No chief of the Seattle Police Department had stepped foot inside one of the SPD’s LGBTQ Advisory Council meetings before — until Chief Shon Barnes accepted an invitation to attend on February 11. Attendees for the first time were finally able to hold the city’s highest law enforcement official to task on the issues most concerning them at the council, formed by and for Queer community members to voice their concerns directly to the department that for decades has faced heavy criticism for how it has treated LGBTQIA+ people.
The conference room at Community Roots Housing in the 12th Avenue Arts building on Capitol Hill was packed in with SPD officials, city employees, community groups, and other attendees. Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, Director of Communications Barbara DeLollis, East Precinct Lt. Jeff Hagen, East Precinct Capt. Jim Britt, and LGBTQ liaison Haden Barton were among those present. Other notable people included Lisa Judge of Seattle’s Office of Inspector General, Mario Teulilo of Seattle’s Community Police Commission, and Chris Curia of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission.
Everyone introduced themselves in a circle, then Chief Barnes started off the meeting by stating that he came to gain a greater understanding of the Seattle community. He also described himself as still being new to the city, despite living here a year. Advisory Council Chair Mac McGregor also addressed the group, saying, “We’re all here because we want to live in a safe community together… Just keep that in mind with your questions tonight.”
Mayday OIG report
After Chief Barnes briefly shared his background of growing up in Murfreesboro, NC, and why he decided to join law enforcement, he was asked about the Mayday USA event and the police crackdown on counterprotesters. He stated that having the event at Cal Anderson Park was “one of the worst decisions we have had in a while” and that it was “a flashpoint.”
An attendee asked about the use of pepper spray on counterprotesters, to which Chief Barnes and other SPD staff replied that what was used at the Mayday event was technically “pepper balls,” not pepper spray. Inspector General Judge stepped in to explain the difference, and the SPD personnel nodded in agreement.
However, the distinction did not appease an attendee, who claimed to have been a medic at the event and reported treating dozens of people affected by those pepper balls. The first attendee then pressed the chief about the instances in which the department finds it appropriate to use these pepper balls. “It just depends,” Barnes said with a shrug.
He also declined to share any further thoughts on the event in anticipation of the OIG seminal event review, which came out the next day.
FIFA concerns
Concerns were also raised about the safety of LGBTQIA+ people in Seattle during FIFA’s World Cup games and its Pride match between Iran and Egypt. The tournament will also coincide with Seattle’s Pride celebrations in June. One attendee feared that because persecution of Queer people in these nations is still prevalent, it may result in conflict and cultural misunderstandings.
“Do we know that that is going to be the case?,” Chief Barnes responded, adding that “sometimes you set the behavior for how guests should act.”
He brought up that FIFA holds classes for incoming teams and delegations on the cultural differences of the host country, and mentioned that Qatar had sent people over to collaborate with the City. He also emphasized that if there were to be an instance of hate, those who would lash out would have to face consequences.
“I’m soft on crime, except for when there’s prejudice-informed crime,” he said.
ICE and elections
The SPD’s response to ICE was another major point of concern for community members at the meeting. One person had a question about Mayor Katie Wilson’s recent executive order that would have officers document ICE activity, and what Chief Barnes thought of Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan’s response that he would not allow “[his] members to be used as political pawns.”
Chief Barnes said he’d leave it up to the mayor’s office to decide how the SPD should implement the new directives, and noted that Washington state law already prevents local law enforcement from giving assistance to federal immigration officials. As for Solan’s comments, Barnes told the group that “the union president was not making policy, just giving his opinion.”
In response, an attendee pointed out that SPOG culture, much like a lot of other police departments across the country, tends to align with pro-ICE, anti-Trans, and anti-Black sentiments.
The chief later did express his doubts about the feasibility of officers documenting ICE activities in Seattle. He gave the example of Minneapolis and how its 3-to-1 ratio of federal immigration officers to local law enforcement meant police weren’t able to go to every call due to lack of numbers.
Another question came from drag queen and community activist Harper Bizzarre, who asked what the SPD would do if the Trump administration nationalized the vote and tried to use ICE officers to monitor local elections in Seattle.
“That is something I would never allow,” Chief Barnes stated. He noted that officers will not even do traffic enforcement around polling places in order to rule out all possibility of election interference. The chief then spoke of his commitment to democracy, and how he understood the importance of free and fair elections as a Black man who grew up in the American South. He posited that “this country is a democracy, and it should stay that way.”
He also stressed that in the face of Trump’s attacks on election integrity, everyone in the community has a role to play in ensuring that those rights are maintained. “History is made every day… and if we can’t find a way to come together, they will take advantage of it,” he said.
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