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Seattle residents demand accountability for May 24 police actions; council pledges oversight
Summary
At the Jan. 20 Seattle City Council meeting, multiple residents who say they were harmed by police at the May 24 Cal Anderson Park protest urged the council to fire officers and strengthen oversight. Councilmember Bob Kettle said the public safety committee will use the Cal Anderson review as a case study and follow up with accountability partners.
Dozens of public commenters at the Seattle City Council’s Jan. 20 meeting pressed elected officials to hold the Seattle Police Department accountable for violence at a May 24 protest at Cal Anderson Park, naming officers they said had used excessive force and urging the council to pursue firings and independent review.
"He told people he was there to '**** people up,' and that's what they did," Gabriel Diaz said of Sergeant Matthew Didier, describing being tackled and struck and urging the council to fire officers involved. Kelsey Burns, who said she was pepper-sprayed and concussed during the same protest, told the council the encounter left her with ongoing injuries and financial hardship.
Speakers described viewing released body-camera footage that they said contradicted official arrest reports and called for discipline of specific officers, including Sgt. Matthew Didier and Officer Larry Longley. Jay Burns and other commenters recounted detention conditions and said they did not receive timely medical care while held.
Council member Bob Kettle, chair of the public safety committee, acknowledged the breadth of public concern and said the committee will use the Cal Anderson report as "a case study" in its oversight work. Kettle said he will coordinate with the mayor’s office, the city attorney, deputy leadership, and the council’s accountability partners to schedule hearings in the first and second quarters and to establish the legal baseline for follow-up.
"We have a responsibility in our public safety committee ... to bring to fore that report," Kettle said, outlining intentions to invite accountability partners and to follow up with Chief Barnes and the police department.
Commenters also linked concerns about policing to broader issues, including recent policy changes they said weaken accountability and the city’s handling of federal enforcement actions. Several speakers urged a structural response to protect protest rights and vulnerable communities, including trans and queer residents who said they have been targeted.
The council did not take formal disciplinary action at the Jan. 20 meeting. Kettle’s statement set the next procedural step: to schedule the Cal Anderson report and related oversight materials for the public safety committee and to meet with accountability partners and legal staff. The committee’s scheduling is expected in quarter 1 or quarter 2, per Kettle’s remarks.
