Comments

1
Can we recall this clown yet?
2
Shouldn't "diffuse" be "defuse"?
3
@2 You are correct.

McGinn is like all the faux Progressives I've been seeing over the last few years. Go buy 'em coffee. Mike McGinn's Coffee Summit--about as pointless and superficial as the Beer Summit.

It's not like he had a huge mandate. Does anybody like him anymore?
4
I'm completely confused by this bat shit behavior. I've defended most of his actions - this one completely lost me.

Let the people be.
5
Typical passive-aggressive false support Seattle bullshit. He is the ineffectual coward that we deserve.
6
Does the mayor really have the authority to stop police from enforcing the law? In this case, mass trespassing in a city park? I'm not passing judgment on the merits of the protest, but I am just curious where the line is drawn for illegal activity to be serious enough for the police to disregard a mayor's orders in order to secure public peace.
7
Trouble is, the fact of someone opposing him vigorously sometimes convinces him he's right. If there's a way to pressure him without activating his mulish streak, now's the time. I've just sent two courteous emails (one from work account, one from home account) in which I do my best to seem certain he means to do the right thing and quit the senseless harassment.

And speaking of senseless harassment, how about this downpour? Boo Mother Nature, boo!
8
Look man, you've got to either be Sam Adams and accommodate the protesters as best you can, or be Richard Daley in 1968 and crack skulls. There's no middle ground here, Mayor McSquishy.
9
Looks like he is trying to walk a fine line between giving them special accord based on their views, which is illegal, and supporting them. If he says the rules do not apply to them, then he can't say they apply to the next group whose politics may not be so worthy. The government cannot set different rules based on the viewpoint being expressed. Its unconstitutional.

Go talk to a first amendment lawyer. I am not a fan of our mayor, but on this he seems to be trying to do what he can.

10
He is under pressure to get the protesters out, because of all of the money he is spending on Police OT undoubtedly. This is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. They should just have a couple of those guys who wear the yellow jackets who don't do anything hang out and call the real cops if any rioting happens. It'd be a whole lot cheaper for them(us).
11
What an idiot.

Regardless of whether or not you support the protest, this is a terrible way to manage a potentially volatile crowd. Repeatedly and loudly issuing threats, and then not following through simply angers and confuses the crowd. If this blows up into violence of some sort, this tactic will take much of the blame for inciting it.

If you want to arrest them, then issue a warning and conduct arrests. If you are not going to arrest them, then leave them the fuck alone. But stop this inflammatory harassment, unless your goal is to incite violence.
12
I don't even understand what he's trying to accomplish. I'm sure it's not in his best interest to have people camping out in Westlake, cause that's frankly kinda gross, but interfering isn't going to move them any faster. It also makes him look like an idiot.

It'd probably be easier if people left and returned every day. You'd smell nicer.
13
Love that all the mainstream media is reporting on how protests are costing the tax payers a lot of money.. I'd say it's pretty clear that BAD TACTICS and COWARDLINESS is costing them more money because if they'd just say what they really meant the first time during the 5 o'clock news hour, in front of the general public, then they wouldn't have to put in overtime and come back in the middle of the night and clarify when there's less chance of an iPhone with enough remaining battery left to videotape it...
14
The Mayor's argument that he can't afford to give special treatment to this particular protest just because he agrees with their politics is not that difficult to comprehend.

Unless one has a motive to be dense.
15
Hey, it's kind of like the FBI and DEA trying to threaten the Iranians who were plotting to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the US - who helped the 9-11 conspirators escape - on US soil.

Right?

He's getting a lot of pressure from business interests in the Westlake area.
16
@13, I know. In New York someone told the city controller the overtime had added up to $2 million so far, and he replied that, well, in an annual city budget of $66 billion it wasn't going to be much of a problem.

@14, I don't want the mayor to be okay with treating any protest like what happened last night - no matter what. Dense, huh?
17
What @giffy and @Ph'nglui mgiw'nafh Cthulhu R'leyh wgah'nagi fhtagn said. It seems as though the mayor is trying for a fair, balanced but awkward, fumbling approach. It beats some alternatives. He's probably trying to cover his ass legally, but supporting the protests. It's clever, but awkward.
18
For fuck sakes, the mayor is well within reason in endorsing the cause while also enforcing the law as far as the protestors' choices in how to protest. As hard as everybody keeps pushing this as some kind of dealbreaker, I doubt the majority of voters will see this as a black mark on McGinn.
19
@16

See right there. What you just did. You changed the subject. You shifted from objecting to any attempt to enforce the law at all, to objecting to a particular tactic used to enforce the law on a particular night. You know what that is? Dense. You're. Being. Dense.

It's also dense to forget that the whole point of a street protest -- as opposed to coloring within the lines at civilized public meetings or writing letters or writing checks to major political parties -- is to make the powers that be uncomfortable. To put them in an impossible position. To create chaos and uncertainty for the express purpose of getting media attention. If McGinn did roll out the red carpet, they'd have to think of something to provoke him. That's how it works.

But if people like Dominic Holden admitted any of these facts, they'd have a lot less to say and a lot less reason grab the spotlight for their own "reporting" and "analysis" and (barf) "activism".
20
@17 for most Passive Agressive use of @ just because nobody likes his handle win
21
@19, sorry I got up your nose there, but I didn't shift at all. Let's review: @7, I described the overnight cop behavior described above as "senseless harassment"; @16, I opposed "treating any protest like what happened last night".

If there's a distinction you see there I did not mean to make it.

Please wait...

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