In Seattle, a Black police chief resigns over budget cuts

Efforts to cut spending on police — a key demand of anti-racism demonstrators across the nation — have claimed an unlikely target: Seattle's first Black police chief, who enjoyed deep support in its minority communities, is stepping down in protest. Carmen Best announced her retirement Monday night, just hours after the City Council voted to cut her annual $285,000 salary by $10,000, as well as the salaries of her command staff, and to trim as many as 100 officers from a force of 1,400 through layoffs and attrition. Mayor Jenny Durkan initially left her off a list of finalists for the job, but selected her after an outcry from community groups who had long known Best and wanted her to be chosen.

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