Quote:Donnitta Sinclair, the mother of 19-year-old Horace Lorenzo Anderson, a black man who was shot and killed in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) last June, filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Seattle. According to Sinclair, there were “botched communications” between Seattle Police and Fire, which resulted in Anderson’s death.

In her lawsuit, Sinclair alleges “bad decisions, confusion, miscommunication and poor planning by city officials contributed to” her son’s death, The Seattle Times reported.

Anderson was shot while visiting the CHOP zone last year. CHOP-affiliated volunteers and medics attempted to render aid. According to Sinclair’s lawsuit, a Seattle Fire Department medic and ambulance were a little more than a block away from the scene. A previous report from The Seattle Times indicated that “At the time, demonstrators had largely blocked off law enforcement access to the CHOP area amid demands for racial justice and calls to defund the Seattle Police Department (SPD).”

According to KING-TV, “The lawsuit claims the CHOP ‘invited lawlessness and created foreseeable danger’ and that Seattle police and Seattle Fire first responders in the area that night “failed to assist because of botched communication.'”

The attorney representing Sinclair said the city of Seattle violated Anderson’s 14th amendment rights.

“This lawsuit has two main points,” attorney Mark Lindquist explained. “Number one, the city created a dangerous environment when it deserted the East Precinct in the CHOP area. City officials left citizens without the protection of fire or police or medical and other essential services. And then number two, after Lorenzo was shot, the city didn’t get medical assistance to him even though there was a Medic One truck just a block and a half away from where he was bleeding.”

This is the latest lawsuit in a string of lawsuits filed against the city.

As The Daily Wire previously reported, shortly after Anderson’s death, Sinclair filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle. In that lawsuit, the mother stated a “dangerous environment” was created when city officials allowed CHOP to occupy six blocks of the area and shut out police and fire.

Anderson’s father, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, Sr., also filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle and Washington State “alleging that their negligence and tolerance for CHOP led directly to his son’s death,” The Daily Wire reported at the time.

According to The Seattle Times, businesses in the CHOP zone have proposed a federal class-action lawsuit against the city. They “claim the city’s tolerance of the CHOP and decision to pull law enforcement from the area cost them millions and violated their rights to live and operate safely.”

All of the lawsuits point to Seattle officials’ “withdrawal of most police and fire services from a roughly six-square block area centered on the precinct and Cal Anderson Park across the street.”

City officials have charged Marcel Levon Long with first-degree murder in Anderson’s death, although he remains at large.

Link



Socialist Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant Faces Recall Effort After Backing CHOP, ‘Defund the Police’

Quote:A recall effort is under way to remove Socialist Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, who pushed for the city to “defund the police,” allowed Black Lives Matter rioters into City Hall, and backed the occupation known as CHAZ or CHOP.

Sawant is an immigrant from India who joined the Socialist Alternative organization and advocates for radical left-wing policies within city government. She has supported other violent radical movements, including the Occupy movement.

Though she was elected in 2019 to serve a four-year term that ends in 2024, many local residents are furious at her impact thus far. As Breitbart News reported last June, she led demonstrators into City Hall, despite coronavirus restrictions. She also defended the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ), later known as the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” (CHOP), saying the protesters had the right to use armed guards, and blaming a shooting inside the CHOP on “capitalism’s brutality.”

Sawant also led efforts to “defund the police,” and succeeded in pressing the City Council to commit to cutting the Seattle Police Department by 50%, though only 100 officers could be cut right away. Police Chief Carmen Best resigned in protest.

The Seattle Times reported Monday that both opponents and supporters of Sawant are gearing up for the fight (original links):

Last week, the Recall Sawant campaign mailed petition copies and signature-gathering instructions to some voters in Sawant’s District 3, and the Kshama Solidarity campaign mailed literature to some voters arguing against a recall.

…

To secure a recall election (an up-or-down vote on Sawant), Recall Sawant must submit at least 10,739 valid signatures from District 3 voters (25% of the votes cast in 2019’s general election).

Only District 3 voters can sign, and only District 3 voters will be allowed to participate if an election is held. District 3 includes Capitol Hill, the Central District, Montlake and Madison Park.

The recall process allows 180 days for petition signatures to be collected; the clock began on April 22, when the ballot synopsis for the potential recall was finalized, so Recall Sawant has until mid-October.

The Recall Sawant website lays out the case against her:

1. Misuse of City of Seattle Council Office Resources to Promote a Ballot Initiative or Other Electioneering (Jan-February 2020)

2. Misuse of Councilmember Sawant’s Official Position in Admitting Hundreds of Individuals Illegally into City Hall Afterhours (June 9, 2020)

3. Using Her Official Position as City Councilmember to Lead a Protest March to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Private Residence Whose Location is in the State Confidential Program (July 3rd 2020)

The Kshama Solidarity website sets out her defense:

Big business and the right-wing are using the courts and their deep pockets to try to silence Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant with a recall campaign. They are furious about her consistent support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the victories she has spearheaded with her socialist council office, including the Amazon Tax, the $15 minimum wage, and landmark legislation for renters’ rights.

Signature gathering is being conducted by mail, because of the risks of an ongoing coronavirus surge in the state.

I wish them success in their lawsuits.

I hope they bankrupt Seattle

Quote:City officials have charged Marcel Levon Long with first-degree murder in Anderson’s death, although he remains at large.

Lovely.

Quote:A recall effort is under way to remove Socialist Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, who pushed for the city to “defund the police,”.... Sawant is an immigrant from India who joined the Socialist Alternative organization.... Though she was elected in 2019 to serve a four-year term that ends in 2024, many local residents are furious at her impact thus far.

Elections matter. Not just the ones for POTUS but the ones for things like county commission, city council, etc.

Maybe someday, people in Seattle (and elsewhere) will figure that out. We’ll see.

Ye receive what Ye vote for...........