Statement by my office given after Judge James Robart granted a temporary restraining order preventing the Seattle Police Department from implementing the City Council’s ban on crowd-control weapons.  The Seattle City Council unanimously passed its crowd-control weapons ban on June 15, 2020. The ordinance, sponsored by my office, banned police use of chemical weapons and […]

July 15, 2020 Thanks to our powerful community movement, led by Black clergy and other faith leaders, funds now will be set aside annually to build affordable housing in the Central District for Black working-class, and poor families Today (July 15) I hailed the 9-0 vote in the City Council’s Select Budget Committee to dedicate […]

“Seattle’s Amazon Tax is a historic victory for working people – hard fought and hard won by a movement that wouldn’t give up and that faced down a seemingly endless series of obstacles.” Press release July 6, 2020 SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle) issued the following statement in celebration of the victory of the […]

July 2, 2020 “ It is stunning that Mayor Durkan has continued to use brutal police violence despite the widespread and decisive opposition from her constituents, and in the face of calls from over 47,000 people for her to resign.” SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and […]

Response by Councilmember Sawant to Durkan Attack on Our Office – June 30, 2020 Mayor Jenny Durkan’s establishment has utterly failed working people and communities of color in this city. She bears responsibility for a torrent of violence by Seattle police, including the use of brutal weapons like tear gas and rubber bullets against the […]

“Simply put, if Black Lives Matter, then affordable housing for Black families in the Central Area should matter.” — Reverend Carey Anderson, pastor of Seattle’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church I am pleased that the Council is now seriously considering passing a historic tax on Amazon and the other top 3 percent big businesses in […]

June 25, 2020 Dear fellow City of Seattle workers:  Democratic establishment Mayor Jenny Durkan’s administration has just revealed that they are doubling down on their COVID austerity plan, demanding more cuts in City services and and thrusting the burden on City workers, all while protecting Amazon and other big businesses from taxation.  On Wednesday, Mayor […]

June 22, 2020 Councilmember Sawant: “The Movement Should Decide Next Steps Democratically and Build Fight to Win Defunding of Police by at Least 50 Percent“ “This is the movement’s decision and NOT Mayor Durkan’s or the establishment’s, and our movement will politically defend itself from any attempted sweep by the police. However, as socialists, we […]

Saturday, June 20, 2020 Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the black protester who was tragically killed this morning by gunfire at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). Socialist Alternative and I stand in solidarity with the family and friends of the victim, and with the injured protester now in the […]

‘Members of the political establishment who say Black Lives Matter need to put action behind their tweets and sloganeering, and join with me in supporting the African-American faith leaders’ demands, without reservation – adopt the Tax Amazon legislation so we can build these homes and reverse racist gentrification.’ Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair […]