Democrat leaders preached a few months ago? HAH!Get a permit. Be responsible. Be legitimate. Follow the rules and be safe. You’ll then have my respect. It shouldn’t be that hard. But I guess it is. Do as I say, not as I do. Oh and thanks for ‘potentially spreading’ the corona virus in my parents neighborhood and to the community.

    • JES August 4, 2020 (1:06 pm)

      Are you saying police brutality is a made up issue?

      • Jonathan August 4, 2020 (2:30 pm)

        Police brutality is wrong, and by that very basic logic, yes it is an issue. By classifying this as wrong, many things can be an issue. Drunk drivers can injure and kill people when they take the wheel. That is an issue too, but we don’t revoke the license of every american because there are drunk drivers.
        So again, sure, police brutality is an issue because it is wrong. Is it an issue that warrants this style of response? Absolutely not. For those that cant make the connection in my example, ill dumb it down. Defunding the police to stop police brutality is like taking away our licenses because some idiots decide to drive drunk.
        And I am not even using statistics to back this explanation. Its out there, the number of police encounters and the number that go south, and you can educate yourself but you really don’t need to. Its just common sense.
        The more people falsely paint police as the suspects the more likely bad actors are going to act against officers and make a simple stop much more hostile and lead to many more problems across the board. Instead of hyper-focusing on the bad police, we should encourage and embrace the good police. Teach people not to fight the cops, and that they aren’t out there to harm.
        Get arrested for doing something wrong? Don’t resist. Pulled over? Hands on the wheel at 10 and 2, disclose every action you will make with your hands. Its extremely easy.

        • Lagartija Nick August 4, 2020 (8:00 pm)

          Philando Castile did EXACTLY what you said to do and he was murdered by the police for his compliance. So no, it’s not that easy. Ugh.

  • chemist August 4, 2020 (12:34 am)

    The sit-down with Herbold can be heard pretty well in this stream (starting about 1 hr in).  https://www.pscp.tv/w/1MYxNVELYOwxw?t=3650

  • Pamela August 4, 2020 (6:07 am)

    I hope  EVERYONE has taken time to vote, whether you feel inclined to march or to protest or to celebrate, technically your voice WILL be heard if you vote.   Choose to sweep everyone out or if you are satisfied with how you are being represented  – either way – VOTE and get your ballot submitted TODAY

  • greentea August 4, 2020 (6:27 am)

    Maybe no one will have to worry about the protesting or defunding…looks like us humans are taking care of everything on our own.

    Monday’s Covid totals:
    *15,634 people have tested positive, 124 more than yesterday’s total*656 people have died, 7 more than yesterday’s total*1,983 people have been hospitalized, 20 more than yesterday’s total*304,242 people have been tested, 3,713 more than yesterday’s total

  • Flipzzzz August 4, 2020 (7:02 am)

    How fortunate we are to live in America . Here we are in the middle of a pandemic and folks are free to protest and voice their concerns on important matters whenever they want .nowhere else in the world right now has the number of marches and protests as does the USA . In Many countries these folks would be fined . Stay safe out there and thank you for wearing masks as we are in a grave health situation too . 

    • emy August 4, 2020 (7:53 am)

      Probably why they have lower numbers than we do

      • JES August 4, 2020 (1:08 pm)

        This is false, which you can easily find out with a little research. Look at the hotspots, it’s not hard.

        • Kuma August 4, 2020 (1:42 pm)

          It’s disheartening that our neighbors don’t consider facts before making public statements. 

          • Flipzzzz August 4, 2020 (6:53 pm)

            There are hotspots all over the USA . Seattle’s numbers unfortunately are going up . Be grateful you live in a country where you can hit the streets to voice your opinions . It is illegal in most other places . So all we ask is you kindly social distance and wear masks for the greater community good . Thank you . 

  • Elle Nell August 4, 2020 (7:49 am)

    While I’m not a Herbold fan, I commend her for coming out and sitting holding dialogue… I support defending the police. We need a system that works for us ALL and this doesn’t even work for most of us. I’m hopeful for the outcome after all of this uncomfortable work. Change is NOT FUN or easy!!

  • ALKIbum August 4, 2020 (7:50 am)

    I had sympathy with this group of people until they started marching in streets day after day blocking cars and marching to people’s homes in the middle of the night. Enough already.

