What's up, South End?
This was a big week in local politics and Mayor Katie Wilson found herself in the middle of both headline-causing events at City Hall.
First: The Mayor’s veto of the RV ban made it through a council vote, but not without controversy. There was a rather contentious exchange between councilmembers Dan Strauss and Rob Saka.
Then: Mayor Wilson announced she will proceed with an expansion of Seattle’s surveillance camera program. Earlier this year, Wilson paused the expansion and ordered an audit by New York University's Policing Project. The results are in, by way of a 77-page report, and Wilson said cameras in SoDo would be turned on immediately, with cameras in the Central District and Capitol Hill on the way.
Y’all can read about details on both of those topics in the latest article from our politics reporter Connor Nash.
Connor was at City Hall this week listening to speeches and asking questions of local politicians and he has the government angle covered.
I’m here to talk about these surveillance cameras, and I’m covering the community perspective. One of the unavoidable conversations happening all week has been folks who voted for Wilson feel betrayed by her decision to turn on the cameras — especially without guarantees that the feds won’t get ahold of the footage or assurances SPD won’t abuse the program.
According to community groups who read the report, and the 19 recommendations from NYU, there are a bunch of holes in the plan to ensure people are protected from federal agencies like ICE, and that regulations for SPD usage remain unclear.
To get to the bottom of all of this, I spoke to Cliff Cawthon, a member of the Community Not Cameras Coalition.
Cawthon, along with fellow Coalition members, have toured the Real Time Crime Center. The Coalition, made up of experienced activists and cybersecurity experts, are not convinced the potential results are worth the risk to privacy.
I asked Cawthon about the concerns community members have with the surveillance program, if supporters of Wilson — like Community Not Cameras — feel betrayed, and the big question: What does his Coalition say to people who believe these cameras are needed to deter crime and provide safety in their neighborhoods?
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
MD: The Mayor has decided to move forward with expanding the surveillance program. What are your group's concerns?
CC: First of all, there is no accountability. When that data is accessed, there's supposed to be a file number. It's supposed to be a paper trail behind that access. And right now, that system is just not established.
Also, and this came up in the report, there is no way the City of Seattle can ensure the vendor themselves, Axon, doesn’t share data. If you go to the company’s website, they don't hide it — they work with DHS, Border Patrol, FBI, ICE, even the U.S. military. They advertise those relationships on the website.
And then, there's no proper accounting of how many private sector cameras there are attached to systems. That needs to be way more transparent. Right now private businesses can opt in to sharing a network with the Real Time Crime Center, so SPD can access those cameras. That can lead to chilling effects for protesters. The public can also access these records through public records requests. So that means people who are fleeing various forms of violence, including domestic violence, would be at risk.
I could go on and on. But basically, there is no real accountability for a system that is predisposed to the most authoritarian ends of what government can do.
MD: What would your organization say to the people who believe that turning these cameras on are absolutely essential to stop violence?
CC: On a personal note, I get it. I remember when the shooting at the Bite happened. I was supposed to be there at that time, and just happened to go earlier. So I say this as someone who dodged a mass shooting event and most of my time in Washington I’ve lived in the South End, and I’ve seen violence in my own community.
I’ve seen people who are hurting, and as hard as this is to say — the answer to heal our communities is not to turn our community into an open-air prison with security cameras, with cops guarding every corner, with more bars on windows, with more things in the supermarket behind glass cases.
I understand how pain can lead to fear, but these things have been shown not to work. And particularly when it comes to security cameras, and in the study itself, in multiple studies, there has been no strong correlation found between case clearance, like actually solving crimes, and the use of security cameras.
MD: There’s been a lot of talk this week about voters feeling betrayed by Wilson for this decision or people saying it goes against campaign promises. Is there truth to the claim she went back on her word?
CC: She did say that she opposed the expansion of the Real Time Crime Center. Many people who are against surveillance, both the expansion and the use of surveillance cameras now, were assured that her campaign was anti-surveillance.
I’ve worked with her before on ballot initiatives supported by the Transit Riders Union and things like the progressive income tax going back a decade. So I know that she does care, but there was an expectation and also explicit statement that she would not expand the Real Time Crime Center. An expectation that the cameras would be dismantled, or that we would create an alternative to them.
The RV ban has been officially vetoed and the surveillance cameras are back in business. Here’s an update on the latest from City Hall.
Have you ever heard of the Disciplinary Barrack Boys? Here’s some long-lost South End lore about Japanese-Americans who refused war.
Nearly half of women and more than 1 in 6 men in the U.S. have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes. This guide has resources for neighbors in need.
For all my Rainier Beach okazu pan fans… Umami Kushi has a new location. They’re now serving treats in the South End and in Madrona.
This is an abbreviated version of The Roundup newsletter. To get the entire newsletter, including a weekly list of events to check out and my shout-out to South End Gems, subscribe here. See you next week!
Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.
We're building a newsroom rooted in community, not corporate backing. Help us raise funds to hire our first-ever full-time reporter and grow our capacity to cover the South End. Donate today.