Category Archives: News

News

OPA May Have Misclassified These Complaints, Effectively Sweeping Them Under the Rug

by Carolyn Bick

The Emerald’s Watchdragon reporting seeks to increase accountability within our city’s institutions through in-depth investigative journalism.

Author’s Note: This article is one of two released today that discuss issues related to the Office of Police Accountability’s (OPA) contact log complaint classification. Complaints designated as “contact log” are not subject to investigation and are effectively “closed” according to the OPA manual.

This article addresses the OPA’s misclassifications of what appear to be serious, investigation-worthy allegations as contact log complaints. Documents obtained by the Emerald show that these allegations include retaliation and bias, as well as more than 40 complaints against Seattle Police Officer Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan, grouped together as one complaint and classified as a contact log.

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News

Fed. Monitoring Team May Have Ignored Potential Source of SPD Sex Abuse Data

by Carolyn Bick

The Emerald’s Watchdragon reporting seeks to increase accountability within our city’s institutions through in-depth investigative journalism.

Author’s Note: This article is one of two released today that both discuss issues related to the Office of Police Accountability’s (OPA) contact log complaint classification. Complaints designated as “contact log” are not subject to investigation and are effectively “closed” according to the OPA manual.

This article addresses some of the content of a March 2022 meeting among the federal monitor, members of the monitoring team, and a local lawyer and her colleague attempting to shine light on sexual abuse allegations against Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers. Based on the available evidence, it appears that allegations regarding officer sexual misconduct may exist as “contact log” complaints. However, the federal monitor appears to have dismissed this potential source of sexual abuse data without looking at any of the available contact log complaints.

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News

CPC Lost or Destroyed SPD Sexual Abuse Data After Omitting It From Report

Member of Federal Monitoring Team Put Onus on Local Lawyer to Reproduce Data, Protect Complainants

by Carolyn Bick

The Emerald’s Watchdragon reporting seeks to increase accountability within our city’s institutions through in-depth investigative journalism.

The Emerald has learned that the Community Police Commission has apparently either lost or destroyed survey data pointing to allegations of sexual abuse by Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers.

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News

NEWS GLEAMS: Paid Youth Opportunities in Web Design, Jesse Sarey Murder Case, & More

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

More police accountability news this week, this time around the Jesse Sarey murder case, where a former Seattle Police chief will testify against an Auburn officer’s use of force. Meanwhile, a man threatened Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and a shooting took place outside of Washington Hall.

Those who are looking to find summer events to attend this weekend might find themselves at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project’s Summer Social or at Daybreak Star for the Seafair Indian Days Powwow. Paid opportunities are also available for youth interested in learning web design or social media; applications close soon.

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

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News

Seattle Center Holds 37th Annual Naturalization Ceremony

by Patheresa Wells with photography by Susan Fried

On July 4, at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion, 300 applicants who represented 74 different countries of origin participated in the 37th Annual Naturalization Ceremony. Families and friends crowded around the packed lawn to watch the ceremony, which included members of multiple branches of the armed forces, dressed in uniform, and families dressed in the traditional clothing of nations across the world. The event included remarks by Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell. 

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News

Development in Rainier Beach Heralds Big Changes to Community

by Phil Manzano

Cindy Jones framed the conversation with one statistic at the Develop-Meant For Community town hall held Thursday, June 30, by the Rainier Beach Action Coalition: By 2025, Rainier Beach will see a minimum of 1,030 living units come online.

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News

Summary of Inquest Hearings into the SPD Shooting of Charleena Lyles

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Last Updated on July 7, 2022, 11:48 am.

Content Warning: This article contains discussions of police killings, violence, mental health crises, and suicide.

Inquest hearings continue through July 6 around the death of 30-year-old Charleena Lyles, a pregnant mother of three who was shot seven times by Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers following a disturbance call to her home in 2017. Thus far, the hearings have provided insights into the timeline of the day’s events, actions of officers, firefighters, and paramedics at the scene, attempts to revive Lyles, and traumatic impacts on Lyles’ children.

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News

NEWS GLEAMS: Lyles Inquest Deliberations Begin, 988 Launches July 16, & More

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

Jury deliberations are underway beginning July 6, the last day of the Charleena Lyles inquest hearings. They will be asked to answer 100 questions related to whether the involved officers, Jason Anderson and Steven McNew, followed Seattle Police Department training policies in the shooting of Lyles in June 2017. As inquest administrator Michael Spearman instructed the jury on Friday, July 1, “The questions that you are going to be asked to answer are about how and why Ms. Lyles died, and whether the officers’ actions in this case complied with Seattle Police Department policy and training, and whether Ms. Lyles’ death was caused by criminal means.” See our daily summaries of the inquest hearings on the Emerald.

This week’s News Gleams otherwise shares details of 988, a new mental health alternative to 911! The Duwamish River Opportunity Fund also has a call for community-initiated projects and grant reviewers. Lastly, we will be expanding News Gleams to twice a week, and hope to see you out for SCIDpda’s Outdoor Party in Canton Alley this Saturday, July 9!

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Lyles Inquest Deliberations Begin, 988 Launches July 16, & More →
News

Africatown Speaker Series Explores How to Build Thriving Black Communities

by Ben Adlin

A new summer speaker series hosted by Africatown Community Land Trust is bringing together nonprofit leaders from across the country to discuss best practices for building strong, resilient Black neighborhoods in Seattle and beyond.

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News

Seattle Protests the Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

by Ronnie Estoque

On June 24, protestors filled the streets of Downtown Seattle in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortions at the federal level. Prior to marching, protestors gathered outside of the Federal Building for a rally that was organized by the Puget Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice (PSMRJ) — a growing coalition of groups and individuals initiated by Radical Women nationally to step up the defense of abortion rights. The event was also coordinated alongside other protests occurring in other cities across the U.S. 

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