  • Beth August 4, 2020 (8:52 am)

  • Under Achiever August 4, 2020 (8:52 am)

    I wonder what would happen if I personally visited CM Herbold’s home by myself, without journalists, knocked on the door and asked to speak with her.   Is this how my voice gets heard?

    • Kuma August 4, 2020 (1:43 pm)

      I’m curious to know if she’s receptive. Let us know what happens. 

  • vee August 4, 2020 (9:32 am)

    agree and ironic thing do you think they would welcome the people who dont agree with them and wantedto talk with them about not defunding etc oh no she  wouldshut the door in your face 

    • WSB August 4, 2020 (10:27 am)

      Actually, as noted above, the group and councilmembers are not in agreement. The former contends the latter are doing far too little.

  • Lispector August 4, 2020 (9:36 am)

    An awful lot of you keep saying the movement to defund the police is “ill planned” but if you took a second to learn you’d find out exactly what we are requesting. The  blueprint is here.And for everyone getting upset about this I have news for ya, protesting is fundamentally American. This is democracy in action. If you think otherwise, go read some books and educate yourselves. I suggest starting with Democracy Now by Cornel West. We will continue to hold politicians accountable. We will continue to organize. Black lives still matter. No justice, no peace.

    • Darryll August 4, 2020 (11:47 am)

      Protests are meant to call attention to an issue, not to force policy changes on society at large; We live in a democracy. Protesting individuals at their homes is harassment, not democracy in action. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the hypocrisy and long term danger of employing these tactics. History  demonstrates that once you use these tools, you can expect they will eventually be used against you, too.I think the problem that a lot of people have, and you’re starting to see this played out in the form of the anti-defunding petition,  is this lack of foresight on display by protesters  these past few months. The lack of any leadership or accountability.  Not to mention the wholesale disregard for the health of many vulnerable people in our community. It’s really underscoring that the extremes in our city and country are essentially the same –  “me first.”   Willingness to use harassment, intimidation, and sometimes violence to silence debate and disenfranchise the majority is not ok regardless of the end goals. This undercuts productive conversation and negotiation and excludes many people from the community, which were all supposedly agreeing is wrong.

    • Questions August 4, 2020 (12:32 pm)

      Thank you for the link.

      Key takeaways:
      Police to be defunded immediately, beginning Q3/Q4 2020.
      Community groups to begin providing limited services mid-2021.
      Community groups to determine their own success metrics.

      Questions:
      Who will be overseeing the community groups that are essentially replacing SPD (City of Seattle? King County Equity Now?) or will they be operating independently?
      Who will be staffing 911 operations and how will they be trained?What will happen with life-or-death calls, i.e. armed intruder in my home?

    • PedroTheLion August 4, 2020 (2:00 pm)

      That blueprint is a joke; and the lack of logic, data, and objective thought is painfully aparent.  Was this written by the same ill-informed, unqualified group we see marching every night?  It sure looks like it. One big glaring omission – why the money they want invested in the “community” is best taken from the police, as opposed to obtaining new funding sources or taking the money from failed programs like the $100+ million we waste on homeless “services” every year.  And how will eliminating implicit bias training help advance us toward racial justice?And the notion that community safety and policing are “inherently racial justice” issues is absurd. Rather, they are universal issues of the human condition in a civilized society. They may become racial justice issues when community safety and policing are improperly implemented along racial lines; but inherently a racial justice issue – uh, no. In short, a bunch of hogwash from a bunch of uninformed activists who really want to feel a sense of purpose in their lives.

      • Rider August 5, 2020 (7:30 pm)

        👏👏👏 Well said. 

    • wscommuter August 4, 2020 (2:38 pm)

      @Lispector … thank you for publishing the link – it is the first concrete proposal I’ve seen as to how defunding might work, at least in your view of things.  You and I disagree on defunding, but this is a serious document worthy of discussion and debate.  Unfortunately, it is utterly devoid of any actual cost savings/reallocation data.  So it is difficult to evaluate, other than to say that it does in no way explain how much of SPD’s budget could be cut.  Having said that, I would urge others to read the document.  I’d also observe that there are recommended cuts which I would adamantly oppose, such as “eliminating SWAT”.  I understand the argument some might make against SWAT … but precisely who do you suggest deal with hostage situations, which happen with frightening regularity?  Likewise,  other ideas such as stopping all hiring/training of officers is, to be blunt, silly.  Any organization has ongoing attrition and unless your goal is to choke SPD down to a much smaller size (and if that is your goal, you and I strongly disagree with each other), this idea is ridiculous.  The same with “eliminate training”?  How on earth could that be a good idea?  You want less trained police?  Seriously?  I could go on – folks should read this document and decide for themselves if this is the model for defunding they support – or not.  Certainly there are some ideas in it with merit.  But on balance, I can’t agree with most of it.  

