AGAINST
AGAINST FRAUD. >>> I WANT TO UPDATE YOU ALL ON
THE SITUATION AT THE EAST
PRECINCT, THE DECISION ON OUR
HOME, THE FIRST PRECINCT I
WORKED IN IS SOMETHING I HAVE
BEEN HOLDING OFF.
YOU SHOULD KNOW, LEAVING THE
PRECINCT WAS NOT MY DECISION.
>> SO, WHOSE DECISION WAS IT TO
CLOSE DOWN THE POLICE PRECINCT
ON CAPITOL HILL?
WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS ABOUT
THE RESPONSE TO BLACK LIVES
MATTER PROTESTS?
MATTER PROTESTS? >> THOSE QUESTIONS RAISED AFTER
CARMEN BEST RELEASED A YOUTUBE
VIDEO THIS MORNING, WE HAVE
COVERAGE FOR YOU TONIGHT, WE
ARE HEARING FROM THE POLICE
CHIEF AND THE MAYOR TONIGHT.
LET'S GET RIGHT TO THOSE
DEMONSTRATIONS.
DEMONSTRATIONS. PROTESTERS ARE GATHERING ON THE
CAPITOL HILL AUTONOMOUS ZONE,
IT STRETCHES ACROSS SEVERAL
BLOCKS.
BLOCKS.
BLOCKS. THE POLICE CHIEF WENT TO THE
AREA THIS MORNING AND NATALIE
WAS THERE, SHE JOINS US WITH
WHAT POLICE AND PROTESTERS ARE
SAYING.
SAYING.
SAYING. >> Reporter: MARK, LET'S START
WITH THAT NAME, THE SIGN SAYING
TO CAPITOL HILL, AUTONOMOUS ZONE
. THE PROTESTER WAS TELLING ME
HE DOESN'T LIKE THAT TITLE, AND
THAT SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT
THERE IS NOT ONE LEADER FOR THE
GROUP.
GROUP.
GROUP. AS
GROUP. AS FOR THE POLICE, THEY ARE
SAYING THAT THE 911 RESPONSE
TIMES HAVE TRICKLED IN THE AREA.
IT IS TAKING AN AVERAGE OF 18
MINUTES FOR POLICE OFFICERS TO
RESPOND TO EMERGENCY CALLS,
THAT IS WHY THIS PRECINCT NEEDS
TO REOPEN.
TO REOPEN. THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE,
AS CARMEN BEST ENTERED THE
BOARDED-UP EAST PRECINCT,
OUTSIDE, PROTESTERS HAVE SET UP
TENTS.
TENTS.
TENTS. MAURICE SAID THEY ARE PEACEFUL,
HE DOES ACKNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE
BLOCKED ROADS.
BLOCKED ROADS. >> WE HAVE PEOPLE THREATENING
US, WE ARE NOT JUST STOPPING
PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING THROUGH,
WE ARE JUST BEING SURE THAT
PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT THIS IS
WHAT THIS IS AND IF YOU COULD,
IT WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE TO
GO AROUND.
GO AROUND. >> BUT THE BARRICADES ARE A
SAFETY CONCERN.
SAFETY CONCERN. >> WE ARE NOT GOING TO TRY TO
DEAL WITH THAT, I JUST WANT TO
LOOK AT THE BUILDING.
WE ARE TRYING TO EVALUATE IT, I
JUST CAME INTO THE BUILDING TO
LOOK AROUND, TO SEE WHAT DAMAGE
WAS HERE.
WAS HERE.
WAS HERE. >> Reporter: THE CHIEF WANTS TO
BRING OFFICERS BACK BUT FOR
NOW, IT'S PROTESTERS OUT HERE
WITH THEIR MESSAGE.
>> THEY ARE WORKING THROUGH THE
TRAUMA THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED
FROM BEING TERRORIZED BY THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. >> WE WANT CHANGE THROUGHOUT
THE SYSTEM, WE WANT CHANGE FOR
ANYTHING THAT IS NOT FAIR AND
THERE'S A LOT OF IT.
WE ARE HERE FOR THE BLACK
COMMUNITY, STARTING WITH POLICE
BRUTALITY.
BRUTALITY. >> THEY ARE NOT EVEN HERE FOR
US, THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE TO
LISTEN TO US.
