The first of the five demands from Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County (BLMSKC) is to defund the police. We’ve already promoted their demands as actions in the past week, but with ongoing budget conversations in City Council with Seattle Police Officers’ Guild’s contract ending at the end of the year, we think it is important to highlight one of BLMSKC’s specific demands: a renegotiated police union contract with a focus on community oversight and accountability for officers regardless of seniority.
Check the Police has a helpful summary of policies that make it difficult to hold police accountable: https://www.checkthepolice.org/#review
ACTION:
Today we’re asking you to contact your three City Councilmembers and demand a police union contract with a focus on community oversight and accountability for officers regardless of seniority. You can find your councilmembers here: https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/find-your-district-and-councilmembers
Or if you know your district, use the list below.
Citywide
Teresa Mosqueda 206-684-8808 / [email protected]
Lorena Gonzalez 206-684-8809 / [email protected]
District 1
Lisa Herbold 206-684-8801 / [email protected]
District 2
Tammy Morales 206-684-8802 / [email protected]
District 3
Kshama Sawant 206-684-8803 / [email protected]
District 4
Alex Pedersen 206-684-8804 / [email protected]
District 5
Debora Juarez 206-684-8805 / [email protected]
District 6
Dan Strauss 206-684-8806 / [email protected]
District 7
Andrew Lewis 206-684-8807 / [email protected]
Script:
My name is [name], and I’m calling from [city, zip]. I am calling to ask the Councilmember to renegotiate a contract with the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild that focuses on community oversight and accountability for officers, regardless of seniority. At a minimum, the contract needs to:
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End disqualifying of misconduct complaints that are submitted too many days after an incident occurs or if an investigation takes too long to complete
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Stop preventing officers from being interrogated immediately after being involved in an incident
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Stop giving officers access to information that civilians do not get prior to interrogation
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End requiring the city to pay costs related to police misconduct
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Stop preventing information on past misconduct from being recorded in an officer’s personnel file
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Stop limiting disciplinary consequences for officers
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Include Black-led community representation in the contract negotiations
Background:
BLMSKC’s Demands: https://blacklivesseattle.org/our-demands/
Seattle City Council Budget Committee Meeting Schedule: http://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/select-budget-committee
Agreement between the City of Seattle and Seattle Police Officers’ Guild: https://www.seattle.gov/personnel/resources/pubs/SPOG_CBA_2015-2020.pdf
Check the Police: https://www.checkthepolice.org/
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Juneteenth Virtual Lunch and Learn: https://www.facebook.com/events/262320261716480/
SixNineteen Defend Black Lives schedule at the CHOP/CHAZ (white allies are asked to stand back and play a support role in these): https://act.sixnineteen.com/event/action/424
Juneteenth Freedom March: https://www.facebook.com/events/279620936741916/
GOOD NEWS
Supreme Court blocks Trump from ending DACA:
