A Seattle judge has issued an injunction that bars Seattle police from making vandalism-related arrests per their property destruction code, according to the Seattle Times.
The defendants in the case argued that the law, which states that the city attorney can prosecute anyone who “writes, paints, or draws any inscription, figure, or mark of any type on any public or private building” when the property value is less than $1,000, violated their First and 14th Amendment rights, according to the Seattle Times. The injunction comes in the case of Tucson et al v. Seattle in which the defendants are charged as a result of graffiti drawn during 2021 protests in Seattle, according to KIRO 7 Seattle.
The Seattle City Attorney will NOT be prosecuting anyone arrested for graffiti—at least for now—after US District Judge Marsha Pechman issued an injunction.
The judge says Seattle’s property destruction ordinance is vague, targets speech and “poses a real threat of censorship.”
— Gary Horcher (@GaryKIRO7) June 14, 2023
U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman argued that the law “poses a real threat [of] censorship,” according to KIRO.
The move ruffled the feathers of some conservative activists, with Charlie Kirk, a well-known commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, saying, “Vandalism is now explicitly legal in Seattle.”
Seattle police have been told that “until further notice,” they must stop enforcing any property crimes causing less than $750 in damage. Vandalism is now explicitly legal in Seattle.
This is what the left means by “equity.”
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 14, 2023
Seattle was a center for the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, becoming well-known for its autonomous zone, “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” or “C.H.O.P.” The Seattle mayor at the time told Chris Cuomo in an interview that the area could have a “summer of love,” according to the Washington Examiner. The autonomous zone later resulted in numerous arrests and a teenager’s death. (RELATED:Before And After Photos: Here’s What Seattle’s ‘CHAZ’ Has Done To The City)
Seattle has seen crime surge in recent years following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, with 24% in 2022 as compared to 2021. Rapes and aggravated assaults have also surged about 4% and 5%, respectively.
“We know, as evidenced by the thousands of calls for service we receive each year reporting acts of vandalism and other forms of property damage that property damage is, in fact, a crime that is of significance to community members,” reads a press release for Seattle Police following the injunction.
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