CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the City's criminal code; removing the crime of drug traffic loitering and associated references in the Seattle Municipal Code; amending Section 10.09.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code and repealing Section 12A.20.050 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, the crime of drug traffic loitering was added to the Seattle Municipal Code in 1990, during the "War on Drugs," an effort to stop illegal drug use and trafficking; and
WHEREAS, the approach of the "War of Drugs" was to criminalize more behaviors, increase arrests, and require mandatory minimum sentences; and
WHEREAS, while those strategies increased arrest and incarceration rates, they did not proportionately decrease the prevalence of drug use and trade; and
WHEREAS, since that time, the "War on Drugs" has been shown to have deeply disproportionate impacts on communities of color; and
WHEREAS, while people of color already experience discrimination at all stages of the criminal justice system, discrimination is particularly clear in the case of drug law violations, with nearly 80 percent of people in federal prison and nearly 60 percent of people in state prison for drug offenses are Black or Latinx; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that there is double the likelihood that prosecutors pursue mandatory minimum sentences for Black people than for white people charges with the same offense; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, the Council passed Resolution 31637, creating a workgroup to examine how the City could assist formerly incarcerated persons "reenter" their communities; and
WHEREAS, the Reentry Workgroup released its final report in October 2018, which included seven strategies and recommendations to reduce barriers for people living with criminal history; and
WHEREAS, one of the strategies to reduce incarceration costs and system involvement is to decriminalize; and
WHEREAS, the Reentry Workgroup "recom...
Click here for full text