SEATTLE — Leaders of a coalition of Black clergy, civil rights advocates and community activists said Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson ignored their plea to keep Police Chief Shon Barnes.
They also said she gave no clear explanation as to why she wanted him gone.
Now many are questioning the mayor’s leadership just days after a deadly mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival.
About 60 influential Black community leaders gathered at City Hall on Thursday seeking a face-to-face meeting with Wilson, urging her to reverse her decision to ask Barnes to resign. The group included representatives from the Seattle NAACP, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Byrd Barr Place, Community Passageways and other organizations.
Many supporters said they left the meeting believing the mayor had already made up her mind.
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“Yes, she listened to us, but did it mean anything? No,” said Bishop Reggie Witherspoon of Mount Calvary Christian Center. “In my strong conviction, her mind was already made up. I could see it in her demeanor.”
Wilson confirmed on Friday that she asked Barnes to resign. Deputy Chief Andre Sayles will serve as interim police chief while the city begins a national search for a permanent replacement.
The mayor said her decision stemmed from “multiple factors and failures” related to Sunday’s mass shooting, though it wasn’t the only reason. Wilson declined to provide any additional details.
The chaotic shooting at the Bite of Seattle left three people dead and four others wounded. The chief faced criticism after questions emerged about the department’s lack of public communication in the hours that followed.
Barnes was at a law enforcement conference in Dallas when the shooting occurred.
Supporters argued the controversy overshadowed Barnes’ broader record. They pointed to his efforts to engage with neighborhoods throughout the city, particularly Black communities disproportionately affected by gun violence.
Community activist and former political candidate Chukundi Salisbury said Barnes routinely went to neighborhood meetings, often outside his official duties, and built relationships that previous chiefs had not.
“This was one of the most responsive chiefs that we, in the Black community, have ever really had,” Salisbury said.
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Salisbury credited Barnes with attending listening sessions, checking in regularly with Rainier Beach residents and improving relationships between the department and community members. He also pointed to police solving several high-profile homicide cases during Barnes’ tenure.
Supporters also questioned why the mayor has not publicly explained whether Barnes was given opportunities to address concerns about his performance before being asked to resign.
“Give us, the people in the community, cause,” Salisbury said. “What is the reason he was forced out? Or say with conviction, ‘This is what I wanted to do. I’m the boss.'”
Several leaders said the decision carried added significance because Barnes is one of only two Black police chiefs in the city’s recent history. The other was Carmen Best, who left her post in 2020.
“The only two Black police chiefs that we’ve ever had, at least in my lifetime, have been dismissed unceremoniously,” Salisbury said. “Highly competent Black people who had these roles and they were dismissed unceremoniously, and that makes it about race for us.”
Witherspoon said the coalition’s support for Barnes was based on his performance, not solely his race.
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“We presented a tremendous case on why Chief Barnes should still be the chief, not necessarily just because he’s African American,” Witherspoon said. “The work was getting done immaculately. The community was warming up to him, not just the Black community but all communities.”
He also criticized the timing of the leadership change following the city’s deadliest mass shooting in years and expressed little confidence in Wilson moving forward.
“I love this city, and so it’s bigger than one woman,” Witherspoon said. “I wish that she would reconsider. She really is not competent for the job. That’s how I strongly feel.”
Wilson has defended the timing of her decision, saying she has a broader view of the police department than the public and believes replacing the chief now is in the city’s best interest. She said the search for a permanent chief will include community engagement and that the next leader must be able to navigate public criticism, work with police accountability agencies and support alternative crisis response programs.
Barnes’ supporters acknowledge the mayor has the authority to appoint and remove the police chief. However, they said the lack of a detailed public explanation for his removal has damaged trust and left many in Seattle’s Black community questioning whether their voices were genuinely considered.
