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A group of about 40 protesters, mostly with Seattle Revolutionary Socialists, was gathered on the sidewalk for a small rally before the City Council meeting. Speakers talked about people who had been victims of wrongful detainment or police violence because of mistakes that had been made by surveillance systems. They led some chants in the lobby before heading up to the Council meeting to sign up for public comment. Meanwhile a group of about 25 Chinatown/International District residents have gathered in Council chambers to support the cameras. Former Council member Tanya Woo just spoke to support them. (Update; right after Woo spoke, the ~25 CID members who came in support just got up to leave.) While a conservative might call this a caricature of leftist activism – protesters making demands that are the opposite of what community members want – I think that’s too simplistic. For one thing, surveillance tech affects everyone who walks into the neighborhood, not just people who live there. Also, the fact is that more generally, the affected group is not necessarily right; they should have to argue their position like anyone else. (Lots of Iranian expats supported the attack on Iran, for example, which doesn’t look like it’s going well.) Anyway, the meeting is live on SeattleChannel right now if you want to watch the rest of public comment. submitted by /u/bennetthaselton |