>> IT'S SO FRUSTRATING FOR ONE
PROTESTER, HE BROKE DOWN IN
TEARS AND HE WAS COMFORTED BY
THIS POLICE SERGEANT.
>> IT'S OKAY, I UNDERSTAND, I
REALLY DO.
REALLY DO. I REALLY DO, I AM A 57-YEAR-OLD
MAN OF COLOR WHO HAS WORKED IN
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR
SEVERAL YEARS, SO I KNOW.
>> THAT SERGEANT PASSED OUT HIS
CARD TO A NUMBER OF PROTESTERS,
TELLING THEM, EMAIL ME, LET'S
HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION.
PROTESTERS TOLD ME THAT IS WHAT
THEY WANT, THEY WANT TO HAVE A
DIALOGUE WITH THE POLICE CHIEF.
>>> THANK YOU.
ON ONE OF THE FIRST NIGHTS OF
PROTESTS IN SEATTLE, SATURDAY
NIGHT, FIVE POLICE CARS WERE
SET ON FIRE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF DOWNTOWN.
OF DOWNTOWN. TONIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE ANNOUNCED A TACOMA
WOMAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR
SETTING THOSE PARKED CARS ON
FIRE DURING THE PROTEST MAY 30.
THEY HAVE VIDEO SHOWING
MARGARET SHANNON LIGHTING AN
ACCELERANT TO START THE
VEHICLES ON FIRE.
>>> YOU JUST HEARD SEATTLE'S
POLICE CHIEF SAYING IT WAS NOT
HER DECISION TO CLOSE THE EAST
PRECINCT.
PRECINCT.
PRECINCT. CARMEN BEST AND THE MAYOR TRIED
TO SHOW A UNIFIED FRONT TODAY.
CHRIS DANIELS ASKED TODAY, SO
WHO IS MAKING THE CALL FOR THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT?
POLICE DEPARTMENT? HE JOINS US NOW, LIVE.
>> Reporter: WHO IS MAKING THE
CALLS?
CALLS?
CALLS? THE SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
SAID THEY WOULD NOT USE TEAR
GAS, THEN THEY DID, THEY
ABANDONED PRECINCT ON CAPITOL
HILL.
HILL.
HILL. TODAY I ASKED THE POLICE CHIEF
WHO MADE THOSE DECISIONS, WE
ALSO ASKED IF THE MAYOR AND THE
CHIEF ARE ON THE SAME PAGE.
>> WHO IS MAKING TACTICAL
DECISIONS RIGHT NOW FOR THE
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT?
>> A COUPLE THINGS, THOSE ARE
TWO VERY DIFFERENT INCIDENTS,
FOR THE TEARGAS, IT WAS MY
DECISION.
DECISION.
DECISION. I THINK I MADE IT VERY CLEAR
THAT WE DID NOT WANT TO USE ANY
OF THE PEPPER SPRAY, OR TEARGAS
AND WE SUSPENDED IT FOR 30 DAYS
UNLESS IT WAS A LIFE SAFETY
SITUATION AND THAT WAS THE
EXEMPTION.
EXEMPTION. I WAS KEEPING ABREAST OF WHAT
WAS HAPPENING IN THE PRECINCT,
WE HAD A SHOOTING EARLIER IN
THE DAY AT SOME POINT, IT GOT
UNRULY.
UNRULY.
UNRULY. THERE WAS A MAN WITH A GUN IN
THE CROWD.
THE CROWD. THE OFFICERS FELT LIKE IT WAS A
LIFE SAFETY SITUATION BASED ON
WHAT WAS OCCURRING.
AND I CONCUR AND I OWN THAT
DECISION.
DECISION.
DECISION. I WILL OWN ANY DECISION THAT I
THINK IS IN THE BEST INTEREST
OF EVERYONE'S PUBLIC SAFETY.
THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT HOW THEY WILL BE USED IN
THE FUTURE AND I HOPE THEY HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN
THOSE CONVERSATIONS BUT I
TOTALLY OWNED THAT DECISION.
IN REGARDS TO THE PRECINCT, WE
OPENED UP THE ROADS, WE DECIDED
TO PUT SOME SAFETY MEASURES
AROUND THE PRECINCT TO PROTECT
IT.
IT.
IT. WE
IT. WE WERE ASKED TO DO AN
OPERATIONAL PLAN IN CASE WE
NEEDED TO LEAVE.
