Groups Urge Mayor to Support Department of Justice Recommendations

December 21, 2011

Mayor Mike McGinn
City of Seattle
P.O. Box 94749
Seattle, WA 98124-4749

Dear Mayor McGinn,

The ACLU of Washington and the community organizations listed below request you make a strong public statement outlining your plans for addressing the very serious issues raised in the report by the United States Department of Justice stemming from its investigation of the Seattle Police Department, including implementation of the recommendations included in the report.

We agree with U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan that most Seattle police officers are good, dedicated public servants. However, the issues pinpointed by the DOJ - including excessive use of force, insufficient skills in de-escalating conflict, and lack of internal accountability - are longstanding problems. Organizations in the community have voiced concern about them for years.

The City's leadership needs to set a tone indicating that it accepts the DOJ report's recommendations. These were based on intensive discussions with police, City officials, and community members, and detailed analysis of records provided by the Seattle Police Department itself. We are concerned that some of your public comments give the impression of a reluctance to embrace the recommendations of the report. Instead of focusing on re-evaluating the data, the City's leadership should focus on finding solutions to well-documented problems that have developed over the years at the Seattle Police Department.

Further, community stakeholders must be included in discussions about any solution to the problems identified by DOJ , including the conditions of a consent decree. The impact of any intended solution will be felt by all community members in Seattle, and it is critical that SPD and City leadership regain the trust of those community members. Only with them at the table can we create lasting and sustainable change where public safety and civil rights are both protected. The City of Seattle deserves no less.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Taylor Signature

Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director
ACLU of Washington

 

Estela Ortega, Executive Director 
El Centro de la Raza

Merril Cousin, Executive Director
King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Robert Chang, Director
Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality

Nicole Gaines, President
Loren Miller Bar Association

Fe Lopez, President-Elect
Latina/o Bar Association of Washington

Rev. Paul Benz, Director
Lutheran Public Policy Office

Rev. Harriet Walden, Executive Director
Mothers for Police Accountability

Dorry Elias-Garcia, Executive Director
Minority Executive Directors Coalition

Mary Nguyen, Co-Chair 
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum - Seattle

Andy Sachs, President
QLaw

Tim Harris, Executive Director
Real Change

Alison Eisinger, Executive Director
Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness

Jesus Rodriguez, Co-Chair
Trusted Advocates Association

Cindi Beech LaMar, Chair
Ndns for Justice

Floris Mikkelsen, Director
The Defender Association

Deborah Sioux Cano-Lee, Board President
Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission

Chris Stearns, Chairman
The Seattle Human Rights Commission

Jenine Grey, Executive Director
Chief Seattle Club

Magdaleno Rose-Avila, Executive Director
Community Health and Safety Committee

Susan Segall, Regional Director
American Friends Service Committee/Pacific Northwest

Millie A. Kennedy, President
Northwest Indian Bar Association

Diane Narasaki, Executive Director
Asian Counseling and Referral Service

Jorge L. Barón, Executive Director
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

MEDC Multiracial Task Force on Police Accountability

Pamela Masterman-Stearns, President
CANOES (City Native American Employees Association)

Cecile Hansen, Tribal Chairperson/DTS President
Duwamish Tribe on behalf of Duwamish Tribal Services

Dan Ford, Attorney
Columbia Legal Services

Jay "Westwind Wolf" Hollingsworth
John T. Williams Organizing Committee

S. Arsalan Bukhari, Executive Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington State

Sharyne Shiu Thornton, Executive Director
International District Housing Alliance

Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director
OneAmerica

James Bible, President
Seattle/King County NAACP

Kerem Levitas, President
Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washingron

Christopher Peguero, Co-Chair
City of Seattle LGBTQ Employees for Equality