Judge Rules Recall Effort Can Proceed Against Socialist Seattle City Council Member For Her Support of BLM Protests

A group of citizens in Seattle wanted to recall city council member and noted socialist,  Kshama Sawant. To avoid frivolous recalls, a judge must rule there are sufficient grounds for the recall. The judge ruled that her support of rioters was enough to justify a recall. She is an advocate for abolishing the police and capitalism.

Residents argued that she had violated her oath of office by supporting the domestic terrorists who have laid waste to the city. She is known to have marched with them. She gave them Mayor Durkan’s address so they could march there and protest. Sawant also gave the protesters her key to the city hall, which they promptly occupied. She has been their strongest ally in the city government, with Mayor Jenny Durkan as a close second.

Sawant’s attorney, Dmitri Iglitzin, argued:

“We have elections in this state and in this city, and those elections are where the decision as to who is holding this office is supposed to be determined. This is on its face, by any fair reading, a political screed against Councilmember Sawant.”

King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers found that four of the charges met the standard but two did not. One is enough to warrant a recall, but four is overwhelming. The citizens pushing for a recall can now start collecting signatures on their recall petition. It will require 10,000 signatures to place the recall petition on the ballot. Sawant plans to appeal the ruling.

Councilmember Kshama Sawant is speaking now to Socialist Alternative about the Judge Jim Rogers’ decision to certify four of the charges in the recall petition filed against her. “We will appeal this court ruling,” Sawant said. “We will continue this fight in court.” pic.twitter.com/wGyTF1ABjq — nathalie graham (@gramsofgnats) September 17, 2020

Sawant previously said this about capitalism:

“We are coming to dismantle this deeply oppressive, racist, sexist, violent, utterly bankrupt system of capitalism. This police state. We cannot and will not stop until we overthrow it, and replace it with a world based, instead, on solidarity, genuine democracy, and equality: a socialist world.”

Sawant was born in India and immigrated to this country later. She is a devoted socialist. She never met a topic too radical not to be tried, but finds American values, not to her liking. She is not considered a rising star by either party. But she could be used to tarnish others who can be used to paint her as the face of the Democratic party. I doubt it will be effective in ultra-liberal Seattle.

From The Seattle Times

“The petitioner has shown actual knowledge of facts indicating that the Councilmember intended to commit an unlawful act,” Rogers wrote in his order.

A group of Seattle residents is leading the Sawant recall push. They allege violations in six circumstances, including when she let demonstrators into City Hall during a nighttime protest in June. And she spoke at a protest in front of Mayor Jenny Durkan’s house. They also alleged that she encouraged protesters to occupy Seattle Police’s East Precinct.  She “helped create the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) Zone. And she  used city resources to promote a ballot initiative and delegated employment decisions in her office to her political party.

Rogers dismissed the charges related to the East Precinct and the CHOP, but allowed the others to move forward. Sawant can now appeal but she is likely to lose the appeal for the same reasons. It is unusual to recall a city council member in Seattle.  But getting 10,000 signatures in Seattle is a daunting task. They may get them. Residents are tired of rioting.

Once the required signatures are gathered, there will be a vote of the entire city. They will vote on the recall by casting ballots in a special election. They will recall Sawnt and name her successor in one fell swoop.

Sawant is bound to get support from the likes of George Soros and others of his ilk. Financial as well as moral support. Her supporters could pack the ballot with a dozen candidates to dilute the competition. No trick will be left behind. Democrats want more elected socialists, not less. Their support may be behind the scenes though. They may not want to openly support her.

Rogers found that Sawant’s official illegally spent $2,000 to support a “Tax Amazon” ballot initiative. He also said that she gave away Jenny Durkan’s home address against the law.