Rantz: Anti-cop candidate threatens Bellevue council’s relationship with police

The Bellevue City Council has a good relationship with the Bellevue Police Department. Though not perfect, they stand in stark contrast to odious Seattle council’s treatment of cops. This may change if activist lawyer James Bible wins a council seat.

Bible is running for Bellevue Council, challenging incumbent Jennifer Robertson. He holds deeply unsettling views of police, with a career filled with hateful anti-cop rhetoric, routinely on the wrong side of cases.

He was involved in Charleena Lyles’ case. She lured officers to her home with a false robbery claim, before taking a knife to them. They shot and killed her, after she didn’t listen to commands to drop her weapons.

Bible called Lyles’ death a “police murder,” according to former KTTH staff writer Neal McNamara, currently with Patch. Bible went on to explain his position, per the Seattle Weekly, “I did say those words, based on the information I’ve reviewed, based on the things that I’ve seen…”

A judge dismissed the family estate’s case against the officers, who have both been cleared of any wrongdoing by a Force Review Board.

Bible also represented the family of felon Che Taylor, who was shot and killed by cops after they say he reached for a gun (that he wasn’t legally allowed to own) when they approached him. Back in 2011, while serving as NAACP King County head, Bible claimed SPD officers purposefully destroy cellphone evidence, though “Bible did not list specific incidents for cases in which a cellphone video was destroyed or altered…”

Most recently, Bible tried to sabotage the Seattle police contract.

He seems to always harshly criticize cops. Contrast that with incumbent Robertson, a supporter of police.

“In Bellevue, we appreciate our police officers who work hard every day to keep us safe,” Robertson told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “The Council works closely with our police to provide them the tools they need to serve our city so well. As a result, we have one of the best police departments in the country and they are trusted by the people they serve. From our Police Chief to our patrol officers, the Bellevue PD works hard to keep this trust by being open, inclusive and caring to all members of our community. This is why our crime rate is low and why Bellevue is considered one of the most livable cities anywhere. I am proud to always have the backs of our police officers because they will literally put their lives on the line to keep our community members safe.”

I can’t ever imagine Bible saying he’s proud to back cops. If a healthy relationship between the council and the cops is important to you, this is a no-brainer: say no to James Bible.

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