Cap Hill Pride Festival tells SPD to stay home

The Capitol Hill Pride festival is hosting a march and rally the weekend of June 26-27. This year, organizers are asking the Seattle Police Department to stand back.

Not to be confused with Seattle Pride (a separate organization that opted to go virtual this summer), the Capitol Hill Pride festival is the smaller, scrappier version located in the historically queer neighborhood. This year they plan to be at Cal Anderson park.

Director Charlette LeFevre told KUOW, “The presence of any police at this particular time would unfortunately create a lot of anxiety and increase conflict for us.”

Referencing the department's conduct during protests last summer — and the fact that six officers were in Washington D.C. during the insurrection at the Capitol in January — LeFevre says trust has been severely eroded.

Seattle joins New York City and Denver in banning police at Pride events in some fashion, though LeFevre adds, “We're not going as far as the New York Pride to say [stay] one block away. We are simply asking the police to stay at the perimeters.”

LeFevre says the organization is trying to work more closely with the Seattle Fire Department and will have a medic tent nearby. The event will also host an event with mayoral candidates.

The City of Seattle, however, is currently not issuing permits for events like festivals due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Seattle Police Department has not responded to a request for comment and it’s unclear whether police presence could even be requested due to current public health orders that ban event permitting.

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officer's Guild, however shared in a statement Friday afternoon, "Banning Seattle Police officers from Pride Week events is disgusting, bigoted, discriminatory and contradicts our community’s beautiful inclusive LGBTQ message."

Solan added, "Anyone that believes in their banishment has no place in Seattle and does not believe in the inclusive LGBTQ message."