    • OMG August 5, 2020 (1:16 pm)

      So the plan is to first make cuts to the police then spend that money on research to figure out a plan? 

  • Alex August 4, 2020 (9:39 am)

    If you are one of the silent, yet seething over the threatened arbitrary cuts in police service, sign the stop defunding petition at http://www.StopDefunding.com and show up at the rally organized by the Seattle Police Guild on 8/9, noon at City Hall, 600 4th Ave.

  • WSRes August 4, 2020 (9:40 am)

    I too have reached out to council member Herbold on a few occasions expressing my opposition to defunding our SPD and have heard nothing in return. I’m disappointed that she seems far more available and responsive to the defunding group than she is to those of us that stand in opposition. She was elected to represent all of West Seattle. 

    • pjmanley August 4, 2020 (10:26 am)

      If you listened to Mosqueda call-in show yesterday morning, the pro-defunding calls outnumbered the “do not defund” calls by a ratio of about 10 to 1, despite the fact that 150k Seattleites – as of today – have signed the StopDefunding.com petition.  A very loud minority is clearly overrepresented in the ears of our City Council, leading to these Wag the Dog policy proposals.  And the public feedback process is clearly a stacked-deck in favor of the loudest activists who are likely bombarding the sign-up processes to ensure they dominate the cue of callers who get through to our CMs.       

      • WSB August 4, 2020 (10:34 am)

        Actually it was 5 to 1. I noted that in yesterday’s coverage – 4 “slow down” calls, 20 pro-“defunding” calls.

        Meantime, for those interested, the mayor and chief are having another media briefing at 2 pm. Seattle Channel will stream it, we’ll have it live here too.

        • pjmanley August 4, 2020 (11:52 am)

          I’ll go with your ratio, WSB.  Point is that our CMs are in a silo world when it comes to what’s going on throughout the City they preside over.  The result, as Nigel eloquently states below, is Manufactured Consent, not the will of the people.  

      • Nigel August 4, 2020 (10:57 am)

        The city council meetings had degenerated into political theatre when the meeting was public. Now that we only have virtual meetings the public truly has no way of knowing who gets to voice an opinion. If it is real, selective choosing of who gets to speak, the city council reports their count of those in favor and those against. The show is called Manufacturing Consent.

        • Darryll August 4, 2020 (7:25 pm)

          Thank you Nigel for addressing the elephant in the room! The city council is a supremely biased echo chamber that makes decisions to placate mobs. 20 people get to comment on a proposal that will radially impact the quality of life and public safety for  over 750K people. This  is outrageous and very likely illegal.

  • MM August 4, 2020 (9:47 am)

    Back the Blue, Defend SPD, Let’s get our wonderful West Seattle neighborhoods back.   City Council Leaders need to go. How did Herbold win, who voted for her. 

  • Terri August 4, 2020 (10:40 am)

    Many thanks to the marchers who are keeping this issue alive. We need change, and the only way we are going to get it is through every day action. Those who are complaining about the inconvenience or the bother, need to take another look at what people do in our neighborhoods on a regular basis, annoyances which we mostly tolerate and probably even participate in: speeding, jaywalking, parking illegally, setting off fireworks, cutting across a neighbor’s yard, picking flowers, dropping litter, setting beach fires, “forgetting” to wear a mask, on and on. “Hell, Donny,” (family joke) a larger mob walks by our house letting their dogs piss and sh-t on the grass every morning and evening of the year. Excuse? It’s just what people do. A developer building townhouses on our block uses three un-permitted (and likely stolen) No Parking signs; parking enforcement took them down, and he put them right back up. Excuse? Profit and entitlement. We accept this kind of crappy self-justifying behavior all the time, I think we can also accept an hour or two of purposeful noise from committed young people pleading for us to pay attention, learn about police bias, and help stop the brutality.

    • Darryll August 4, 2020 (11:50 am)

      By your logic, speeding and general illegal behavior is ok because someone else is doing it. That’s pretty Trumpy. 

