Seattle City Council Member Lisa Herbold wants to defund the Seattle Police Department. She also wants to decriminalize (make legal) vandalism and all misdemeanors.
Things looked different to her on Friday night, however, and she called 911 for help after a vandal damaged her home.
Allegedly, according to The Post Millennial, a man threw a rock through Herbold’s window. In a redacted police report, Herbold told responding officers that she “was on the west side of the living room near the kitchen when she heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot and dove into the kitchen for cover.”
A witness said he saw an “…unathletic and a bad runner” leaving the scene. The suspect was described as a clean-shaven, white male in a black hoodie and jeans. The witnesses told officers that he would recognize the suspect if he saw him again but declined the officer’s business card to contact him for follow up.
Ironically, Herbold is pushing for legislation that would make the alleged crime legal.
In October, Herbold, chair of the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee, introduced legislation to “…excuse and dismiss” almost all misdemeanor crimes committed in Seattle by “…persons with symptoms of addiction or mental disorder.” And they don’t need to provide proof. It’s on the honor system.
Last week, Herbold had her first formal discussion on the legislation and now wants to add legal defense to the Seattle municipal code, which would provide an affirmative defense for someone who committed a crime because they needed “…to meet a basic need to survive.”
In other words, anyone with claims of such a disorder would not have to provide medical proof. It would be on the honor system.
Offenses covered by the legislation would include almost every crime below the level of a felony while excluding charges of driving under the influence or domestic violence.
Many Seattle residents and businesses are opposed.
Herbold’s call for police assistance at her home comes just weeks after she and her fellow council members defunded SPD by an additional 18% in the 2021 budget.
This followed millions of dollars in cuts this summer to SPD by the council. Herbold is one of the main proponents of the cuts, including cuts to the Navigation Team, which offers services to the homeless, The Post Millennial reports.
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