Kshama Sawant, who declared last week she is running as a Socialist Alternative candidate for City Council (Position 2) against incumbent Richard Conlin, is speaking out against the City Council’s decision this week to allow the Seattle Police Department to continue to to use drones, despite widespread public outcry.

Sawant said “The Seattle Police Department has a long history of racial profiling, racial discrimination, excessive use of force, and repression of grassroots activists. I am in complete opposition to the SPD having access to drones. We need a democratically elected civilian oversight committee with full powers over the SPD. The police have to be accountable to ordinary people, not the Mayor’s Office and City Hall, which are controlled by the wealthy elite.”

“Seattle voters who are outraged that the City Council bowed to the demands of the SPD to continue to be able to play with drones have a choice in this election. They can vote out a 16-year incumbent who voted for this SPD-amended legislation, Richard Conlin. I will use my seat on the City Council to demand the end of the SPD drone program, as part of a wider effort to hold the SPD accountable for its actions. It is high time we put a stop to the SPD wasting money buying the latest in cutting edge weaponry with no proven need” Sawant stated.

The Seattle City Council unanimously approved legislation on March 18th requiring any city department wanting to use surveillance equipment, including drones and cameras, to get prior approval. The department would have to spell out how they plan to use the devices and the City Council would hold a public hearing on the proposal before giving approval.

While this is a small step in the right direction, there are gaping holes in the new legislation. Surveillance equipment, in general, has to meet the most stringent requirements. One public hearing is not giving the people of the city an opportunity to protect their right to privacy and to question why any department would need surveillance equipment. Even this minimal level of over sight was too much for the SPD. In response to their opposition to these minimal restrictions, the Council amended the bill to exempt the Seattle Police Department from even this highly limited process of public inquiry.

For further background see this article: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020590528_councildronesxml.html?prmid=4939