Large show of support for SPD in advance of City Council vote

SEATTLE — Hundreds turned out in a show of support for Seattle police, a day ahead of a City Council vote that could mean deep cuts to the SPD’s multimillion-dollar budget.

There was a handful of counter-protesters there too. There were some tense moments, but for the most part, the rally remained peaceful.

Indeed, the east side of 4th Avenue was filled with people in full support of Seattle police.

As protests go here in the Emerald City, this was an unusual sight. Hundreds of people from across the Puget Sound, across the political spectrum, gathered in support of Seattle police.

"First of all, I'm a patriot of this country," said Patrick Gunn, explaining why he drove from Woodinville to the rally. "I'm a Marine. And I believe that our rights are being trampled on here in Seattle. And the responsibility for our mayor and our governor is absolutely intolerable."

Nearby stood Victoria Beach of Seattle.

"I am an African-American woman, and some of the other people down here at the rally, (I) don't have the same thought or agenda as them," said Beach. "But I just want to defend our chief and our Black law enforcement. I don't want to have an all-white police department, and that's what we're going to get."

"And defunding the police is not the answer," said Gauri Doshetty of Redmond. "We need proper reform. Defunding is not it."

There were a few counter-protesters just across 4th Avenue, and there was some tension with SPD officers standing guard.

But when KIRO 7 tried to talk to the counter-protesters, they blocked the camera with umbrellas and refused.

However, plenty of others were talking, including former Seattle Supersonic and perennial political candidate James Donaldson.

"We've got to send a message to this crazy Seattle City Council of ours," Donaldson told the crowd to loud applause, "that they are out of their freakin' minds to think about defunding police."

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), says this shows how many people support them and not the City Council.

"The reasonable community, the ignored majority who have never been heard in this city lately due to the unreasonable activism by our elected officials," said Solan. "They needed to be heard."

He says what he saw Sunday makes him believe the Seattle City Council will be swayed, that they will back off their plan to defund SPD.

Cox Media Group