Within a few days of the tragic mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival on the Seattle Center campus, Mayor Katie Wilson gave Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes a choice – quit or be terminated. Upon receiving his resignation, the Mayor named Deputy Chief Andre Sayles as the interim Police Chief.
Immediately after the shooting, Chief Barnes faced stiff scrutiny for being out of town, and those questions grew louder over the next four days before he was pushed to resign by the Mayor. However, the Mayor’s action to terminate the Chief triggered loud questions and criticism from the Seattle City Council and others.
Councilmember Debora Juarez, a former Council President, had sharp words for the Mayor, saying “what we’re seeing under Mayor Wilson are more than just gaffes or missteps. I see a complete lack of leadership.” Councilmember Maritza Rivera called Wilson’s decision to fire Barnes “reckless and impulsive . . . Her lack of experience and her incompetence have led to poor decision-making and put the safety of our communities at risk.”
Leaders of the city’s Black community quickly urged the Mayor to reverse course and keep Chief Barnes. As Michelle Merriweather, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, pointed out “how often have you seen the Black community stand up for a police officer? . . . That should resonate.”
Bishop Reggie Witherspoon of the Mount Calvary Christian Center praised progress made under Chief Barnes by observing “Seattle’s Police Department has been notorious for just not understanding the Black community, and I’m saying with Chief Barnes, we were moving in the right direction,”
The editorial board of The Seattle Times called for greater openness by the Mayor.
Every statement, every news conference she held in the last week — beginning with her being accompanied by Barnes on Monday and ending with Friday’s introduction of an interim chief — left more confusion, innuendo and mystery.
To regain public trust, Wilson must immediately release the after-action review of the city’s communications with the public and news media during the mass shooting. Such a report exists and it “revealed real gaps,” she said in a social media post on Thursday.
Mayor Wilson shared what she is looking for in a new chief. Specifically, the Mayor wants a chief who builds strong relationships within the department, communicates calmly and accurately in crises, and handles criticism well. She added that she is launching the search for a new chief “with urgency,” starting with the creation of a search committee.
The Mayor also accepted criticism by stating “there were gaps in communication all around, and I definitely want to own my part in that. . . Part of this is communication failures within SPD and part of that is communication failures between SPD and my office.”
