Seattle Law Enforcement Officers Leave By The Dozens As Council Defunds Police
Michael Cantrell
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The Seattle City Council has once again caved to the pressure put on them by radical hate groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa, voting 8-1 to defund the police force by 18 percent.
Granted, the protesters originally wanted them to defund by 50 percent, so at least they didn’t go all the way, but it seems like the damage has already been done.
Dozens of local cops are quitting the force, recognizing that the city will not back them up or support them when push comes to shove.
Such a move will leave many vacant jobs on the force unfilled and require 911 dispatchers and parking enforcement to be moved outside of SPD jurisdiction. As of Oct. 31, 134 officers have left the force, according to the mayor’s office. In October alone, 23 have thrown in the towel.
Democratic Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan expressed her support for the budget, saying in a statement, “I applaud the City Council for taking a more deliberate and measured approach to the 2021 Seattle Police Department budget than occurred this summer which led to the resignation of former SPD Chief Carmen Best.”
Nikkita Oliver, a radical Black Lives Matter activist who played a leadership role in city’s short-lived Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (or CHAZ) last summer, said during a virtual meeting after the vote:
These are all really exciting things that have been won after many, many years of mobilizing and partnering together. They’ve been won because of the uprising and defense of Black lives, and the many people who put their feet to the ground, who have made calls, sent emails, and organized their communities.
Mike Solan, who currently serves as the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was not at all excited by the decision made by the council. Solan called the council “naive” and stated that 911 calls are likely going to take longer to answer now.
“You’re going to see crime rise, we’re already seeing increased homicide rates that we haven’t seen in decades,” he said.
What’s terribly tragic about all of this is that this group claims that Black Lives Matter, yet it’s black neighborhoods that are going to suffer most from the lack of police presence.
These folks don’t really understand what they’re asking for. If they could see and understand what everyone is trying to tell them concerning why this defund the police idea is so horrible, maybe this wouldn’t be something they push so hard?
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