Seattle Nice: Sue Rahr Knows She Doesn't Know Everything

Also, Kshama Sawant embraces disgraced spoiler candidate Jill Stein.

By Erica C. Barnett

On the latest episode of Seattle Nice, we discuss my interview last week with Seattle's interim police chief, Sue Rahr. During our interview, Rahr was candid, open about her goals, and—unusually for someone in her position—willing to say, repeatedly, that she isn't an expert on everything and is open to changing her mind if the evidence points somewhere unexpected.

It's almost unheard-of for political leaders (which is, in part, what a police chief is) to utter the words "I don't know," since that would be an admission of fallibility; how many times have you heard a mayor or city councilmember express uncertainty, or acknowledge that other points of view may also be valid? Flash back to the council's public safety chair, Bob Kettle, expressing contempt this week for the city's Office of Civil Rights, which suggested more outreach to marginalized communities that are about to be under 24/7 camera surveillance, or Councilmember Tanya Woo's insistence that she knows how to handle homelessness because she leads a group that does outreach to encampments in one neighborhood.

Rahr, although a politician, dissembles far less than most. While she was vague about her plans to make SPD a more appealing place for women to work (a tough road, given SPD's reputation as a deeply misogynistic workplace), she was straightforward about the likely effects of the new Stay Out of Drug Areas and Stay Out of Prostitution Area zones.

In contrast to supporters, like Councilmembers Sara Nelson and Cathy Moore, who have claimed these banishment zones will inspire people to address their addiction or escape exploitative sex work, Rahr acknowledged that she's playing Whac-a-Mole. "The police cannot solve the problem of addiction. They can’t solve the problem of untreated mental illness," Rahr said. Her objective is to temporarily "disrupt" areas of concentrated criminal activity, she said, to "try to make the public area safe for people to walk around."

Do I agree with Rahr that making it easier for aspiring cops to pass the first barrier to entry—the police exam–is a step in the right direction? No (I find the arguments made by the agency that administers these tests convincing), but I appreciate that she has reasons that go beyond "we don't have the luxury of being picky"—Rahr argues that SPD should look more at a person's entire background, rather than eliminating potentially good candidates because they were caught shoplifting as teenagers or failed a polygraph test.

Expect fewer fireworks than usual in this discussion about Rahr—followed by my usual exasperation about our second subject, Kshama Sawant, who's out there making a fool of herself by allying with possible Russian asset Jill Stein's "Stop Harris" campaign. Unfortunately, despite my prediction a little over a year ago, we are still talking about Sawant.