Seattle police chief asks city council to intervene after protests at her home

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best on Sunday asked the city council to intervene after she said a large protest outside her residence the previous night alarmed her neighbors.

“A residence of mine in Snohomish County was targeted by a large group of aggressive protestors late last night,” Best wrote in a letter to the city council.

Best said her neighbors were concerned by the large size of the group, adding “they were successful in ensuring the crowd was not able to trespass or engage in other illegal behavior in the area, despite repeated attempts to do so.”

Seattle, like many cities, has seen large protests against racial injustice and police brutality since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May. in June, Best voiced her displeasure with the city’s decision to have police leave a precinct when demonstrators set up what they called an autonomous protest zone.

In her letter, Best called on City Council President Lorena González and other members to “stand up for what is right,” adding, “These direct actions against elected officials, and especially civil servants like myself, are out of line with and go against every democratic principle that guides our nation.”

Last week, protesters gathered outside González’s residence and Council member Andrew Lewis’s home, prompting both to step outside and voice support for the demonstrators, The Seattle Times reported.

Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said most of the protesters outside of Best’s residence were departing when deputies arrived, adding that the department would “deploy whatever resources were necessary to protect her, her family and her property.”

“The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has been supportive and accommodating to all peaceful protests that have occurred in our jurisdiction,” Fortney added.

Fortney said that protesters targeting one individual’s residence is “a bullying tactic” that would necessitate extra patrol responses to ensure county residents’ safety.