CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Police Department; prohibiting the use of chokeholds by officers; amending Section 12A.04.200 of, and adding a new Section 3.28.145 to, the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, on July 17, 2014, officers of the New York Police Department killed Eric Garner with a chokehold during an arrest; and
WHEREAS, on March 3, 2020, officers of the Tacoma Police Department killed Manuel Ellis by oxygen deprivation while using physical restraints; and
WHEREAS, on May 25, 2020, officers of the Minneapolis Police Department brutally killed George Floyd, kneeling on his neck while he was handcuffed and in their custody; and
WHEREAS, video and audio recordings of these police killings document Eric Garner, Manuel Ellis, and George Floyd saying "I can't breathe" just before their death; and
WHEREAS, in Seattle and in cities across the country, people joined a protest movement against this and other police violence, particularly protesting the police violence disproportionately targeting African American people; and
WHEREAS, in Seattle, tens of thousands of community members have joined mass demonstrations for black lives and against police violence on May 30, 2020 and on subsequent days; and
WHEREAS, the Associated Press reported on June 5, 2020 that "Negotiators for the city of Minneapolis have agreed with the state to ban the use of chokeholds by police" in response to the killing of George Floyd; and
WHEREAS, according to the Seattle Police Manual, a chokehold is considered force that causes or is reasonably expected to cause, great bodily harm, substantial bodily harm, loss of consciousness, or death; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. A new Section 3.28.145 of the Seattle Municipal Code is added to Subchapter I of Chapter 3.28 as follows:
3.28.145 Prohibition of the use of chokeholds
A. Officers of the...
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