The common refrain July 28 was a call for justice as the public weighed in before a Seattle City Council committee on Interim Chief John Diaz, the mayor's pick for Seattle's next Chief of Police. On Diaz's ability to deliver justice, the room was nearly evenly split between constituents speaking for and against his confirmation.
The passion was evident in people's voices during nearly two hours of comments, with several people holding up signs referring to the June incident in which an officer was captured on videotape punching a black 17-year-old girl in the face while stopping several people for jaywalking. The signs called for an apology and suspension without pay for the officer, who is white.
Several people, including NAACP president James Bible, criticized Diaz for not doing more to rectify what they see as unequal police treatment between races. Rev. Harriet Walden, representing Mothers for Police Accountability, and a member of the mayor's committee to select candidates for chief, spoke in opposition to Diaz's confirmation, criticizing him for a lack of innovation and creativity. She called Seattle's police treatment of white versus minority communities a "tale of two cities."
The African American community was not united in rejecting Diaz, however. Paul Bascomb, chair of the African American Community Advisory Council, spoke in favor of the interim chief, saying, "I support him because... he will try to do the right thing." In his comments, Bascomb drew a distinction between the actions of individual officers and the police department as a whole, and he repeated the call for an apology for the June punching incident.
Many of those who spoke in favor of Diaz, including Roberto Maestas of El Centro de la Raza, who was also on the selection committee, praised Diaz's integrity. Maestas spoke of witnessing an improvement over time in police interactions with the Latino community, and said it's "time to heal."
Patricia Lally of the Latino Bar Association did not speak for or against Diaz, but criticized the City Council itself for failing to speak out on another recent videotaped incident, in which an officer used a racial slur. "I think what we all want is justice," said Lally, echoing the sentiment of the room. Several others also pinned responsibility as much on the council as on the police chief.
The tense evening meeting's comments demonstrated the deep frustration and mistrust of Seattle police among some segments of the population. Diaz has pledged to reach out to community organizations to improve police relations if he is confirmed.
Last month Mayor McGinn picked Diaz over the other finalist, Chief Ron Davis of the East Palo Alto police department, to be Seattle's permanent Chief of Police.
The Public Safety and Education Committee will meet again Wednesday, Aug. 4 to vote on Diaz's confirmation, with a final vote by the entire council on Monday, Aug. 9.