Seattle council expected to approve controversial police precinct
Aug 15, 2016, 7:51 AM | Updated: 8:55 am
The Seattle police precinct that's come under such heavy criticism lately has much more than just a firing range and gym. (SPD)
(SPD)
A divided Seattle City Council is expected to narrowly approve a controversial new North Precinct that critics argue is an exorbitant edifice to the growing social and racial divide between police and those they’re charged with serving.
Council member Lorena Gonzalez has introduced a new resolution cutting the price tag by $11 million to $149 million, which would still be the most expensive police station in the nation.
Proponents say the current North Precinct near North Seattle College is outdated, dilapidated and overcrowded. The city council unanimously approved the purchase of land at Aurora Avenue North and North 130th.
Related: Seattle council member smacks down colleague’s anti-cop position
It’s become a focal point for critics of the Seattle Police Department — and police in general — who’ve dubbed the building a “bunker.”
Dozens packed a recent hearing to blast the building they say would be the most expensive police station in the country — money they argue should be spent on affordable housing and social services instead. And they argue it further militarizes the police department.
Gonzalez will need a five-member majority to pass the resolution, and appears to have that support from four others, including council member Debora Juarez.
Juarez, a Native American, bristles at Black Lives Matters protesters who’ve targeted the project as reflective of the ever-growing racial divide between police and people of color.
“I will not allow a politicization of anything more than that we’re replacing a police station,” she said. “I am not afraid of a building. I am not afraid of the people in the building.”
But in response, council member Mike O’Brien said, “I appreciate your statement that you’re not afraid of the building or the people within the building. But I think it’s important at least for me to say that I have heard from a lot of community members who are afraid of the people in that building and what that building stands for.”
Juarez argues replacing the current North Precinct has been discussed since the late 1990s, and the new facility would not only serve police with expanded training facilities including an indoor shooting range but would also have large community spaces.
Protesters plan to again pack Monday’s council meeting to speak out about the project and have bombarded council members with emails and calls in hopes of drastically reducing it or scuttling it altogether.