  • Richard August 4, 2020 (11:36 am)

    I just emailed Lisa Herbold the following.  Don’t be silent, I urge you to email her too.

    Dear Councilmember Herbold,

    In light of the recent West Seattle nighttime protests, some which have visited your house specifically, please keep in mind that these “activists” do not represent the entire West Seattle community.  Some “activists” do not even live in West Seattle! 

    Many West Seattle residents are frustrated and annoyed that you continue to appease these protestors with this dialogue to “de-fund SPD”.  And at 10-11pm while most of us are trying to sleep! 

    There is a time and a place for peaceful protests but causing very loud commotions late at night, on residential streets in West Seattle is unacceptable; you need to stop pandering to them.  

    Let me say this loud and clear Ms. Herbold, you represent the entire district not just those with the loudest voices who wake you up late at night.

    The vast majority of Seattle residents agree that change is needed, and that racial profiling and excessive police force can not be tolerated anywhere. 

    As a resident and property owner in West Seattle, I expect the taxes I pay to ensure my safety.  That means funding police, fire, and emergency services in West Seattle.  Any changes to funding the Seattle Police Department will have negative consequences to your representation of my district in the future.

    • Bradley August 4, 2020 (1:16 pm)

      I agree. There is a time and place for these conversations. It may not intimidate Lisa but to the wider body of her constituents it appears as Special Interest treatment. Can any of the rest of the population now form a March to their houses and demand to be heard?  Isn’t that what public comment periods are at City Hall meetings?  Democratic process is tilted again which what I thought the protesters were opposed to. 

  • Frog August 4, 2020 (11:48 am)

    So many ironies here.  For as long as I can remember, the left were the main defenders of police because the police had a union, and the left is reflexively pro-union, so end of story.  The only people who ever complained about waste and self-dealing in police departments were small-gov, anti-tax Republican types.  Now suddenly it’s flipped.  And not only that, we suddenly have intimidating night marches demanding complex and drastic changes right now, or else … or else something.  They leave it to your imagination what the or else is.  Complex changes like the ones being discussed would take years to figure out and implement, even if voters ultimately agree to them.  (You do believe in democracy, right?)  It would take years to develop protocols and training for new types of public safety officials, and hire the people, and get them into service.  Lots of things are true at the same time:  every government agency on the planet is vulnerable to waste, inefficiency, goldbricking, misconduct, and corruption, including police departments (and perhaps police departments more than most);  and a better balance between police officers’ vested interests and the public interest would probably yield a better outcome for citizens and taxpayers;  but at the same time the SPD of today is cleaner and more professional than most police forces around the world or over time.  (Go to any poor country and check out their police.)  It’s totally reasonable to expect a respectful, deliberative, daytime approach to these issues.  Progressives own the city council, and have the power to do all of this if they want, as long as they do it right and maintain voter support.  (That’s what democracy is, right?)  Nothing stands in their way (except wrong decisions that alienate voters.)  Sending night marchers to harass the police chief at her home doesn’t really seem like a pro-democracy tactic.

  • Realistic August 4, 2020 (12:12 pm)

    Many people are expressing frustration for getting no response from a CM when they attempt to contact them.   Obviously the correct way to contact them and get a response is to show up unannounced at their home to meet with them in person.  Maybe they’ll all add their home addresses to the city website and their personal website/social medias sites so everyone can easily access it (not that it’s very hard otherwise).I completely agree with others who say defunding the police is ill planned.  Here is an example,  in yesterday’s meeting Sawant said moving the 911 center out from under SPD will not cost anything and it will be a simple accounting change.  Not true!  1st of all, even making the accounting changes, the city is paying people to handle the transition (SPD, the 911 center, the SPD and City payroll/HR departments, the dispatchers guild that now has to meet with the city, and many others).  They will need to be budgeted for more money to hire more operators/dispatchers to handle the additional workload assigned to them.  They also said they want to have the transition completed by the end of next year which means physically moving them out of SPD.  Folks, that is going to cost a huge amount of money, possibly millions.  They most likely will have to either remodel a property they already own or buy a new property.  It needs to be a VERY secure building since it is a lifeline to citizens and houses millions of dollars worth of technology.  It is a 24/7 facility so it needs to be durable.  My point is that nothing the city does is at no expense.  It all costs money….TAX PAYER money.   Also, they’re going to commit to all of that before anything else is approved and in place which could end up being for absolutely no reason at all and a waste of tax payer money.   Please do not defund the Seattle Police Department.  If approved, Seattle will become Seattle Town (I again recommend everyone watch Flint Town on Netflix).  The city will be bankrupt because all the money has gone towards a huge welfare system that 1 CM has created and the other CM’s caved to, houses/businesses will start getting boarded up, the big companies will move out, property values will tank which will leave Seattle residents bankrupt, and crime will skyrocket.  To the City Council Members:  you are in a position that has an obligation to make decisions that protect the city, the citizens, the visitors, and even the City of Seattle employees (which includes police officers).  PLEASE take that obligation serious, make smart decisions, listen to ALL citizens/voters and protect all of us.  If you will not or cannot live up to that obligation, we will happily accept your voluntary resignation now or we will end your political career in the next election.  Do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

