Local Decision-Making Processes Unveiled for Public

Would you like to learn more about the ways the city and county make decisions? The Seattle Martin Luther King Jr. County NAACP hosts the inaugural African American Legislative Day to provide African Americans with information about local politics and give access to their political officials.
This event has the ability to unify the community around common interests and provide children with positive examples. Attending the event you will have the opportunity to:
• Meet with city and county elected officials
• Attend workshops to help understand and participate in the city and county legislative process
• Learn how to access and impact the city/county budget
• Participate in hearings on the most significant issues confronting the African American community
• Exercise your right by registering to vote
African American Legislative Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 20 in the Bertha Landis Room at Seattle City Hall, 5th Ave & Cherry. For more information call 206-324-6600 or email [email protected].
In a separate effort the Seattle/King County Branch of the NAACP People's Panel on Police Accountability continues its hearings through June and into July.
Upcoming sessions are in Rainier Beach on June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Community Center in West Seattle; on June 26 at 6:30 p.m. the Freedom Church in the University District; and on July 10 at 6:30 at the American Friends Service Committee office.
The People's Panel on Police Accountability is comprised of a diverse team of community members who will assess this county-wide problem and prepare possible solutions. The public hearings are designed for individuals in the community to present confidential testimony on their personal experiences with law enforcement. Many of these complaints have caused serious concerns about police misconduct and disparate treatment of people of color and the poor.
As a result of community concerns, the NAACP has announced a state of emergency regarding police accountability and inequitable treatment of people of color and the poor.
Public testimony will be used to compile a holistic, community-centered assessment of practices of police misconduct throughout Seattle and south King County, and to foster a collective call for police accountability.
The NAACP encourages everyone to attend and promote the public hearings and to encourage individuals who have experienced police misconduct to testify. For more information, contact KL Shannon at [email protected], or 206-854-5462.