I have written a letter to Mayor Jenny Durkan, explaining why I have not advanced her nomination of a permanent director of the Human Services Department, and calling on her to involve city workers, the community, and human service providers in an open, transparent, and inclusive candidate search. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February 7, 2019 Dear Mayor Durkan, […]

On December 12, I brought forward an ordinance to divest the City of Seattle from Wells Fargo, due to their investment in the Dakota Access Pipeline and a series of other unethical banking practices.  The ordinance also changes the City’s financial policies to make social justice concerns a factor when choosing where to deposit public funds. […]

For the last eight months, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has led a historic campaign against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), uniting hundreds of tribes, environmentalists, veterans and other activists inspired by their bold stand in defense of native treaty rights and the environment.   On Sunday, millions of people around the world celebrated news […]

This Thanksgiving Day, 2016, I sent the following letter to President Obama, calling on him again to end the police violence in Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline project. November 24, 2016 President Obama, Today, as millions of people in the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving in the warmth of their family homes, the courageous indigenous Americans standing […]

Thursday in North Dakota, a police force backed by corporate paramilitary agents and armored vehicles moved against indigenous people and other activists courageously protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Organizers were beaten, maced, shot with rubber bullets, threatened with automatic weapons, and more than 100 arrested for having the audacity to stand up and protect indigenous […]

On September 12, 2016, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the nearly 200 allied tribes, numerous environmental organizations, and thousands of activists who have joined in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. See my remarks below. Since April, despite a longstanding media blackout, we […]

On October 12th, 2015, Seattle came together to celebrate our second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day. When I first took office in early 2014, indigenous activists had been trying to secure sponsorship for the Indigenous Peoples’ Day resolution – without success. My office responded to the community immediately. Together with Matt Remle, the author of last year’s historic resolution, […]

On October 12th, 2015, Seattle came together to celebrate our second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This year, we came back to honor the community, and fight for the unanimously passage of a groundbreaking resolution to condemn the horrific United States Indian Boarding School Policy, which was in effect from 1869 to the 1960s. For more, see my speech from the ceremony below.  […]

Come out and celebrate Seattle’s second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day! For more on the day’s events, go here, and please read my statement on the resolution we will be presenting below. Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2015 – Recognizing the Painful History of the Indian Boarding School Policy Last year, it was my good fortune to have worked with indigenous […]

Last year, it was my good fortune to have worked with indigenous community activists on the creation of Indigenous People’s Day in Seattle. By passing this historic resolution, the City of Seattle rejected a celebration of Columbus Day, and honored the history and memory of those who experienced the brutal realities of colonialism and genocide. This […]