Seattle’s lawless days as a graffiti free for all are over after a federal appeals court ruling in a Capitol Hill free speech case.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has overturned a 2023 ruling that the city’s vandalism laws were unconstitutional in a case over arrests made in 2021 over chalk and charcoal messages scrawled outside Capitol Hill’s East Precinct.
The messages are a frequent and continuing protest method near the 12th and Pine facility and outside Seattle Police Department facilities across the city.
The previous ruling forced the city to back off prosecution for graffiti or tagging while City Attorney Ann Davison’s office appealed the case.
Earlier this month, the appeals court agreed with Davison that Seattle’s laws were unlikely to violate First Amendment rights despite leaving room for discretion in enforcement by police and prosecutors.
“The people of Seattle won an important victory today when the Ninth Circuit upheld our City’s right to enforce our laws against graffiti property destruction,” Davison said in a statement. “Graffiti is a massive problem for our City, costing taxpayers, businesses, and residents millions of dollars while creating widespread visual blight. We must have as many tools as possible to protect neighbors and residents impacted by graffiti.”
Graffiti has been a pet peeve of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office and targeted as part of his One Seattle initiatives to clean up the city’s core. City Hall has also pushed Olympia to spend more on abatement on state property along I-5, I-90, and 520.
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Looking forward to cases like this being brought to trial, and Davison’s office getting embarrassed by not being able to convince a jury that sidewalk chalk was worth the time and expense of a trial.
We both know that people who want these rinky dink cases tried only to fail don’t care about incompetence and flailing, they care about obedience and the charade of order.
Given that King County Department of Public Defense (which the city contracts with to provide public defenders for cases in Seattle Municipal Court) beats the City’s prosecutors ~90% of the time, I don’t think it will be that difficult.
I mean, the dismissal rate for DUIs (by far the most serious thing to hit SMC) alone is 50%.
Prosecutors in the Seattle City Attorney’s office are comically inept compared to County prosecutors, and that was even before Davidson stripped them of almost all their discretion to make deals.
But, hey, she’s got the time-to-charge waaaaay lower than it was (pay no attention to how many of those get dismissed or result in not guilty verdicts).
The “tough on crime” crowd doesn’t actually want to reduce crime, they just want to disguise discrimination against vulnerable communities as “fighting crime” to get their gullible supporters whipped into a frothing frenzy.
Davison has gone after some bizarre, futile individual cases that would make even someone with half a brain cell scratch their head, meanwhile crime is not getting any better and traffic violence is on an upwards trajectory.
Luckily for us, even she won’t be able to survive a low turnout 2025 election.
Glad to hear this. It’s time people are held responsible for the damage they do. The cost to taxpayers is millions that could be better spent than cleaning up some immature people’s hissy fits.
Yall are gwtting dramatic about chalk on thee ground. Surreal Talk
Baloney. It’s not just “chalk on the ground,” but spray paint on every available surface, both on private and public property. It’s unsightly and costs a lot of money for taxpayers and private businesses to clean up. Also, ever heard of the “broken windows” concept?
It’s all graffiti. The end result it just makes the cost of living in Seattle higher.
ah yes, those chalk-wielding degenerates will get what’s coming to them! *shakes fist at sky*
hahahaha, the sidewalk chalk was just the impetus for the lawsuit that allows a crackdown on all graffiti, the kind that costs millions of dollars a year to abate that could be put to better use and raises the cost of living in Seattle.
Probably time for all art to leave the city. You never know where the line may next be drawn.
The majority of artists I have known in my time here are unfortunately way ahead of you! Since the Amazombie Housing Apocalypse kicked up it’s gotten next to impossible for anyone to make a living in the arts without absolutely killing themselves.
How about supplying the actual opinion so that people can understand what was actually said?
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/02/02/23-35449.pdf
This urban blight needs to stop… Time and time again it’s proven that removal of graffiti is one for the most effective (and cheap) lifters for under-priviledged neighborhoods. Tourist, business owners and customers, residents they all stay away from areas hit by graffiti.
Counterpoint: Graffiti keeps rent cheap
Point. Graffit does just the opposite, it increases rent in every case. In public spaces it takes money away from much needed public services.
if it scares away people who are afraid of paint, it probably will tbh. (at least it will if your feelings on the matter are any indication!)
You have a great sense of humor. I don’t think anyone is afraid of paint but a lot of people are afraid of the cost of living in Seattle continuing to rise and they complain about it all the time but don’t want to do anything about it.
You are straight up lying. Show me that data buddy!
Sure, it just takes a little reading:
1M – SPU
3M – for parks, metro and Sound transit
3.7M – City of Seattle down to 1M this year due to budget shortfalls
2.1M – WDOT
Add to that small businesses can get grants up to 5k from KC for clean up (this includes broken glass etc)
I don’t have data on large businesses since they don’t qualify for public money.
My co-op spent almost 25k over the last 3 years cleaning up our building and we all get to pay for that.
Landlords which I don’t have figures for certainly factor it into their rents.
It’s pretty much economics 101. additional expenses result in higher prices.
I guess I can think of better things to spend 9M+ on than just cleaning up after people.