TELL MAYOR JENNY DURKAN TO #DEFUNDSPD

This week the mayor will deliver the proposed Seattle budget to City Council. Will she defend Black lives or defend the Seattle police budget? We must keep the pressure on. Call, email, and tag Jenny Durkan on social media today to demand that she meet the Defund SPD demands immediately.

Step 1: Call Mayor Durkan

Call Mayor Durkan at: 206-684-4000
You will most likely get voicemail

SCRIPT

Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your Seattle neighborhood],

I’m calling to demand that Mayor Durkan agree to the following:
1. Defund the SPD by 50%
2. Re-allocate those funds to community-led health and safety systems; and
3. Release protestors arrested during this uprising without charges.

As a Seattle resident, I believe defending Black Lives in Seattle looks like defunding SPD and reinvesting in Community. Reform is not an option and we cannot wait for more Black people to be murdered before we make change happen. We know the mayor is rebalancing the budget now– it’s time for her to listen to the people and Defund the SPD now. Thank you, goodbye.

Step 2: Email Durkan (and CC the entire City Council)

Contact Info
To: jenny.durkan@seattle.gov
CC: lisa.herbold@seattle.gov, debora.juarez@seattle.gov, lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov, teresa.mosqueda@seattle.gov, Kshama.sawant@seattle.gov, Andrew.lewis@seattle.gov, tammy.morales@seattle.gov, dan.strauss@seattle.gov, Alex.pedersen@seattle.gov  

SCRIPT

Sample Subject: Defund the SPD in Defense of Black Lives (Feel free to write your own subject, as long as it’s on-brand 🙂

Sample Body: Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [neighborhood],

I’m writing to demand that Mayor Durkan and City Council immediately agree to the demands laid out to defund the Seattle police department. These demands are to:
1. Defund the SPD by 50%
2. Re-allocate those funds to community-led health and safety systems; and
3. Release protestors arrested during this uprising without charges

As a Seattle resident, I believe defending Black Lives in Seattle looks like defunding SPD and reinvesting in Community. SPD shows us again and again that reform and police accountability is not possible. Our Black and brown communities have suffered under police terror in Seattle with the murders of Charleena Lyles, John T Williams, Che Taylor, Shaun Fuhr, and more; disproportionate incarceration; and the militarized and violent response of SPD to the current protests.

We cannot wait for more Black people to be murdered before we make real change happen. We know the mayor is rebalancing the budget now– it’s time for her to listen to the people and Defund the SPD now.

Sincerely, [your name]

Step 3: Social Media!

  1. Take a selfie (or a picture with your pet) with a sign that reads: “Defending Black Lives in Seattle looks like defunding SPD and reinvesting in Community. Sign the petition now: tinyurl.com/defundSPD and tinyurl.com/defundSPDorg #DefundSPD #BlackLivesMatter #SeattleProtests” 
  1. Post your photo to Instagram or Facebook with the caption Defending Black Lives in Seattle looks like defunding SPD and reinvesting in Community. Sign the petition now: (individual) tinyurl.com/defundSPD and (organizations) tinyurl.com/defundSPDorg #DefundSPD #BlackLivesMatter #SeattleProtests

To make sure it’s seen by the right people, tag: Mayor Jenny Durkan

  1. Instagram Tags: @mayorjennydurkan 
  2. Facebook Tags: @MayorJennyDurkan
  3. Extra Credit: tag 5 friends who are in solidarity with this movement, challenging them to do the same!