Despite having over 28 years of service and experience on the police force, countless accolades, and memberships on prestigious boards all across the city, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best has failed us all as Seattle residents.

Her complacent attitude towards the atrocities happening within her own police department show either willful incompetence or basic complicity, and we're at a point in American history where we can no longer accept either.

As Deputy Chief of Police, Ms. Best oversaw the Patrol Unit, Investigations, and Special Operations Bureaus, and has emboldened rogue officers of the SPD by offering lenient punishments or no punishment at all.

On Monday, June 1st, dozens of police officers from Seattle's East Precinct terrorized a group of peaceful protesters with teargas, rubber bullets, and batons.

This is not okay. Their viciousness will never be forgotten.

In response, Ms. Best blamed the protesters, fabricating the origins of the chaos and referred to the protesters -- who are exercising their Constitutional right to assembly -- as "thousands of people... with nothing but ill intent."

Not only is that statement inflammatory, false, and misleading, but it's a lazy attempt to redirect the intent of these protests, which are centered around the targeting of black people by police, extreme brutality, excessive force, and the militarization of our local precincts.

Our "ill intent" is Ms. Best's full resignation and unequivocal reform of the entire Seattle Police Department, along with swift reallocation of the bloated police budget, starting with Captain Bryan Grenon's East Precinct and the officers who terrorized a group of peaceful protesters.

We're demanding that on August 13, 2020 -- the two-year anniversary of Ms. Best assuming the role of Police Chief -- she resign with class and dignity instead of allowing her history of questionable decisions to come back to haunt her.

We have contacted Humanitarian lawyers and are currently evaluating proper legal recourse over Monday night's egregious and unwarranted violence.

As the Chairwoman on the board of Human and Civil Rights Committee (IACP), Ms. Best is fully aware of how black people are under siege in this country by the police, and has done little to nothing to use her platform for meaningful change. As a black woman herself, Ms. Best has not done enough to prioritize the resolution of various violations of police ethics and human rights against blacks and people-of-color; instead, she defends the actions of inherently sadistic officers by perpetuating false pretenses.

If Ms. Best is willing to comply with the terms of our petition, we -- as taxpayers -- will allow her to keep her retirement pension and medical insurance for her and her family.

However, after August 13th, 2020, we will no longer accept her as a legitimate Police Chief.

Please sign our petition to hold Ms. Best accountable for her actions and inaction as Police Chief. We deserve to feel protected by our local police, but instead, we're being terrorized by them.

Ms. Best has lost control over the department and its officers, and now is time that we regain that control and set the precedent that Seattle will no longer tolerate ineffective leadership.