In a nine-page ruling this afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge James Robart declined to stop the City Council’s ban on crowd-control weapons from going into effect later this week — at least for the moment. Robart did acknowledge that the ordinance will need to be reconciled with SPD’s court-approved policies on crowd control and use of force, but at the urging of the Office of Police Accountability and Office of the Inspector General he will wait until they provide their recommendations next month before wading into that issue.
Continue readingTag: protests
Is the city responding to 911 calls in the CHOP?
Last night and this morning, there were various (often conflicting) reports on social media about a possible burglary in the CHOP (formerly known as the CHAZ) area on Capitol Hill that is the site of an ongoing occupation and protest. There has also been conflicting information about whether first-responders have been told not to enter the CHOP if the city receives a 911 call from there. I asked the Mayor’s Office what SPD and SFD have been instructed to do if the city receives a 911 call from the CHOP. Below is their full response.
Continue readingTrio of police-related bills up for vote on Monday
On Monday three bills introduced last week that put restrictions on the Seattle police Department come up for adoption by the City Council.
Continue readingJudge issues temporary restraining order restricting SPD’s use of crowd-control tools
This afternoon, U.S. District Court Richard Jones issued a temporary restraining order that restricts Seattle Police Department from using some “less lethal” crowd control devices.
Continue readingWith no deal on temporary restraining order, Black Lives Matter and city face off in court tomorrow morning
Yesterday I reported that lawyers for Black Lives Matter and for the City of Seattle were trying to negotiate a mutually agreeable temporary restraining order related to the city’s use of “less lethal” weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets and blast balls for crowd control during the ongoing protests. But having failed to reach an agreement today, the issue now heads to a hearing tomorrow morning with U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones. In advance of that hearing, late this afternoon the city filed a brief with the city opposing the request for a temporary restraining order.
Continue readingDurkan issues executive order requiring SPD body-cams to be turned on during protests
As promised, today Mayor Durkan issued an executive order reversing SPD’s existing body-cam policy and requiring that officers turn on their body-cam during free-speech demonstrations.
Continue readingIn lawsuit brought by Black Lives Matter, city tries to negotiate temporary restraining order it can live with
There was a flurry of activity yesterday and today between the lawyers for Black Lives Matter and the Seattle City Attorney’s office over the lawsuit filed earlier this week, which alleged that SPD’s response to the last several days of protests violated the protesters’ constitutional rights. Yesterday the plaintiffs filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) prohibiting the city from using “less lethal” crowd control weapons, including tear gas, on protestors. Today the city notified the court that it intends to oppose that motion, at the same time revealing that the two sides have been negotiating the terms …
Continue readingBlack Lives Matter, ACLU sue city over police tactics at protests
Today Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County filed a lawsuit on behalf of itself, several individual protesters, and one journalist, over the Seattle Police Department’s use of force during the protests over the past week and a half. (UPDATE at end of article)
Continue readingQuick notes from today
It was a messy day in Seattle politics, with a heated meeting of the Community Police Commission (CPC), a nearly five-hour City Council meeting, a march to City Hall, and various protest leaders jockeying to speak with the Mayor and police chief. Here are my take-aways.
Continue readingA refresher on SPD’s disciplinary process and the police accountability system
With the issues of police misconduct and excessive use of force on the top of everyone’s minds given last week’s police killing of George Floyd as well as the events of this past weekend, it’s worth having a quick refresher on how Seattle’s police accountability system works, and what the process is for investigating police misconduct.
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