I said this six months ago to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders: that Seattle is our nation’s Mecca of white hypocrisy. As we stand here today, that is still true.
I could tell you lots of stories about what I’ve experienced here in Seattle over the past year. I could tell you stories of mothers being beaten down on the ground and arrested and taken from their children. I could tell you stories of minors being maced by the police. I could tell you stories of grown men putting their hands on me. Even last year, down this street at MLK, there are photos of me with a grown man with his hands around my neck.
I could tell you about all of that, but it’s not necessary. We already know what’s going on:
Seattle hates black people. Well, I guess, Seattle doesn’t hate black people. Seattle loves black people, like misogynists love women.
This city is very important in terms of our national conversation for Black Lives Matter. And that’s what I want to speak about. Seattle has been so crucial in the fight for black lives across the nation, and repeatedly over the last year you have seen some of the biggest stories concerning police brutality and youth incarceration and overall engagement in the presidential election happen right here in this city.
Now how does that happen when we are one of the most progressive places, arguably, in this country? How is it possible that we have had some of the biggest scandals, in terms of policing, when we have on paper one of the most progressive use-of-force documents in the nation?
Well, it’s because Seattle is a model for the future. Nationally, everyone looks to us to see what will the future look like, if we can just educate people more. If we become more liberal. If we elect the right candidates.
Where it gets us is a future where white supremacy still reigns, but looks different. What we see in this white progressive utopia is that black people are still enslaved, they are still brutalized, but now it’s even worse because someone will tell you they love you while sticking their foot in your face.
That’s why black resistance in Seattle is so key. Because when we resist here against what is supposed to be a utopia, against what is supposed to be progress, we show the world that hope in white liberalism is death. And that the only solution is black self-determination and the full abolition of the police state.
And so I here, on the behalf of Black Lives Matter and on behalf of the work here in Seattle, am calling for the complete and utter abolition of the Seattle Police Department. And I think we’ve seen lots of examples about why this needs to happen and reform isn’t possible here, even under the federal consent decree.
The federal consent decree has very little meat in it. The majority of what it proposes is the creation of the CPC--the Community Policing Commission. They’ve been very unsuccessful thus far in getting any reforms passed, and specifically blocked. The mayor himself specifically appointed everybody on that committee. And when I confronted them last year, when they had me do an event for them, none of them could tell me what their jobs were or what their role was. Furthermore, they put forth numerous reforms for the city to approve, and the mayor has blocked them at every step. And then most recently we see this meeting that’s going on with SPD trying to reform and be in compliance with the DoJ. And yet who do they invite to the table? None of the names that they’ve most brutalized, and all of the people who are going to be in the most agreeance with them. This whole notion of accountability is a complete sham. And even worse, it’s dangerous for us, because it gets people in the illusion of thinking that there’s some progress being made.
So instead I’m calling for the people of Seattle to wholly call out this farce of reform on behalf of both the Seattle Police Department and the DoJ, who’s blocked reform efforts, and instead push for the full abolition of the police department. We already know who SPD is. They’ve been the same way for a century. They’re corrupt, they’re unaccountable, they’re violent, and they’re incredibly incompetent at their jobs and they’re going to stay that way.
So as Jesse said, people will continue to hit the streets. But they’ll do even more than that. We’re going to keep on dismantling from the inside out--in respectable ways, in underground ways--until the Seattle Police Department is abolished. Thank you.
Connect With Us