Second contempt motion filed against Seattle over SPD’s handling of protests

SEATTLE — Attorneys representing Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County have asked for a second time that a judge hold Seattle in contempt of court, claiming the city violated a crowd control order by failing to take “effective action” to prevent police from using indiscriminate and excessive force against protesters.

In June, the ACLU of Washington and legal partners representing BLMSKC and several others received a preliminary injunction from a federal judge that temporarily blocked the Seattle Police Department, with some exceptions, from using controversial crowd control measures indiscriminately after clashes at protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. SPD said dozens of officers have been hurt in the clashes.

The first contempt motion was filed in July, which led to a clarified August court order with changes the city agreed to, expanding restrictions.

“It feels like some psychological warfare in addition to being wildly inconsistent with the judge’s order,” said ACLU of Washington Senior Staff Attorney Molly Tack-Hooper, in an interview Wednesday with KIRO 7.

Tack-Hooper said the second motion for contempt focuses on four patterns seen at protests in the last month.

“Indiscriminately deploying explosives, in the middle of a crowd, often a retreating crowd. Indiscriminate and just excessive amounts of pepper spray, just absolutely drenching people and everyone within a certain distance,” said Tack-Hooper. “Using less lethal weapons to route a protest or force protesters to move back faster and doing this without giving everyone an actual order to disperse and a chance to do so. In fact, we’ve seen SPD preventing people from leaving the protest by blocking off side streets.”

The Seattle City Attorney’s office said in a statement to KIRO 7, “We’ll now develop a response for the judge’s consideration. We welcome any guidance the Court may offer.”

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