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Public commenters press council on transgender 'IDT' funding and police accountability; council hears appeals for independent review
Summary
During public comment, speakers criticized the mayor’s interdepartmental team for transgender arrivals and urged action on police accountability, citing an OPA review they called inadequate and requesting independent investigations.
Public comment at the June 30 meeting included sustained criticism of the mayor’s interdepartmental team (IDT) formed to assist transgender and queer arrivals, and separate appeals for independent review of police conduct.
Victoria Palmer, identifying herself as an executive board member of the King County Republican Party, said the IDT’s stated intent appears to redirect public funds for housing, food and elective medical procedures for trans individuals and called on the council to disband the team. “The clear intent of the IDT is to redirect public funds to pay for housing, food, and elective and cosmetic medical procedures for trans individuals,” Palmer said.
Several commenters expressed deep concern about police accountability. Gabriel Diaz recounted a case he said OPA first declined to find a violation in despite body-camera evidence, and he called for an independent investigation into police conduct at a recent Cal Anderson protest. Howard Gale listed multiple deaths in encounters with the Seattle Police Department and asked why an independent audit of the police-accountability system — recommended by the city auditor in 2017 — has never been completed.
Councilmembers did not take direct action on either the IDT or OPA at this meeting, but several expressed sympathy with requests for accountability and highlighted other items addressing street safety and alternative responses.
What’s next: The comments place public pressure on the mayor’s office and oversight bodies; no formal council referrals or votes on the IDT or an independent OPA audit were recorded at the meeting.