  • IDW August 4, 2020 (12:59 pm)

    Thank you Daryll and Frog for some sanity/reason amidst the current moral panic.

  • Stop the bullying August 4, 2020 (3:36 pm)

    What Darryll and Richard said.

  • EN August 4, 2020 (4:05 pm)

    SEATTLE NEEDS TERM LIMITS VOTE THE CITY COUNCIL OUT.

    • WSB August 4, 2020 (4:14 pm)

      EM – a majority of the councilmembers are on their first terms – actually in their first *year*.

  • wseaturtle August 4, 2020 (6:25 pm)

    I’m glad it was all civil. on both sides.

  • ScubaFrog August 4, 2020 (7:08 pm)

    It’s sad that the ultra far right (as noted by these posts and trump) think protesting is “anti-American”.  They’d have you believe they’re “progressives” or “liberals”, or “pro-black lives”!  HAH!  These people have live with their white privilege for so long, and their white fragility has been tested just a little bit by protests, Best’s lies and Durkan’s predilection towards lying, and they’re putting their collective white feet down:  Their White Privilege is going NOWHERE!  It would be funny if it weren’t so sad and pathetic.  The same people walking around with their kids, taking selfies of little posters their kids made “Black lives matter!”, now condemning blacks and BLM’s core ethos (that was there from the beginning).  BLM I hope this is a good lesson, NEVER trust them.  BLACK POWER!!

  • Rockatansky August 4, 2020 (7:26 pm)

     With the events of last week, where three groups can come to downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill and destroy things at will. People are legitimately intimidated. Less police at this time seems foolhardy. I know several business owners and neighbors that won’t speak out because they don’t want a brick through their window or a mob marching to their house. Police at their best work with the community in harmony. At their worst they will stop those meaning harm on your behalf. We have a working police force now, it will take years to build up and train this alternative force.  The plan of city council just seems to be “disrupt and dismantle” no matter the consequences. Bad idea. Please city council work with chief Best and Mayor to make measured thoughtful choices. 

  • Darryll August 4, 2020 (7:39 pm)

    Yeah scubafrog, everyone who disagrees with defunding police is a far right extremist. You like to hear from people who want to dump a vital public service like policing, but cry foul when people disagree with the approach taken. If you want to see what real fragility looks like, I think you should take a look in the mirror. :)

    • ScubaFrog August 4, 2020 (10:11 pm)

      If you equate defunding to “dumping policing”, I don’t know what to say to you.  I’m sure plenty of Intellectuals have tried to explain what defunding means.  You clearly have your own trumpineze/durkan/best version, but you don’t have the Truth.  And if you don’t have the Truth, you have an ultra far-right wing view for the populist, dumbed-down masses of the moment.  What’s the approach taken, btw?  Kneeling on black men’s necks for 10 minutes, until they pass?  One-by-one?  That’s fragility?  Your kind (the lovers of white authority) have been doing that since the inception of the nation.  It doesn’t work for my kind anymore.

      • Darryll August 5, 2020 (1:55 pm)

        Reducing everything down to binary choices is intellectually lazy and unproductive. This tactic is purposely used for eliminating debate and suppressing dissent in order to prop up orthodoxy. This view you’re pushing is oppressive and dehumanizing. I’d even say it’s  bigoted in its treatment of the ‘other’.

  • DRG August 4, 2020 (9:35 pm)

    Thank you for the work you’ve been doing, and continue to do, protesters. I fully support you.

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