{"id":1026,"date":"2021-01-24T13:40:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T21:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blacklivesseattle.org\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2021-01-24T13:45:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-24T21:45:23","slug":"blm-seattle-demands-mayor-durkan-halt-bargaining-with-spog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blacklivesseattle.org.dream.website\/blm-seattle-demands-mayor-durkan-halt-bargaining-with-spog\/","title":{"rendered":"BLM Seattle demands Mayor Durkan halt bargaining with SPOG"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE<\/strong>\u2014In a letter sent today to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County demanded an immediate halt to negotiations with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).<\/p>\n

The demand follows a storm of condemnation against SPOG President Mike Solan, who tweeted earlier this month that the Black Lives Matter movement was in part responsible for the white nationalist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6. Last year, MLK Labor, King County\u2019s union coalition, expelled SPOG for refusing to address racism in the police union.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past ten months have been a reckoning for Seattle, and the work is far from done,\u201d BLM Seattle wrote in the letter. \u201cUntil SPOG takes meaningful action to show their commitment to change and accountability, we demand all bargaining between the City of Seattle and SPOG immediately stop.”<\/p>\n

Additionally, BLM Seattle today filed an official complaint with the Office of Police Accountability about Solan\u2019s conduct.<\/p>\n

The full text of the letter to Mayor Durkan follows.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Mayor Durkan,<\/p>\n

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County is writing to address the recent public comments and ongoing conduct of City of Seattle employee, Mr. Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officer\u2019s Guild (SPOG). We are calling on you to immediately halt contract negotiations with SPOG in light of the racist comments by Mr. Solan that have prompted many, including you, to call for his resignation.<\/p>\n

As you are aware, following the attack on the United States Capitol by white nationalist insurrectionists, Mr. Solan posted on Twitter on January 8th, 2021, \u201c[F]ar right and far left are responsible for that sad day,\u201d while also specifically referencing Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n

Black Lives Matter is not responsible for white nationalism or white supremacy. The BLM movement is not \u201cfar left.\u201d Demanding agency and political power to improve our lives is not radical\u2014it\u2019s constitutional.<\/p>\n

Without any evidence or reasonable inference from the facts, Mr. Solan publicly accused an entire group of people\u2014namely Black people fighting for their own protection and liberation in Seattle and communities all across the country, and BLM specifically\u2014with an illegal conspiracy to harm government officials and overthrow the will of the people\u2019s vote. These are crimes. A police officer was beaten to death on the steps of the Capitol building because of white nationalist violence and the sympathizers who enable it. BLM didn\u2019t swing the fire extinguisher that killed him. BLM didn\u2019t organize or sponsor the racist \u201cstop the steal\u201d rally.<\/p>\n

BLM didn\u2019t order a white supremacist mob down Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the FBI released a report warning of white nationalist infiltration into local law enforcement agencies like the Seattle Police Department (SPD). Participation at the Capitol rally and insurrection by SPD active officers is among the highest of any department in the nation. Mr. Solan follows white nationalists on social media, including Proud Boys. On January 22, President Biden signed a executive order which includes investigation of the Proud Boys for domestic terrorism and right-wing extremism.<\/p>\n

The Seattle Police Department and the Seattle Police Officers Guild both have a white nationalist problem. The fish rots from the head.<\/p>\n

In June 2020, MLK Labor voted overwhelmingly to expel SPOG. \u201cAny union that is part of our labor council needs to be actively working to dismantle racism in their institution and society at large,\u201d they said. [\u201cT]he Seattle Police Officer\u2019s Guild has failed to do that work\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is not possible to bargain in good faith when the union leadership is in solidarity with domestic terrorists and using social media to push lies and racist tropes. They might as well be waving the Confederate flag.<\/p>\n

The past ten months have been a reckoning for Seattle, and the work is far from done. Until SPOG takes meaningful action to show their commitment to change and accountability, we demand all bargaining between the City of Seattle and SPOG immediately stop.<\/p>\n

We appreciate your swift attention to this matter.<\/p>\n

Respectfully,
\nBlack Lives Matter Seattle-King County<\/p>\n

\n
\n

About Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County<\/strong>
\nBlack Lives Matter Seattle-King County is a social advocacy organization fighting for the protection and liberation of Black Life through advocacy and direct action. BLM Seattle centers leadership on Black femmes, women, queer and trans people organizing and taking direct action to dismantle anti-black systems and policies of oppression.<\/p>\n

Online: blacklivesseattle.org<\/a>
\nFacebook: @blmseattle<\/a>
\nTwitter: @BLMSeattleKC<\/a>
\nInstagram: @BLMSKC<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a letter sent today to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, we demanded an immediate halt to negotiations with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nBLM Seattle demands Mayor Durkan halt bargaining with SPOG - Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a letter sent today to Seattle Mayor Durkan, we demanded an immediate halt to negotiations with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blacklivesseattle.org.dream.website\/blm-seattle-demands-mayor-durkan-halt-bargaining-with-spog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BLM Seattle demands Mayor Durkan halt bargaining with SPOG - 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