As the fight to defund SPD by 50% continues, the movement has already scored some important victories. Under huge pressure from the uprising for Black lives over the past two months, the Seattle City Council reversed course from its policy over decades of increasing the funding for the Seattle Police Department and finally began cutting its bloated budget. Last week the City Council voted to cut the SPD budget by $3 million for the remainder of the year, a 7% decrease in their remaining 2020 budget.
WHAT DID THE COUNCIL VOTE ON?
The Council created two new civilian positions to oversee operations of the 911 call center. As of now the call center still remains under SPD’s purview, but council members have expressed interest in moving it to a civilian run department in the future. They also earmarked $17 million for new systems of community safety, run outside of the police department.
The overall SPD budget remains mostly intact, despite cutting 100 officer positions and reducing pay for SPD’s command staff. The 100 officer cuts include kicking cops out of schools, as well as cutting the horse patrol and the Navigation Team, the team in charge of sweeping homeless encampments.
However, the Mayor and the political establishment are determined to find new ways around the City Council decision to continue pursuing their inhumane policy of “sweeping” unhoused people. Just this past week, the Navigation Team swept Cal Anderson, where mutual aid stations were set up alongside unhoused encampments, and the police brutalized and arrested protesters. We need to keep up the pressure to stop this, as well as fight to kick out Mayor Durkan and replace her in 2021 with a left-wing, anti-racist mayor who is 100% on the side of working and oppressed people.
In another step forward, the Council voted to cap the department’s executive team salary for the remainder of the year. Chief Best’s salary was also reduced, but only by $20,000 out of a yearly salary of $294,000: a smaller reduction than her colleagues.
In response to these cuts, Chief Best announced her resignation. She is not the first police chief to resign during this Black Lives Matter uprising—following chiefs in both Atlanta and Portland—and she will likely not be the last, as the rebellion continues to shake the status quo. Chief Best was the first Black woman to lead the SPD, and was also the candidate the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild supported. As Police Chief she oversaw and publicly defended a force that routinely engaged in excessive force and continuously swept unhoused people.
The next round of the fight to defund the SPD will be this fall when the City Council sets the 2021 budget. Mass pressure in the streets forced these cuts, and we have to keep up the pressure for a full 50% cut in SPD’s budget and massive funding for social programs. Councilmember Sawant’s proposal to prevent the city from spending money to help prosecute protestors who participated in Justice for George Floyd demonstrations failed when no other councilmember would second. We won’t stop until all demands are met: Defund SPD by at least 50%, invest in BIPOC communities, and do not prosecute protestors.
People are still in the streets everyday: join the morning march here or the evening march here!
THE USPS IS UNDER ATTACK
The United States Postal Service is being undermined by the Trump administration. In the two short months since Trump mega donor Louis DeJoy became Postmaster General, the postal service has purposefully been riddled with delays—and Trump is exploiting this to attempt to suppress the vote this November and destroy the USPS. Reports from across the country have highlighted that the end of overtime for postal workers has prevented packages from being delivered on time, mail sorting machines are disappearing, and mailboxes are closing or disappearing.
DSA stands 100% against these attacks on our postal service. Tens of millions rely on the USPS for medications and other vital services. The USPS needs to be expanded, not defunded.
Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership have failed to meet the challenge. We need to fight back: we need a movement of the multi-racial working class with massive marches and protests to stop this. Get more information from the American Postal Workers Union here.
And join our Queer & Feminist Caucus this Saturday for a discussion on the Postal Workers' wildcat strike of 1970, the strike that transformed the USPS into what it is today.
BIDEN DROP OUT
The Democratic National Convention starts today, gathering to rubber-stamp the presumed nominee, Joe Biden—who’s lead over Trump in the polls has recently fallen. In the midst of a global pandemic that has killed over 170,000 people in the US, and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression leaving people suddenly without healthcare, the Democratic Party has refused to include Medicare for All on their 2020 platform. Bernie delegates, like Rashida Tlaib and others, are voting together to oppose this platform.
At our last General Membership Meeting on August 4th, Seattle DSA membership voted to sign onto this petition, written by DSA Socialist Survivors, that calls on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, due to the credible sexual assault allegations by Tara Reade. “Joe Biden is replaceable, but the gains of #MeToo are not.” Read the petition here.
THIS WEEK WITH SEATTLE DSA
As an organization, DSA’s long-term goal is to form an independent, working-class political party. Join our comrades in District 2 for a Zoom discussion on the prospects for such a party, this Thursday at 6PM. Come prepared to share your perspective and learn from other comrades on the future of democratic socialism in electoral politics. The meeting will also start with a power mapping exercise on police divestment. More information here.
See all upcoming events below, and as always, check out our calendar here!
In solidarity,
Seattle DSA
Here are upcoming events:
Time: August 17 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Venue: Online
The movement for Black lives forced 7 out of 9 Seattle city councilmembers to declare they support defunding the SPD by 50%. This is a big victory! However, some Democratic politicians, attempting to appease Seattle's ruling class, are trying to wiggle out of implementing what the movement for Black lives is fully demanding. People of color are invited to join us at our weekly meeting every [Read More]
Time: August 19 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Venue: Online
Does your building management take too long to make repairs? Are you concerned that your lease could be illegal? Does your landlord charge you too much rent? You’re not alone. The Housing Collective is a group of Seattle area residents, including experienced housing rights activists, who meet every week to teach each other concrete, effective organizing skills to build power at home. This [Read More]
Time: August 19 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Venue: Online
Due to coronavirus, we'll be meeting online. Join us on Google Hangouts Are you frustrated that you don't have a voice at work? Are you a freelancer who rarely gets paid on time? Are you working 2 or 3 gigs just to make rent? You're not alone. The Workplace Organizing Collective is a group of Seattle DSA members, including experienced labor organizers, who meet every week to teach each [Read More]
Time: August 20 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Venue: Online
Join comrades from District 2 (southeast Seattle) on Thursday August 20, 6-8 pm, for a lively Zoom discussion on the prospects for an independent working-class political party. At the DSA national convention in 2019, delegates overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution titled “Class Struggle Elections” which stated: DSA is committed to building political organization independent of the [Read More]
Queer & Feminist Caucus: Postal Workers' Strike of 1970
Time: August 22 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Venue: Online
Join the Queer and Feminist Caucus for our every-three-weeks Labor & Revolutionary History Happy Hour, featuring working class struggles led by women and queer people throughout history. We’ll learn from and about our comrades who fought before us. Each week we’ll discuss a different historical event, through the eyes of those on the ground [Read More]
