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There has been a noticeable change in the Seattle Police Department's behavior since the city council voted last week to take away a mere 1% of their budget for the year. The increase in brazen, remorseless violence, is undeniable. This is a thread of events from the past week.
Last Wednesday night, an unmarked truck, driven by a Seattle Police officer, attempts to hit protesters standing on a sidewalk. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1294725350576939008?s=20
Later that night, the same truck is involved in an altercation with protesters in which SPD appears to be collaborating with a private security company to harass and assault protesters. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1294123042784677888?s=20
Then all hell breaks loose after a Seattle Police officer lunges at a protester and then appears to trip and fall. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1294123042784677888?s=20
A couple nights later, the same unmarked truck is involved in an attack on protester vehicles. Multiple drivers of the Car Brigade are arrested throughout the night, as Seattle Police smash car windows and drag people out onto the street. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1294715762167263232?s=20
Following day, a Seattle Police officer attacks a bystander at Cal Anderson after being yelled at. In the ensuing chaos, a black man is brutalized and arrested in front of his 6-year old child. He spends several subsequent days in solitary confinement. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1295112372655251461?s=20
The next night, police corner a group in an alley outside their union headquarters. SPD issues a dispersal order and begin attacking the crowd as they try to escape. The crowd is gassed, sprayed, and flashbanged, all the way from SODO to the CID. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1295612177450070017?s=20
After that crowd has dispersed, Seattle Police patrol the CID in large packs, hunting and assaulting anyone they suspect of being a protester. https://twitter.com/spekulation/status/1295946737069068288?s=20
This is all within the last week. And while this abuse is terrifying, it is in response to just a marginal decrease in funding for SPD...Can you imagine what we're going to see when we make substantive cuts? These changes must happen ASAP, or they're going to keep hurting people.
