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Rob Saka blasts decision to fire Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes
Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka spoke with reporters Thursday, lambasting the decision by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson to fire Police Chief Shon Barnes. The move comes after a deadly mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle event over the weekend — a tragedy which city leadership did not appear to inform the public of for close to five hours, as Barnes was out of town at the time.
SEATTLE - Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka spoke at a press conference Thursday afternoon following the recent firing of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. Based on his tone, Saka appeared to be taken aback and frustrated by Mayor Katie Wilson's decision.
What they're saying:
"Let me be frank about this one thing. He is also one of a few Black police chiefs that our city has ever had. As a fellow Black man, I know that representation matters. If you can see it, you can be it. Representation alone is never enough. But again, it does truly matter, and it should not be discarded lightly," Saka said.
"Talk of representation—some of you all were probably here at 8 a.m. this morning when a group of Black leaders came together expressing concern about this decision as well, on probably three hours of daylight notice. Remarkable that that happened. I've been on the phone with community leaders all morning concerned about this decision."
Calling on Seattle Mayor Wilson to reconsider
"I'm calling on Mayor Wilson to reconsider this decision. The burden is now on the mayor and her office to clearly explain and specifically articulate to the public why removing a chief who has overseen measurable improvements in public safety is in the best interest of Seattle," Saka stated.
"We just held the very successful FIFA World Cup. And it was through the contributions and service and sacrifice of many city employees and leaders, especially including the police department and the police chief. I'm also the council chair that oversees the waterfront and the Seattle Center. We made significant progress. Plenty of incidents like Sunday remind us that there's plenty more work to do."
"And to the extent that heads needed to roll for the bungling of misinformation on Sunday, I don't disagree with that notion, but I disagree that it should be the police chief. And I question the timing of this. Making a decision in haste in the middle of crisis is wrong," Saka added. "I think it is incumbent on leaders to be more thoughtful, deliberative, take time, reflect, emote, deliberate, and then make a decision of this magnitude and this consequence."
Questioning the Mayor's leadership and accountability
"Seattle cannot afford another prolonged period of instability at the top of its police department. For too long, this mayor has sought to distance herself from responsibility when it comes to public safety," Saka said.
"That said, I want to reaffirm and make clear that my focus remains on ensuring Seattle has a police department that is well-led, well-staffed, 100% accountable, and capable of keeping every single neighborhood safe. I believe Chief Barnes was moving us in that direction, and I regret this decision."
Blindsided by the news
When asked by a reporter when the decision was communicated to him, Saka revealed he had received no advance notice from the mayor’s office.
"Nothing was communicated to me. I heard about it—I was working last night for a couple of hours on some legislation, and my wife was working upstairs in the office and yelled down to me, 'Police chief was fired. You hear that?' What? So I heard from local media and my wife. I didn't receive any advance notice, which is in and of itself disappointing."
"I'm glad that I think I've spoken with a few of my councilmember colleagues individually on a one-on-one basis about this over the last 12 hours or so. I understand that outreach was made intentionally—and maybe inadvertently—to Public Safety Committee Chair Kettle, potentially Council President, and maybe Budget Chair as well."
"A decision of this significance and magnitude... there's only nine of us! This ain't Congress where there's 535 members to manage. This is something that should have been personally communicated to all of us, contemporaneously, simultaneously, at the same time. It's unfortunate that I had to learn about it last night through the grapevine. So I'm disappointed in that, too."
A firing ‘not based on just cause’
"I don't believe the things potentially that led to this firing rose to the level of being a terminable offense or series of offenses. In other words, I don't think it was a just firing," Saka concluded.
"And I certainly alluded to the fact a moment ago, I wouldn't have made that decision. That said, as a separately elected branch of government, I respect the executive's right to make personnel decisions. I've been silent on other personnel decisions—there have been a lot of them in the last seven months with this administration. This is one I cannot bite my tongue on, and I think members of the public should rightfully demand answers like the rest of us."
Bite of Seattle shooting investigation
The backstory:
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm following a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival near the Seattle Center Armory.
The shooting left three people dead, including two innocent bystanders and second suspected shooter Junior Niko-Semo, while five others were injured.
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Victims killed in Bite of Seattle shooting identified
Loved ones are heartbroken following Sunday's deadly shooting at Seattle Center, where three lives were taken by gunfire, including two innocent bystanders.
Police arrested the teenager at the scene and recovered an illegal, unserialized 9 mm "ghost gun" equipped with an extended magazine and a custom plate reading "1 SHOT 1 KILL."
An autopsy report revealed the teen's weapon was not the one that killed the two bystanders, with investigators indicating the gunfire stemmed from a likely gang-related shootout involving a third, unidentified gunman.
The suspect remains in juvenile detention as Seattle police continue to review body camera footage and evidence to identify the remaining shooter.
The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka, the Seattle Police Department, the King County Prosecutor's Office and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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