I don't get it. The police beat us with clubs, spray our faces with chemical agents, and subvert our constitutional right to assemble. The general consensus among activists? Focus on the policy makers, not the police. After all, Rottweilers are nice dogs; it's the owners who make them mean. Don't blame the police; they're blue-collar workrs like the rest of us, just doing a job.

Puleeez. Why should we follow the example of a battered housewife?

This warped sense of working class solidarity seems silly. Consider the daily repression of the poor and mentally ill, the drug war, the shootings of unarmed civilians--and don't forget the scandals. Recent events have shown just how militarized--and deadly--our civilian police forces have become.

Now, they're shooting at each other. Out of control.

At the public forums following every police mishap, all we can do is cry for better police and community relations. We hope the city council establishes an independent police civilian review board.

Guess what? We have always had a civilian review board--and everyone residing in the City of Seattle is a member. It's called the initiative process.

The initiative process bypasses the legislative elitism and allows for passage of city ordinances by a popular vote of the people--provided enough signatures are obtained through petitioning. Just ask Tim Eyman. Although it's hard to take lessons from a Republican, he's shown us the power of the initiative process. And it doesn't always even require a vote; just this month, Yes for Seattle won significant changes in the city's water policy by scaring the hell out of the city with a pending slam-dunk initiative.

Some activists suggest that if we focus too much attention fighting the police, we'll lose sight of the struggle for economic justice and democracy. Hiding behind riot shields, the tyrants use the police as armed janitors to pooper-scoop up after bad social policy. It continues because we choose to pay for it.

We need laws that ensure acountability, control the budget, and limit the militarization of our public policy force. This should be the highest priority in light of the recent tragedy in Genoa, an arc toward anti- protester brutality started at the WTO meetings--in Seattle. At Reclaim the Streets, SPD consciously announced its intended future attitude toward free speech and other civil rights. And that's the least of our problems. Ask Aaron Roberts or David Walker. Put down the rock and pick up a petition. It's time to flex our democratic muscle to tear down the police state--beginning with the Seattle Police Department.

As examples, here are some possible initiatives:

Accountability:

* A salaried civilian review board shall be established, with representatives elected by popular vote. * The Chief of Police shall be elected by a popular vote of the people for asix year term. * The budget of the Seattle Police Department shall be approved by a majority vote of the police civilian review board. * Police identification numbers shall be visible on the front and back of the officer's uniform, with lettering of at least two inches and visible at all times. * Law enforcement officers shall issue a receipt to any individual contacted for questioning. Similar to a traffic ticket, the receipt shall be forwarded to a statistical center in order to track contact between police and civilians.

Hiring:

*The Seattle Police Department shall be prohibited from hiring officers that have ever been removed from law enforcement employment, anywhere, due to disciplinary action. *Law enforcemen officers hired by the City of Seattle shall hae at least a two-year degree from an accredited community college.

Civil Rights:

*Any individual detailed by the Seattle Police Department must be charged within 12 hours or released. *The City of Seattle shall staff all jails and police precincts with at least one public defender at all times to ensure that the civil rights of detainees are being upheld.

Limiting Resources/Wasting Operations:

* The Seattle Police Department shall cease all undercovre vice operations.

Decreasing Police Militarization:

* Weapons purchased or granted to the Seattle Police Department must be approved by a majority vote of the civilian review board. * The Seattle Police Department shall be prohibited from purchasing, obtaining, using, or storing chemical weapons. * The Seattle Police Department shall be prohibited from purchasing, obtaining, using, or storing any weapons that emit an electrical charge.

--Kenneth Dugan is a resident of Capitol Hill. He can be reached at doogie@scn.org.