Seattle City Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto To Defund Police; Up To 100 Officers To Be Cut

The Seattle City Council has voted to override the mayor’s three vetos of bills that called for funds to be diverted from the police department into social programs.

The council voted 7-2 in a vote on Tuesday following three hours of debate; a compromise bill was rejected.

Mayor Jenny Durkan vetoed the police budget bill in August but said in statement:  “This veto was because the bills as passed did not have the type of collaboration that I think we will have going forward, and that I’m hopeful we will have going forward.”

The latest proposal cuts at least $3.4 million from the department’s $400 million budget, which will force the department — which has about 1,400 police officers — to trim about 100 police positions.

“Countless videos of black and brown lives lost here in Seattle and across the country shows us that not everyone feels safe in our community, and not everyone is safe,” Seattle City Council President M. Lorena González said. “We need public safety that’s centered on harm reduction, not the status quo.”

But that wasn’t enough for some, The Blaze reported.

Kshama Sawant, the far left socialist member of the city council, had voted against the bill because it didn’t go far enough to meet the demands of the BLM protesters.

“Seattle Mayor Durkan remains hostile to defunding police,” said Sawant in a tweet. “Democratic Councilmembers completely failed to keep their public promises of 50% defunding in the Summer budget vote, furthermore, approved an austerity budget after having promised anti-austerity.”

But local conservative talk show host Jason Rantz condemned the move. “This Council will *always* side with socialists and criminal activists,” he said on Twitter. “They are the enemy of sane constituents because they don’t respect us.”

Seattle City Council voted to override the Mayor's veto of their dangerous defund police bill. This Council will *always* side with socialists and criminal activists. They are the enemy of sane constituents because they don't respect us. https://t.co/0WOpkVsQHs

— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) September 23, 2020

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