The city council in Seattle unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday to eliminate any commitments to defund the police.
Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, the “Defund the Police” slogan and movement gained momentum. However, with a reported increase in crime in various cities, even politicians in strong Democratic Party areas have distanced themselves from the concept.
Last week, Rob Saka discussed his Resolution 32167 with other members of Seattle City Council’s public safety committee. The councilmember stated, “This resolution overturns any past commitments or pledges by previous councils to defund or abolish the police, which have been cited as reasons for police personnel leaving and can be divisive.”
Seattle councilmember Rob Saka discussed his Resolution 32167.
DEFUND THE POLICE ‘ISN’T DEAD,’ IT’S JUST TAKEN NEW FORM WITH MASSIVE IMPLICATIONS: RETIRED POLICE CHIEF
He made headlines again at the city council meeting this week.
“‘Defund’ is dead if this passes, that’s the headline!” Saka said at Tuesday’s meeting shortly before the final vote where the bill was passed unanimously by the city council.
The local news outlet reported that next, “Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison will submit the last remaining Seattle Police Department policies to a federal monitor for review.”
“This legislation allows us to collectively heal from the shameful legacy of ‘Defund’ and, importantly, officially pivot towards a diversified response model that communities so desperately need,” Saka added in his speech before the vote.
Saka mentioned the irony of the council’s support for the “Defund the Police” movement in 2020 when there were no Black members on the council at the time.
Seattle councilmember Rob Saka highlighted the changes in the local city council since 2020 in their efforts to improve the lives of their constituents. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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“Ironically, at the time those ‘Defund’ commitments and pledges were made in the city of Seattle, there were zero, zero Black or African-American, African-descent councilmembers serving in the council at the time,” he said, questioning the motives behind such commitments.
“I didn’t benefit from that,” he stated. “No communities that I’m involved with benefited from that. It hurt all communities!”
As a Black man, he emphasized, “Black and Brown communities, we don’t need White saviors.”
Even in Democratic Party strongholds, many politicians have tried to distance themselves from “Defund the Police” rhetoric, instead talking about their commitment to public safety. (Seattle Police Department / File) (Seattle Police Department / File)
Stating that the Black community is diverse and not a monolith, Saka argued that the commitment to the “Defund the Police” movement had been based on selective voices from the Black community and did not represent everyone.
“It’s not,” he emphasized. “Wasn’t then, it’s not true now.”
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