Thanks to a strong and immediate national response, America has now seen protests of the murder of George Floyd across all 50 States.
Protests in the Seattle area over the death Floyd are expected to continue for a seventh day today. With angered citizens looking for answers and showing no signs of slowing down.
On Wednesday, Seattle canceled its curfew as the mayor acknowledged the city’s peaceful protest. As Wednesday night turned into Thursday morning, the scene in Capitol Hill remained peaceful for hours amongst protesters. What seemed like a de-escalating tactic was on display, as a noticeable space separated the crowd and the line of law enforcement officials.
Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best sat down at City Hall with protest leaders and longtime community activists to address the ongoing protests over police killings of innocent Black citizens. David Lewis, an activist, who has emerged as a leader at Seattle’s protests over the past week said they felt the meeting was “successful.”
However, there were others who felt Durkan hadn’t directly addressed some of their concerns. There is a need for clearer responses to ideas. One key idea that stood out is for Seattle to reduce its police budget and redistribute money to community programs. Another was that police release jailed protesters.
As American citizens continue to protest around the country, we will keep you informed of the climate on the ground. Stay Strong! #WeGotUs
