Our mission is to support each other and collaborate towards the abolition of policing and incarceration in our community. Read the rest of our organizing principles here.
We publish every two weeks, on Tuesday mornings.
*Outreach 101*
Get yourself, your household, your neighbors, and your favorite businesses up-to-date with the defund movement in Seattle. Learn why we need budget accountability in this 2-page primer that Sharon, Raymond, Renee, Pennie, and Peter created. It’s easy to copy, print, and share.
*The State of the Defund*
Mark your calendars for this Saturday! A number of us are helping to plan The State of the Defund, a community teach-in to be held on Saturday, April 10th from 11am to 1pm. It’s going to be a large event with up to 20 breakout rooms, and we will need two facilitators for each room. If you are interested in facilitating, please fill out this facilitator form. This is a great way to get to know others who are involved with abolition work.
Register to attend the event itself here. It will be fun and informative! Interpretation is available.
*Direct Support*
Nikkita Oliver (they/them) is an abolitionist, organizer, artist, and attorney running for Seattle City Council Position 9. Nikkita is a visionary leader running on a platform of transformative change -- including divesting from police, mutual aid, and housing for all. If you haven’t already, you can show your support by assigning your democracy voucher to Nikkita. Lost your democracy voucher that came in the mail? That’s okay, you can do it online.
If you haven’t already, please sign the petition for the Duwamish tribe to be federally recognized. The Duwamish people have been fighting to hold the federal government accountable to their treaty promises since it was signed in 1855.
From realrentduwamish.org:
“Generations of Seattleites continue to benefit from the Duwamish People's presence and stewardship of this land—we could not call this city home without the Duwamish Tribe.”
Applications for HSD capacity building dollars close Friday, April 9. Remember, this is one of our big wins from last summer. See previous issue for details.
*Building Solidarity*
DACA Prayer Walk
After The State of the Defund, show up in solidarity with Dreamers!
WHEN: Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 1:00 PM
WHERE: 400 Pine Street, Seattle, WA (Westlake Center)
Kids Are Kids WA
This campaign is currently targeting the King County Prosecutor’s office, Governor Jay Inslee, and supporting Senate Bill 5122 in the state legislature to end sending kids to prison. They hosted a kickoff event on Tuesday, March 30. Find more info here: www.KidsAreKidsWa.org
*Where Does Participatory Budgeting (PB) Stand?*
Community priorities for PB were clearly laid-out in the Black Brilliance Research Report, specifically sections 4 and 5. A proviso preventing the release of $30M to community for PB still has not been lifted. On 3/31/21, Deputy Mayor Washington sent a letter on the topic to City Council (as reported by SCC insight). The document is concerning for a few reasons:
The letter suggests that the Department of Neighborhoods will be leading PB. The BBR report states (pg. 84): “DON should not lead PB in 2021,” and it names a number of preferred teams.
The letter presents two funding structures for PB and discusses legal considerations. The priorities should instead be about implementing PB in the most equitable way possible, by following the lead of community. The BBR report states (pg. 93): “Historically, many City-led processes have caused or exacerbated inequities. Now is the time for community to lead -- and for the City to provide material support.”
The letter purports to be neutral and transparent but fails to offer an accounting for how much money would be spent on DON salaries to administer option 2. If the city wants to contribute its own additional resources to PB, they should do so by increasing the total budget for the program, not by hoarding power and hiding costs.
By focusing on the number of dollars allocated to project proposals, the letter distorts the ultimate goal of PB funding. The priority expressed by the BBR report (pg 73) is to center “those who are most likely to be harmed or killed by systemic racism and violence. ... People most harmed include: Black women who are trans, indigenous women, and people with disabilities.” The focus should be on compensating such individuals for their participation in PB by providing salaried, living-wage jobs to the steering committee and workgroup members. This approach will provide robust accountability for PB’s success and true public safety for all.
-Peter (he/him)
*Political Action*
State senate bill 5476 was made in direct response to the WA State Supreme Court’s “Blake decision,” which decriminalized simple drug possession of all forms, for all of time. SB 5476 re-criminalizes drug possession above a certain amount. The bill sponsors believe this is a progressive update to existing drug laws, but it only increases police contact and imposes draconian fines that would target houseless communities. This bill ultimately attempts to soften the War On Drugs instead of taking proactive steps to put an END to it. Call-to-action details here: http://tinyurl.com/stop5476. Also, keep an eye on FreeThemAll’s Instagram.
*Education*
Jonathan W. Kanter, Ph.D. and Michaela Ayers are offering a live online course titled, “From Ally to Antiracist: Cultivating and Committing to Action in the Face of Life’s Obstacles.” A handful of S.A.S. folks took the course during its first offering and recommend it highly. Registration for a second iteration, starting May 4 is open now: https://ccfwb.uw.edu/event/spring-2021-ally-to-antiracist/
*Join us*
We intend to provide
Space for collective action among people who are already involved or want to be involved in abolition work.
Structure to share useful information, educate ourselves, and hold ourselves accountable.
A jumping-off point to support the work of BIPOC researchers and creators through (among other initiatives) BBR, PB, and Defend the Defund.
You can contribute to this newsletter or take part in efforts similar to those highlighted here by reaching out to any of us. Or read our organizing principles and join us here.