Seattle City Council bans caste discrimination

A new ordinance from the Seattle City Council wants to ban caste discrimination. The legislation is off to Mayor Bruce Harrell to sign. If he does, Seattle would be the first city to add caste to a list of protected classes.

Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a bill sponsor, says it's a simple question. Should discrimination based on caste be allowed to continue in Seattle? But, critics of the ordinance say the current discrimination law should be enough.

Sital Kalantry, a Seattle University law professor, is here to help us untangle the ordinance.

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An earlier version of this episode misstated that the Seattle Convention Center’s Exhibition Hall would be open overnight for at least 100 adults. The Exhibition Hall at the Seattle Center is one of the listed cold weather shelters.