Considering potential police reform policies, eviction bans, and summer plans this week

Ross Reynolds reviews the weeks' news with The Stranger staff writer Jasmyne Keimig, SCC Insight founder and writer Kevin Schofield, and The Seattle City Club's Civic Cocktail host Joni Balter.

On Thursday Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that three officers were being criminally charged in the death of Manuel Ellis. This decision came the same week as the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd and Ellis’ deaths were catalysts that launched a summer of protests in Seattle and around the world. City, county and state officials made numerous promises regarding police reform throughout the last summer in response to those protests. How significant is this decision by the Attorney General, and how many of those promises did Washington lawmakers actually keep?

Also, a proposal from Seattle city councilmember Kshama Sawant would prevent landlords from evicting any families with school age children, as well as anyone who works at a school. A council committee approved the proposal on Tuesday, and a full council vote could happen in two weeks time. But is a permanent eviction moratorium actually legal?

Plus, the coalition “Compassion Seattle'' officially has the go ahead to begin collecting signatures for its ballot initiative. The group hopes to change the city’s charter, mandating a variety of homeless services and expanded shelter space, as well as requiring the city to “ensure that parks, playgrounds, sports fields, public spaces and sidewalks and streets remain open and clear of encampments.” The group now needs to gather 33,000 signatures in order to make it onto the November ballot. If they do make it onto the ballot, how will it impact local elections?

Finally, the Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer here in Seattle. Even under Covid restrictions more people will be out and about. Usually Folklife would be kicking off the festival season this weekend, with Pride beginning at the start of June. Folklife is still happening, but it's certainly going to look a little different, sticking to online only for it's 50th anniversary celebration. Meanwhile, there is at least one Pride related activity you can do in person, visiting the AIDS Memorial Pathway that's being installed above the Capitol Hill light rail station. What will the completed memorial mean in the context of Pride this June, and as we consider how to commemorate the current pandemic?