WE GOT AN UPDATE THAT THERE WAS
THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE, OF
COURSE IF THE PRECINCT GOES
DOWN IN FLYER FIRE, THE WHOLE
BLOCK COULD POTENTIALLY BURN UP.
THE DECISION WAS MADE, AS
OFFICERS ARE TAKING THINGS OUT
OF THE PRECINCT, THEY DIDN'T
WANT TO COME BACK INTO THE
PRECINCT AND MANY OF THEM DID
NOT.
NOT.
NOT. WE
NOT. WE ARE GOING TO EVALUATE THE
PINPOINT OF WHY THAT CHANGED.
>> THEY WERE THEN ASKED IF THEY
HAD FAITH IN EACH OTHER.
>> YES, I'M STANDING HERE,
RIGHT NEXT TO HER IN THIS
BRIEFING.
BRIEFING.
BRIEFING. >> WE HAVE BEEN ASKED IN OTHER
FORUMS, ARE YOU GOING TO
RESIGN?
RESIGN?
RESIGN? THE ANSWER IS NO.
WE ARE HERE, WE'VE GOT WORK TO
DO AND WE ARE GOING TO GET IT
DONE.
DONE.
DONE. >>
DONE. >> Reporter: THAT COME OUT OF A
LATE AFTERNOON PRESS CONFERENCE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CHIEF OF
STAFF WALKED OUT AND TOLD
REPORTERS THAT THE MAYOR MADE
THE CALL TO REMOVE THE
BARRICADES ON CAPITOL HILL
AROUND EAST PRECINCT AND ALSO
SAID THAT THE CALLS WE HAVE
HEARD FROM PEOPLE IN THIS
COMMUNITY TO DEFUND THE POLICE
ACCORDING TO JENNY DURKAN,
WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO CUT
THE BUDGET BY 50% AS SOME
COUNCILMEMBERS HAVE PUSHED FOR,
BUT A REIMAGINING OF THE
DEPARTMENT IS POSSIBLE.
THAT IS THE STORY AT CITY HALL,
CHRIS DANIELS, KING 5 NEWS.
>>> WE POSTED THE FULL YOUTUBE
VIDEO ON KING 5 IF YOU WANT TO
WATCH IT, JUST TEXT THE WORD
CHIEF TO 20644 84545.
>>> THE PRESIDENT FLEW TO TEXAS
TO TAKE PART IN A ROUNDTABLE ON
POLICE REFORM, AT THE END OF
NEXT WEEK, HE'S HOLDING A RALLY
IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA.
ANYBODY THAT REGISTERS FOR THE
EVENT HAS TO SIGN A DISCLAIMER
ACKNOWLEDGING THE RISK OF BEING
EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS.
THE PRESIDENT TOOK ANOTHER JOB
AT WASHINGTON'S GOVERNOR, JAY
INSLEE AND JENNY DURKAN FOR
HOW THEY ARE HANDLING
PROTESTERS IN OUR STATE.
THIS BACK-AND-FORTH STARTED ON
TWITTER LAST NIGHT, HERE IS THE
LATEST TWEET, IT SAID RADICAL
LEFT GOVERNOR AND THE MAYOR OF
SEATTLE ARE BEING PLAYED AT A
LEVEL OUR COUNTRY HAS NEVER
SEEN BEFORE.
SEEN BEFORE. TAKE BACK YOUR CITY NOW.
IF YOU DON'T DO IT, I WILL.
THIS IS NOT A GAME.
THESE UGLY ANARCHISTS MUST BE
STOPPED IMMEDIATELY.
STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST.
MOVE FAST. SO THIS AFTERNOON, SEATTLE'S
MAYOR SPOKE ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS.
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS. >> I ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR, AS
I STATED PREVIOUSLY, IT IS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ILLEGAL TO
SEND MILITARY TO SEATTLE BUT I
WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW, THERE IS
NO IMMINENT THREAT OF AN
INVASION IN SEATTLE.
>> TOMORROW, THE LOCAL CHAPTER
OF BLACK LIVES MATTER IS
PLANNING A MARCH AND A GENERAL
STRIKE ACROSS THE STATE, THAT
IS GEARED TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO
TAKE PART BUT THEY CAN'T MARCH.
AS FOR THE SILENT MARCH PORTION
OF TOMORROW, IT STARTS AT
JUDKINS PARK AT 1:00. THERE
WILL BE THREE RULES FOR THE
MARCH,