Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: One of the left's big opportunities next month is Seattle's mayoral race, & the city's approach to homeless has become a huge fault line there.

The incumbent mayor has dramatically scaled up sweeps, and his challenger is testing whether voters thinks he's gone too far:

In Seattle Mayoral Race, Tensions Between Crackdown and Compassion on Homelessness - Bolts

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has ramped up sweeps of homeless encampments in his first term. In his reelection bid, he faces a progressive challenger who wants to curb them.

boltsmag.org

5 47 160

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

It's a basic requirement that the captain of the East Precinct must be...a captain. Raguso was an acting captain (with the permanent rank of lieutenant) until the results of the captain's exam were released in August. He failed. Badly.

www.seattle.gov/documents/De...

www.seattle.gov

1 9

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

They don’t even consider disciplinary history. It’s purely based on officers’ rankings on the exam.

If there are more vacancies than officers on the register, they just promote everyone automatically.

Amy Sundberg @amysundberg.bsky.social · 6d

Quite the embarrassment for SPD, as this suggests they haven't previously been reviewing officers' history before promoting them, which should be a fundamental part of the promotion process.

jseattle @jseattle.bsky.social · 6d

Not much of a pledge but ok

2 8 34

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

More receipts showing a pattern going back to 2021.

bsky.app/profile/dive...

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Jan 20

Well, now that Erica Barnett has blocked us, we might as well point out that Publicola completely cannibalized a story we broke without crediting us—something she’s always loudly chastising other outlets for.

Note the dates below:

2 15

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

This is also inaccurate. Erica should've read through our posts more thoroughly when she was raiding them.

Tietjen was supposedly transferred for this incident, but he had been at the North Precinct since Nov 2020 and remained after the case closed. He was promoted a few months later.

1 2 9

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

She also used this incident ripped straight off our Twitter feed and then linked to the OPA report that she also lazily obtained from our Twitter feed.

1 2 8

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 6d

Erica Barnett is always complaining that other outlets use her reporting without credit.

Here she is again using our reporting without credit.

She links to KUOW and every other outlet in this story, but here she links to OPA

We were the only ones to cover this

1 8 41

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 15d

Hey Divesters, we need your support.

We're fundraising to build a statewide police misconduct database and hope to add 300 members to our Ko-Fi at the $5 level by the year's end.

Join today and help us expose cops across Washington State.

ko-fi.com/divestspd

4 8

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 17d

The Republicans have won votes using a kind of radical authenticity, where they are perceived as saying what they mean (even if it isn’t true). And yet some Dems are still trying to figure out how to say what some imagined swing voters want… rather than finding their own authentic message.

Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 18d

My general belief is that Dems need to spend more time thinking about what they believe and less about what they think some imaginary swing voters want them to believe.

Political strategy will stem from an authentic set of beliefs.

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 18d

This was revealing. Worth reading. The basic demand is that Coates spend less time thinking/writing his true feelings and more time playing political strategist. Klein asks him over and over him to do Dem strategy; he says no, over and over. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/o...

10 27 190

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 27d

Fare enforcement isn’t about revenue. It’s about keeping the homeless off transit

Paul Chapman @poulchapman.bsky.social · 28d

This is a WILD example of poor governance not mathing
1. Sound Transit fares are $42M, 1.4% of the annual ST budget
2. Lost fares are ~$5-14M
3. Fare gates cost >$104M or 7-20 years of unpaid Fares
4. Fare enforcement is $33.6M per year, 2-6 times higher than lost fares
Free Link: archive.is/MYHOx

1 27 67

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 27d

Harrell proposes regressive tax for non-police repsonse neutered by police protection racket

FTFY

Headline: Seattle mayor proposes sales tax hike for nonpolice response force

[Picture of Oaf mayor standing in front of a fire truck behind a podium with people, including the fire chief and city council president Sara Nelson, behind him.

1 7 19

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 27d

He was shot in the back while throwing road flares (called “incendiary devices” by authorities and the press) at a concrete building.

Erin Fogg says Free Link @criminalerin.bsky.social · 27d

This is of course the parent post to the blocked op in question's blocked op replies about "antifa" "terrorism" and ofc it includes William van Spronsen who did absolutely nothing wrong except die when all those fed bullets went into his body, and ya can't hardly blame him for that

6 18

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

ntkallday @ntkseattle.bsky.social · 27d

We will lose critical safety advantages like drunk driving and making sure our neighbors are strangers.

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 27d

After Alexis Mercedes Rinck offered an amendment expanding the types of allowed corner store uses to include eating and drinking establishments, Bob Kettle railed against the idea as a "recipe for a public safety disaster."

"We cannot have our neighborhoods and our neighbors be impacted this way."

5 32

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 29d

Seattle police policy bars cops from using Tasers on fleeing suspects because there's a high risk of injury. A cop did and injured someone.

The OPA said this was okay.

www.divestspd.com/p/no-discipl...

