With reporting by Jake Goldstein-Street

Community anger over union head Mike Solan and Seattle Police support for the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol bubbled over during Wednesday night’s virtual meeting of the African American Community Advisory Council, a community group usually dedicated to neighborhood crimes and public safety around the Central District and South Seattle.

“In his own words Seattle Police Guild President Mike Solan will share what he said and didn’t say. Come be a part of the conversation,” the council’s February event notice read.

But the Wednesday night meeting was a rough one for Solan and organizers who attempted to impose more structured rules than are usually required in the monthly online community sessions involving neighborhood representatives and usually one or two members of the SPD brass.

Organizers of the meeting came under heavy criticism for not allowing community members to unmute themselves during the virtual meeting to ask questions. Instead, they had to type questions in the meeting room’s chat box and many attendees were frustrated that the council was not facilitating a true discussion.

“They are actively shutting out this Black face and Black voice from the space,” one woman said.

The presence of Solan, who is white and who has started a website and podcast to grow a wider following for his positions against defunding of police and championing the politics of the Trump administration, shifted the council’s focus from its usual public safety issues to concerns about SPD and rank and file officers opposing the Black Lives Matter movement.

Solan’s January tweet

Wednesday, Solan repeatedly attempted to clarify his comments on the January 6th events in Washington D.C., saying that he was “absolutely not” saying that Black Lives Matter had a role in what happened at the Capitol.

Carlos Bratcher, president of the Black Law Enforcement Association of Washington, had harsh words for Solan, saying his comments were “very unprofessional” and that they “undermine not only our work but those of others who seek to make law enforcement better by regaining the trust of our communities.”

Solan, appearing on the “Blue Lives Matter”-colored set of his “Hold the Line” podcast,  admitted that weighing in on national politics is not helping his union members.

His media efforts were clearly on his mind. Nearly every Solan answer included a reference to the podcast where the most recent guest was far-right blogger Andy Ngo. Solan said antifa has “hijacked the BLM movement,” citing Ngo, who he called an “impeccable journalist.”

All but one of the members of the Seattle City Council have called for the Seattle Police Officer Guild president’s resignation. Mayor Jenny Durkan said he should apologize for his comments in the aftermath of last month’s insurrection that the “far right and far left are responsible for that sad day” or resign. The Black Law Enforcement Association of Washington has also said he should resign.

With six Seattle police officers under investigation for being in Washington D.C. during the insurrection on January 6th, Solan said SPOG “will remain silent on that issue until their due process is adhered to.” A King County Superior Court decision Wednesday temporarily blocked the release of records on the officers involved in the pro-Trump rally.

SPOG is set to enter contract negotiations with the city this spring that will help set the next steps in the future of police accountability and transparency in Seattle. Wednesday, Solan responded to calls for SPD reform including adding more civilian investigators.

“You fight for rights of your members and just because we’re police officers doesn’t mean we don’t have rights,” Solan said. “We’re labor workers and those labor protections must be protected at all costs.”

He added that he believes the current oversight process is working.

As for the African American Community Advisory Council’s usual public safety issues, there was one bit of news for the East Precinct. Capt. Eric Sano said there is no timetable for taking down the wall around the precinct building in Capitol Hill, saying Chief Adrian Diaz’s staff are currently figuring out the process for fixing windows, taking down wooden boards, and removing the concrete blocks.

In January, the mayor’s office said the process had begun with the removal of some of the plywood but nothing else has been taken down since.

“I want to get that precinct open because it’s not right, it’s not a good way for our officers to work or for the community,” Sano said.

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