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| |  | Mayor Wilson announced she will not be expanding cameras, but she also won’t be shutting down those currently in use (save one). (Jane. C. Hu / City Cast Seattle) |
| Mayor Wilson Announces Decision on Surveillance Cameras | Jane here. On Thursday afternoon, Mayor Katie Wilson held a press conference at City Hall to announce her decision about the use of surveillance cameras in Seattle. “Sometimes as the mayor, you make decisions that no one’s going to like,” she said. “This might be one of those.” | - Expansion of CCTV Cameras Paused Pending Audit: The city will pause a planned expansion of CCTVs throughout Seattle, but existing cameras will continue to operate while her administration works with NYU’s Policing Project to conduct an audit of the cameras’ data security. That audit is expected to take several months, and Wilson said that she would be inclined to move forward with the expansion if the audit suggests that the data collected by these cameras is securely stored.
- Pause of All ALPRs: The city of Seattle is turning off around 400 automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) on police patrol and parking enforcement vehicles until it can ensure that their use is in compliance with the newly passed state policy.
- New Cameras for the World Cup: This spring, the city will move forward with installing 26 cameras in the Stadium district, but the cameras will not be turned on unless there is a “credible threat” reported to authorities, and will be turned off once any threat subsides. (Wilson said the administration has “not defined precisely” what entails a credible threat, but would be working on this in the coming days.) Wilson also said she is removing a camera that has a view of a facility that provides gender affirming care and reproductive healthcare.
| Wilson acknowledged that surveillance cameras have become an “intense focus of public interest,” and that while some want to see a complete dismantling of the city’s cameras, others want to see the planned expansion move forward. (Earlier in the day, activists confronted Wilson about the issue at a bill signing with Governor Bob Ferguson at El Centro De La Raza.) Wilson announced plans to hold a public event at Town Hall Seattle next Friday to solicit input from the community. |
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| What Seattle’s Talking About |
| 👮 Arrest in the U-District: On Tuesday, a woman and her baby were taken into custody near the University of Washington Campus. Initial concerns were that it was immigration-related, but Mayor Wilson’s office said it was connected to a criminal warrant. KUOW is reporting that it was a pregnant asylum-seeker and her 10-month-old baby from Venezuela. Their whereabouts are unknown, despite efforts from friends to locate her. [KUOW] | | 🏙️ WA Won’t Celebrate Chavez: Governor Bob Ferguson will not be “issuing a proclamation honoring Cesar Chavez Day this year” after a report from the New York Times was released that said Chavez, a key figure in the Labor movement and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, abused two women for years as children. Dolores Huerta, one of the co-founders, also detailed her own sexual assault by Chavez. The state will celebrate Dolores Huerta Day on April 10. [KING5] | | | 🍔 Dick’s Facing Lawsuit: Dick’s Drive-In, Seattle’s hometown burger chain, is facing a proposed lawsuit saying that it didn’t give employees proper breaks. Washington State Labor laws say that employees must receive a 10-minute break for every 4 hours worked, and a 30-minute meal break for every 5 hours. The suit says they should be paid overtime for missed breaks. [Seattle Times] |
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In another example of how the kids are alright, our colleagues over at the Daily UW have a great video for students about knowing your rights if you’re confronted by ICE. Have a safe weekend, everyone! | | — Liam |
| Jane C. Hu and Ashley Smith edited City Cast Seattle this week. |
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![An image of Dick’s Drive-in at night, with the logo lit up and below it an illuminated window and ordering window]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/9zm36frz/staging/186a4b5bbc73f12343d31ff5eece0890f9f22438-2308x1536.jpg?w=1040&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
