On Friday, Mayor Durkan vetoed the City Council’s budget revision, which proposes to cut up to 100 police officers, lower the salaries of SPD command staff, and give $14 million in funding to community organizations. The City Council created this budget revision in response to the demands of Black-led organizations and protests across the city and country demanding structural change to address the active harm that our police department inflicts on communities of color. The revision is extremely modest in the face of demands for 50% cuts to the SPD budget, but it is a step.
Following the Mayor’s veto, the City Council has 30 days to reconsider, negotiate, and vote again. Call your City Council member and tell them to vote to override the veto – we can’t afford a return to status quo. The police shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, in WI on Sunday proves that the stakes continue to be life-and-death.
ACTION: Tell Your City Council Rep to Override the Veto, Defund the Police
Find your City Council Representatives’ contact information here: 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 was disappointed by Mayor Durkan’s veto of the city council’s budget revision – I would like the City Council to override her veto and pass the budget revision. The proposed cuts to SPD’s budget are a step in the right direction toward systemic change in our law enforcement. We cannot afford a return to the status quo. Thank you.”
