- Details
- By Levi Rickert
SEATTLE — Deborah Juarez (Blackfeet Nation), the first American Indian woman elected to the Seattle City Council, has become a target among protesters for her stance on defunding the city’s police department.
Juarez, who prior to being elected to the City Council served as a King County Superior Court judge, has declared she is for reducing the police department’s budget and reallocated funds for human services, but not at 50 percent as some protesters are demanding.
“As a former King County judge, public defender and attorney with 30 years of experience, I disagree with folks who say that police violence is caused by a ‘few bad apples,’ it’s the whole tree. It’s time we plant a new tree,” Juarez wrote last month on her Facebook page.
Juarez says she is against slashing the police department to 50 percent of its current budget level because there is no plan being presented to reallocate the resources to ensure safety and protection for Seattle citizens.
Because of her position, protesters have rallied outside her home and have even vandalized the area around it. Protesters sprayed painted “corporate bootlicker” on the street in front of Juarez’s home. Using a bullhorn, some called her a “corporate whore.”
Several elected tribal officials from Washington state have come to Juarez’s defense in a statement released on Monday.
“The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe calls for the incredibly personal and targeted acts of violence against Councilmember Debora Juarez and her family to cease. Seattle’s residents should be celebrating that they have a leader who is trying to make decisions based on a reasonable and viable plan, which could be sustained over time. Councilmember Juarez is a sincere and respected elected official, and we applaud her dedication to Seattle and American Indian rights, and we stand with her because she is our sister,” said W. Ron Allen, Chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
Juarez, who served Seattle as a public defender and then as a judge, has worked on behalf of the city’s most vulnerable citizens, said Chairwoman Francis Charles of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
“Indigenous women are the givers of life and the frontline protectors in tribal communities. Councilwoman Debora Juarez has dedicated her life’s work to protecting vulnerable families and communities throughout the state of Washington. The first peoples of these lands will not tolerate any hateful or dehumanizing behavior towards her or any other Indigenous woman. I call upon the Seattle City Council President to denounce the hatred and intimidation of Councilwoman Juarez at her home and to defend her honor,” Charles said in a statement.
Suquamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman says Juarez is a strong leader and is not afraid of civil debate or peaceful protest, but she, or any other elected official and their families, should not be subjected to intimidation, vandalism and threats.
“The Suquamish Tribe supports Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez and her right, as an elected official, to do her job without verbal harassment and vandalism at her home. Councilmember Juarez has a long history of fighting against oppression, including supporting the sovereign rights of Indian Tribes. She has supported the Suquamish Tribe’s right to self-governance and we ask that the Seattle City Council President demand that a civil discourse, free of intimidation, be conducted on the political issues facing the City of Seattle, named for our famous leader Chief Seattle,” Forsman said in a statement.
More Stories Like This
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal BenchA Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Return to the Heart Foundation Gives 44 Micro-Grants to Native Women Leaders
Indigenous Journalists Association President Addresses Members of the UNPFII
Inter-Tribal Council Passes Resolution Urging FCC to Establish Specific Event Code for Missing and Endangered Persons
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