No discipline for cop who Tasered, injured fleeing man

Seattle police policy explicitly forbids cops from using Tasers on fleeing people, but the OPA was convinced by Officer Gabriel Ladd's speculative rationale

www.divestspd.com

1 7 20

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · 29d

1 11 45

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Fuse Washington @fusewashington.org · Sep 11

ICYMI: a federal court ruled against private corporation Geo Group, who barred WA L&I and Dept of Health from inspecting their NW ICE detention prison in Tacoma.

While Geo will likely appeal, this is a positive step towards oversight of the long allegation record of human rights abuses here.

WA looks to resume ICE center inspections after federal ruling

The private company that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center also dropped its lawsuit against Cascade PBS after the state provided redacted photos.

www.cascadepbs.org

1 19 42

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Guy Oron @guyoron.net · Sep 8

This is a very neat way to put a name and names and face to the Seattle cops with the most allegations of corruption and abuse. Consider supporting @divestspd.bsky.social’s reporting

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 8

Good news, Divesters! The wait is over. Print editions of our Bad Apple Baseball Cards are finally on sale!

All proceeds will fund our exciting new project: a statewide police misconduct database.

Buy here: tinyurl.com/DivestCards

7 25

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

ntkallday @ntkseattle.bsky.social · Sep 9

Do you have any idea the absurd lengths SPD goes to to hide the identities of their miscreant officers from us? These are brilliant.

😍😍😍

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 8

Good news, Divesters! The wait is over. Print editions of our Bad Apple Baseball Cards are finally on sale!

All proceeds will fund our exciting new project: a statewide police misconduct database.

Buy here: tinyurl.com/DivestCards

1 17 30

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

ntkallday @ntkseattle.bsky.social · Sep 9

@divestspd.bsky.social hoping for a special J6 booster pack edition 🙏🙏

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 8

Good news, Divesters! The wait is over. Print editions of our Bad Apple Baseball Cards are finally on sale!

All proceeds will fund our exciting new project: a statewide police misconduct database.

Buy here: tinyurl.com/DivestCards

2 9

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Hannah Krieg @hannahkrieg.bsky.social · Sep 10

NEW: The City Council will gaslight you, scold you, call you privileged if you disagree, but yesterday they didn't just expand an unproven surveillance program, voted to grease the wheels of fascism. www.theburnerseattle.com/post/the-sea...

The Seattle City Council Grease The Wheels Of Fascism, Approve Massive Surveillance Expansion

On Tuesday afternoon, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to approve a huge expansion to the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) surveillance pilot program. Only Council Members Alexis Mercedes Rinck and...

www.theburnerseattle.com

2 17 56

Ashley Nerbovig @ashleynerbovig.bsky.social · Sep 10

Incredible analysis

🧮 Seattle Data Nerd ⁘⁙⁚ 💡 @dpsea.bsky.social · Sep 10

🚨 Seattle Council voted 7-2 to expand police surveillance despite:
• 1,000+ residents opposed
• 60+ community groups against it
• Civil rights office said no

This is democratic deficit in action, ignoring overwhelming public opposition for surveillance state expansion.

Editorial illustration of Seattle City Council: Sara Nelson at center podium, Bob Kettle holding a “Proposed Ordinance,” and Joy Hollingsworth seated. Below, a large diverse crowd protests with bold “NO” signs, separated by barriers and surveillance cameras.

1 2 19

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

miss Mira, Slut Shaman @missmira2u.bsky.social · Sep 10

Thread. If there's one plus side to getting priced out of this city, it's that I won't have to be within a thousand miles of this fascist fucking city council.

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 10

Nelson says that Council expanded the CARE department before the evaluation, noting that it's not "unprecedented" to expand a program without the data.

1 2 10

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

Seattle Indivisible @seattleindivisible.bsky.social · Sep 10

Bad move for Seattle citizens, no matter how they parse it.

3 17

Ashley Nerbovig @ashleynerbovig.bsky.social · Sep 10

Literally the only way we will ever know how these technologies are being used is through the work of Divest.

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 10

That's it for our coverage today. Both surveillance bills passed 7-2 (Rinck and Strauss against)

Support our work. Send us a tip or sign up for a recurring donation at:

ko-fi.com/divestspd

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 9

Public comment is over after nearly three hours. Thanks to everyone who spoke out. We're taking a break but will continue coverage when the surveillance item comes up.

2 9

Reposted by Ashley Nerbovig

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 10

That's it for our coverage today. Both surveillance bills passed 7-2 (Rinck and Strauss against)

Support our work. Send us a tip or sign up for a recurring donation at:

ko-fi.com/divestspd

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 9

Public comment is over after nearly three hours. Thanks to everyone who spoke out. We're taking a break but will continue coverage when the surveillance item comes up.

DivestSPD @divestspd.bsky.social · Sep 9

In-person comments are starting now

Watch
www.seattlechannel.org/watch-live

5 21