Tag Archives: Carolyn Bick

Community

Feed the People Plaza, Created to Nurture Community Connections, Could be Torn Down

A beloved Beacon Hill mural and community space is at risk.

by Carolyn Bick

Over the course of the first uncertain year of the pandemic, Seattle’s diverse communities banded together to fill in the gaps where governmental programs fell short. Local chefs fed people. Visual artists gave the city hope. Mutual aid groups handed out masks and water. And all of it happened against the backdrop of monthslong protests and a national spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement, following a police officer’s murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. It was in this environment that Feed the People Plaza was born, transforming the corner of South Hanford Street and Beacon Avenue South into a community hangout. With an incoming development in the works, however, the plaza’s days might be numbered.

Continue reading Feed the People Plaza, Created to Nurture Community Connections, Could be Torn Down →
News

Unreleased Investigation Sheds Light on Police Use of Tear Gas on Protesters in 2020

Report reveals officers who made decisions to permit police tear gas use were treated only as witnesses by OPA.

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 obtained documents that reveal new information regarding one of the two open 2020 protests-related investigations into former Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Carmen Best. The documents the Emerald obtained are draft reports that specifically regard the investigation into the use of tear gas on protesters on June 7, 2020, into the early hours of June 8, 2020. The incident ties into the abandonment of the East Precinct on June 8, 2020.

While these documents are technically drafts of a forthcoming report by the Seabold Group — the outside agency the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) contracted to investigate the two cases involving Best — they appear to highlight several key points, based on the investigative interview snippets contained within. Based on the file names of the documents the Emerald received, Seabold submitted its first draft report on Oct. 26, 2022, and an amended draft report on Jan. 4, 2023. The Emerald will be focusing on the most recent version of the draft report, dated Jan. 4, 2023. Neither draft report contains conclusions.

Continue reading Unreleased Investigation Sheds Light on Police Use of Tear Gas on Protesters in 2020 →
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News

Seattle-Based Seabold Group Investigated Fmr. SPD Chief Best — Unclear Where Investigation Stands

Despite contract going into effect in August 2022 and expiring in December, SPD did not file with the City Clerk’s Office until April 2023.

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 Office of Police Accountability (OPA) retained Seattle-based firm the Seabold Group to investigate former Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Carmen Best over her actions and decisions during the 2020 protests, including the abandonment of the East Precinct, alleged improper deployment of tear gas, and allegations of dishonesty in the media. 

Continue reading Seattle-Based Seabold Group Investigated Fmr. SPD Chief Best — Unclear Where Investigation Stands →
News

‘Like an Ambush’: Human Rights Commissioners Detail Pressure From Council, CPC, Not to Pursue Amicus Status

Two more commissioners resign

by Carolyn Bick

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

Seattle Human Rights Commissioners past and present say that since the commission announced its intention to seek amicus status with the federal court in the matter of the Consent Decree, they have faced repeated warnings of ethical and legal violations. 

These warnings have come from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office — the topic of this story — along with members of the Seattle City Council and the Community Police Commission, which is the focus of today’s story.

Continue reading ‘Like an Ambush’: Human Rights Commissioners Detail Pressure From Council, CPC, Not to Pursue Amicus Status →
News

City Attorney Warns Human Rights Commissioners of Legal Action if SHRC Pursues Amicus Status — Fails to Cite Specifics

by Carolyn Bick

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

Seattle Human Rights Commissioners past and present say that since the commission announced its intention to seek amicus status with the federal court in the matter of the Consent Decree, they have faced repeated warnings from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.

Continue reading City Attorney Warns Human Rights Commissioners of Legal Action if SHRC Pursues Amicus Status — Fails to Cite Specifics →
Arts & Culture

Re-Natured: February 2023

Photos by Carolyn Bick

Welcome to a monthly nature photography installment by Emerald reporter and photographer Carolyn Bick. While Seattle is a bustling metro, there are plenty of wild, natural spaces found in the area. We hope these photos will provide a gateway to the colors, textures, and vibrancy of the world all around us, from coastal or lakeside parks to that greenway in the middle of the neighborhood — and maybe encourage you to seek an outdoor adventure of your own.

Continue reading Re-Natured: February 2023 →
News

Fmr. Mayor May Have Pushed OPA to Delay Investigations Into Fmr. Police Chief

City hired outside firm to investigate; OPA currently reviewing documents.

by Carolyn Bick

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

Continue reading Fmr. Mayor May Have Pushed OPA to Delay Investigations Into Fmr. Police Chief →
Arts & Culture

Re-Natured: January 2023

Photos by Carolyn Bick

Welcome to a monthly nature photography installment by Emerald reporter and photographer Carolyn Bick. While Seattle is a bustling metro, there are plenty of wild, natural spaces found in the area. We hope these photos will provide a gateway to the colors, textures, and vibrancy of the world all around us, from coastal or lakeside parks to that greenway in the middle of the neighborhood — and maybe encourage you to seek an outdoor adventure of your own.

Continue reading Re-Natured: January 2023 →
Arts & Culture

Re-Natured

Photos by Carolyn Bick

Welcome to a monthly nature photography installment by Emerald reporter and photographer Carolyn Bick. While Seattle is a bustling metro, there are plenty of wild, natural spaces found in the area. We hope these photos will provide a gateway to the colors, textures, and vibrancy of the world all around us, from coastal or lakeside parks to that greenway in the middle of the neighborhood — and maybe encourage you to seek an outdoor adventure of your own.

Continue reading Re-Natured →
News

City Silent About Ongoing, Potentially Flawed Investigation Into Former OPA Director

Charging Thousands of Dollars Per Month, Outside Firm Waited Almost a Year to Interview Former OPA Director

by Carolyn Bick

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

Since the beginning of this year, the Emerald has been following and reporting on developments in the ongoing investigation into allegations of medical privacy violations against former Office of Police Accountability Dir. Andrew Myerberg and still-unnamed — and, possibly, still unknown — Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers.

Continue reading City Silent About Ongoing, Potentially Flawed Investigation Into Former OPA Director →