At 100 Days, Wilson Faces Backlash Over Seattle Surveillance Cameras

Friday, April 10, was Mayor Katie Wilson's 100th day as mayor, and her office has been pushing to showcase her policy platform and future goals. But one of Wilson's current policies has cast a shadow over her short tenure and has angered some of her constituents, former campaign staff members, and transition chairs: keeping the majority of the city's surveillance technology online.

And at a recent "Communities Not Cameras" rally, dozens showed up on her 100th day in office to voice they were unhappy with her policy.

Representatives from community organizations on the progressive left, along with other community members, spoke at the rally to ask that funding used for surveillance cameras instead be redirected to fund social services. The speakers, who highlighted how surveillance impacts immigrant communities, people seeking reproductive care, sex workers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, included representatives from Puget Sound Sage and the "Humbows Not Hotels" campaign, La Resistencia NW, Radical Women, and Pitch 206, as well as University of Washington law professor Angélica Cházaro and drag queen Harper Bizzarre.

Activist Castill Hightower said in part, "As someone impacted by both gun and police violence, I am deeply disturbed by Mayor Wilson continuing to use our trauma to support police surveillance, rather than relying on the facts that surveillance does not reduce violent crime."

At one point, Xochitl Maykovich, former field director for Wilson's mayoral campaign, asked Matt McIntosh, Wilson's current community relations manager, to answer questions. McIntosh responded, "I'm not here to make any commitments for the mayor; I'm here to listen. And that's my comment at this time."

McIntosh received much of the ire that was intended for Wilson, with one member of the audience telling him, "I voted for her, and I'm pissed off."

In recent days, the mayor's office has highlighted Wilson's recent policy wins, such as a plan to disburse $4 million to support immigrant services and organizations. The office has also laid out a plan to add 1,000 shelter beds and emergency housing units by the end of the year. But rally-goers instead focused on surveillance and voiced feelings of betrayal that Wilson has decided to keep most of the city's surveillance cameras up.

After the rally, Transit Riders Union (TRU) member Noah Williams spoke with the Emerald about whether TRU, which Wilson founded, continues to support her. "We still believe in the mission that we elected her for, and that includes housing, transit, [and] taking care of our neighbors. [The surveillance cameras are] something that is detrimental to that," Williams said.

Williams also spoke about comments Wilson made at a recent town hall focused on surveillance, in which she said she had not broken a campaign promise on cameras. "I think it may not have been a literal departure from campaign promises, but thematic, yes," he said.

Madison Zack-Wu, a member of Strippers Are Workers, said people were upset about the mayor's position on surveillance. "Wilson was collectively better than Harrell," Zack-Wu said, but added that the cameras have sex workers feeling "pretty pissed."