Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

The Seattle Police Department’s extreme use of force at the May 24 event in Cal Anderson Park led to numerous people being hospitalized— including one person who now has long-term memory lapses— and a sentinel event review (SER) for recommendations on how to improve policing at protests. But the Office of Inspector General (OIG) abruptly canceled the SER last month over leaked information from the panels. 

“When we began this process, panelists agreed that maintaining confidentiality of group discussions and deliberations was essential to foster honest and candid discussions. Unfortunately, the agreement not to share details of the process was violated, and the trust necessary to have open deliberation has been broken,” stated the November 19 email. “Consequently, the SER group process will not continue.” 

Six Seattle police representatives and six community representatives sat on the panel, and cops pointed fingers at the Parks Department for permitting the event in the heart of the Gayborhood. Cops also claimed an “Antifa” meetup, which cops believe are violent, led to such a strong response, although the majority of incidents from that day were unprovoked. 

Panelists reviewed body worn camera footage and two quotes from Lieutenant Mathew Didier were flagged, including one that had the same effect of “we are going to beat people up,” a source previously told TtS. 

“We hope the authentic discussions and connections that occurred during the three panel meetings will continue,” according to the email. “OIG will generate a report from the discussion and analysis that happened in those meetings, as well as capture the thoughtful observations and proposed recommendations.” 

The email from OIG does not state whether these recommendations will be passed forth to SPD, or what will come of this analysis.

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