Week in Review: emergency Covid measures end, police harassment, and graffiti

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Times Amanda Zhou, Geekwire’s Mike Lewis, and Kitsap Sun’s Josh Farley.

Covid emergency measures ended Monday, Oct. 31, in both Seattle and Washington state. Those emergency orders included protections for tenants who fall behind on their rent. How did life change this week?

At a 2021 downtown protest, an undercover Seattle detective was harassed by the driver of a truck with no license plates. The detective called SPD, who pulled over and handcuffed the driver, who, along with his passenger, turned out to be undercover King County Sheriff’s officers. The county found that the officers violated numerous policies, but exonerated them of some charges. What does this tell us about how our law enforcement works, officially and unofficially?

A Forest Service “burn boss” was arrested in Oregon after a controlled burn jumped a containment line and charred a portion of a neighboring ranch. What is the point of view of those involved? What do we know about the legality of arresting that Forest Service employee? Instead of burning it, could that undergrowth be cleared by people hired by the government?

Less than a year after the Seattle City Council moved parking enforcement officers to the transportation department, Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing to reverse that decision and put parking enforcement back under the police department. Racial justice activists and advocates for pedestrian and bike safety are unhappy with this proposal. What’s so controversial about putting parking enforcement in either SPD or SDOT?

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a new plan to address a surge of graffiti in the city. He says that the plan includes efforts from the community and its citizens as well as well as efforts from multiple city departments. Can the city of Seattle paint its way out of it?