Durkan calls on Seattle City Council to investigate Kshama Sawant, consider action against her

Mayor Jenny Durkan in a letter Tuesday called for the Seattle City Council to investigate councilmember Kshama Sawant, accusing her of taking actions that "undermines the safety of others."

"As leaders of the City, it is incumbent upon all of us to bring people together in one of the City’s most challenging times," Durkan wrote in the letter addressed to Council President M. Lorena González. "However, I have deep concerns about the continued actions of a Councilmember that I am requesting that you and the Council exercise your duties as described below."

In the two-page letter, Durkan pointed to Sawant's actions earlier this month in letting hundreds of protesters fighting against police brutality and systemic racism into City Hall, which she said was closed to the public due the novel coronavirus pandemic. Durkan said Sawant's actions put the safety of protesters and city workers at risk.

Durkan also accused Sawant of encouraging people at a rally to "illegally occupy City property, the East precinct, at a time the City has been trying to de-escalate the situation and ask individuals to depart because of violence in the area." Protesters have been occupying the area around the East Precinct, known as CHOP, for weeks now after Seattle police earlier this month left the building and let protesters move freely throughout the area. The city has said SPD will be returning to the building, but has not given a definitive timeline. Some protesters have pledged to remain in the zone until their demands are met.

Other actions Durkan brought up included accusing Sawant of leading a march to her home even though her address was "protected under the state confidentiality program" and of using her office to promote a ballot initiative. Sawant has for the past several months been holding rallies and events around her Tax Amazon movement.

"I completely respect that any of us may disagree on policy issues, sometimes strongly. Disagreements on policy contribute to a robust public
debate," Durkan said. "However, policy disagreements do not justify a Councilmember who potentially uses their position in violation of law or who recklessly undermines the safety of others, all for political theatre."

In the letter, Durkan notes the council can "punish or expel a member for disorderly or otherwise contemptuous behavior."

"The City Council may choose to ignore and dismiss her actions, but I think that undermines public confidence in our institutions," Durkan said.

In response, Sawant on Tuesday afternoon went after Durkan, saying her leadership has failed working people and communities of color across the city. Sawant called the mayor's letter an "attack on the grassroots campaigns we've participated in and helped lead...and the progressive victories we have all won together."

"In reality, this is an attack on working people's movements, and everything we are fighting for, by a corporate politician desperately looking to distract from her failures of leadership and politically bankrupt administration," Sawant said. "Our movement will respond accordingly: we will fight with even greater unity and determination."

González in a statement Wednesday said she had full faith in the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission to handle complaints and that the council would continue focusing on the many issues facing the region right now, including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism.

“Over the past several months, I have heard from many of my constituents and it is clear to me that the people of Seattle want us to focus on addressing the concurrent crises facing thousands of families and small businesses in Seattle," she said in the statement.

"There is an ongoing pandemic, a worsening economic and job loss crisis, and a civil rights movement demanding we divest from racist, anti-Black systems and redirect those investments towards housing, education, and wealth-building opportunities for Black and Brown community members. These are the issues that demand our attention."

She said these issues require elected officials to "set aside our personal and political grievances and work together."

The letter comes as Durkan has faced criticism over the past several weeks after Seattle police repeatedly used tear gas, flashbangs and pepper spray to disperse crowds of largely peaceful protesters rallying after the death of George Floyd. The Office of Police Accountability received thousands of complaints about the actions police took during the protests.

Protesters have also said Durkan isn't doing nearly enough to meet their demands, which include defunding SPD by at least 50%, investing in the community and dropping all charges against protesters. In Durkan's proposal to rebalance the budget due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, she included cutting SPD's budget by just about 5%.

Sawant has also voiced support for defunding SPD by 50% and has called multiple times for Durkan's resignation, efforts Durkan dismissed earlier this month as a political ploy.

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