Police violence is a systemic problem — solving it will require us to transform how we approach public safety. That’s why Seattle Indivisible supports Black Lives Matter in their call to Defund the Police, and why last month we sent a letter to Mayor Durkan and the City Council in response to the Mayor’s proposed 5% cut to SPD. This business-as-usual proposal is thoroughly tone deaf in the midst of a national movement against racially motivated police violence, and is hardly a good-faith offer when Black Lives Matter and other Seattle-area activists are calling for 25-50% cuts to SPD’s budget.
Read the letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NBebCYKRss-haR2cvDdFEz5bF14W_Era80ajxJ6XM7Q/edit
We’ve asked you before to contact the Mayor and your City Councilmembers and tell them that a 5% cut to SPD isn’t enough. Today, the City Council will meet on this topic, and we ask you to contact them again to remind them where their constituents stand.
Action: Contact your City Council Members to demand they defund the police by 25-50%
Use the link below to find your City Council members by entering your address. Once you do so you will be able to email all three at once by clicking the link provided, or call each individually: https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/find-your-district-and-councilmembers
Script:
“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I live in [neighborhood]. I’m [calling/emailing] to say that Mayor Durkan’s proposed 5% cut to the SPD budget is tone deaf and dismissive of the systemic problem of racially motivated police violence that plagues Seattle. I support a 25-50% cut to the SPD budget, and a reinvestment of at least half that money into Black and minority communities. Rescind the 5% offer and bring about real change in Seattle by defunding the police and rethinking our approach to public safety.”
Bonus Action: Provide public comment to City Council
The City Council will be holding meetings tomorrow to discuss the police budget, with public comment via phone starting at 4pm. If you are able to, provide a comment to the Council during this time. Registration will open at 2pm to speak. Use this website to register to comment. http://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment
Background:
https://blacklivesseattle.org/our-demands/
https://www.seattleindivisible.com/blog/2020/6/19/seattle-indivisible-agrees-its-time-to-defund-the-police
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-could-make-deeper-cuts-to-police-department-budget-than-proposed-by-mayor-jenny-durkan/
