OFFICIAL DAILY ACTION FOR AUGUST 12TH, 2022

The following action is adapted from the Decriminalize Seattle Coalition, a BIPOC-led coalition that builds power in Seattle to invest in pro-community, pro-people initiatives. Learn more about them through their Twitter: https://twitter.com/DecrimSeattle

On July 13th, Mayor Harrell (again!) introduced a plan to give the Seattle Police Department (SPD) hiring bonuses of $30k per officer. Councilmember Herbold followed up by sponsoring CB 120389 which would let SPD use $1.6M to pay for hiring bonuses of $30k per officer and add 4 additional positions to SPD’s HR department (effectively increasing SPD’s future budgets to pay for the new positions).

Putting aside the fact that neither the Council nor SPD have studied the impact of bonuses on hiring and policing, there is no doubt that this money can be invested in non-police safety alternatives. The Council is hoping to vote on this bill on Tuesday, August 16th. We need to make sure to reach out to our City Council member and Mayor Harrell as soon as possible and urge them to vote no on this effort!

ACTION: TELL YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND MAYOR HARRELL TO VOTE AGAINST CB 120389 GIVING HIRING BONUSES FOR NEW SPD OFFICERS

Mayor Bruce Harrell:

• Call: 206-684-4000

• Write a comment: https://web6.seattle.gov/mo/correspondence/contact-mayor

Full City Council: [email protected]

Find your City Councilmembers: http://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/find-your-district-and-councilmembers

Script:

“Hello, I’m a Seattle resident in {ZIP CODE}. I am reaching out due to CB 120389, a bill currently on the City government’s plate, to give SPD officers a hiring bonus of $30k per officer. Hiring bonuses would effectively reward the SPD for fighting against non-police responses. Additionally, an SPD officer’s salary has never been a reason for concern in the department’s hiring and retention practices. Granting these bonuses would be a waste of the City’s money; instead, these salary savings can be transferred out of the police department and towards community-driven solutions and alternatives. I urge {the Councilmember/Mayor Harrell} to make the right decision and vote against the bill. ”

Background:

Text of CB 120389: http://seattle.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5745126&GUID=18C146F1-CEA7-4EA2-AAF6-695F7B0E6F42&Options=&Search=&FullText=1

Call to Action from Decriminalize Seattle Coalition: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gvy7SUtd97C9SID8P59Wbh8VhN6Ctmr04n6JOoHjv84/edit#