Mayor Harrell introduced his 2023-24 budget proposal for Seattle last week, and there are several parts of his budget that are alarming:
-
Parking enforcement has been trasnferred back from the transportation department to the Seattle Police Department, expanding SPD’s footprint and undoing a key accomplishment of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
-
The Jumpstart progressive payroll tax, whose revenues are supposed to be earmarked for ‘housing, Green New Deal programs, and equitable development,’ is instead being used to plug a hole in the budget.
-
$1 million allocated to install the Shotspotter microphone surveillance system on Seattle streets, which the ACLU has criticized for violating the civil rights of the minority communities it surveils. Studies show Shotspotter turns up mostly false alarms but sends police racing to the scene anyway, increasing the chance of violent police confrontations.
Today’s action is to tell the Mayor and City Council that you oppose these parts of Harrell’s proposed budget.
Mayor Bruce Harrell: 206-684-4000
Or write a comment: http://web6.seattle.gov/mo/correspondence/contact-mayor
Find your City Councilmembers: https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/find-your-district-and-councilmembers
Email full City Council: [email protected]
Sample Script:
My name is [NAME] from [NEIGHBORHOOD, ZIP]. I am writing in opposition to several parts of the Mayor’s proposed budget. I oppose transferring parking enforcement back to the institutionally racist and violent SPD; I oppose co-opting JumpStart funds to balance the budget; and I oppose funding the Shotspotter surveillance system, which is ineffective and increases the danger of violent police interactions.
