The Divest Digest May 20, 2026
In this issue: Police violence victims shut out of Cal Anderson protest review. Scientology speed runs hit Seattle. Everyone still hates Bellevue (and Rep. Adam Smith)
Summer is almost here. Though the weather has cooled recently, protests are heating up, with actions at City Hall as well as some more demonstrations across Lake Washington in Seattle’s wicked stepsister, Bellevue. This week’s theme is protests (and the criminalization thereof).
Supercommuters getting super OT
King County Sheriff “super commuters” are traveling all the way from Idaho, and they’re logging tons of overtime. A clique of “super commuters” from Idaho in King County's metro bike patrol was bullying Sergeant David Hoag, so he got payback by filing a complaint, alleging, among other things, that the ringleader, rival Sergeant Dusty Davis, had racked up massive amounts of overtime. CAD logs showed that Davis didn't take a single call on some shifts that were as long as 22 hours. Hoag also told internal investigators Davis once bragged about torturing women prisoners when he was in the army—Davis denied this but admitted to being “exterior security” at a detention camp.
Review of May 24 Protest Response Gets Rowdy
May 12, 2026
The Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee held a review of the brutal Seattle police response to Cal Anderson in May 2025, when SPD violently arrested 24 community members on behalf of an anti-trans hate rally. The Office of the Inspector General gave a presentation about the Sentinel Event Review (SER), but only after public commenters pointed out that victims were excluded from this “accountability” process. The committee responded by calling multiple recesses over "disruptions" before finally shutting the hearing down and going remote. Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck said she was present at that protest and had chest pain for a week due to exposure to SPD pepper spray.
When Councilmember Dionne Foster asked about Lt. Matthew Didier’s “fuck people up” remarks, the OIG said the process was about systemic issues, not individuals, adding that it was said already “late in the day after several arrests.” Deputy Chief Yvonne Underwood noted that SPD needs to find “different verbiage” for “agitators” and “bad actors” instead of using “antifa” and “black bloc”. Most of the other recommendations were variations on “more training”. The phrase “police legitimacy” came up several times. We wouldn't want an obscene overreaction over a few balloons to “delegitimize” the police in the eyes of the public. Balloons (or candles, rocks, and sticks on the ground) are super serious police business!
You Must Be Thetan Level III to Ride
The viral Scientology ‘speed runs’ have reached Seattle. A social media trend emerged out of LA this spring where groups of people try to run as far through the organization's mysterious buildings (compounds?) without getting caught. The videos have goofy sound effects, and sometimes people wear costumes. It’s all pretty silly, but the trend has even reached as far as Prague and Amsterdam. Now, Scientology is trying to pursue hate crime charges over this trend. Over the weekend, there were arrests at the Scientology building near Seattle Center allegedly related to one of these speed runs, and they are apparently pressuring local prosecutors to press hate crime charges — probably because this trend is affecting recruiting for this predatory organization.
It’s Now Illegal to Make Bellevue War Criminals Uncomfortable
May 19, 2026
The Bellevue City Council approved a protest buffer zone for “targeted residential protest" for Rep. Adam Smith and his support of the US-backed Israeli genocide of Palestine. Following protests against Rep. Smith at his Bellevue Home by Seattle Against War (SAW), the Bellevue City Council voted through protest buffer zones basically on his behalf. This would cover four or more people, with or without signs/amplifiers, and makes it a gross misdemeanor - up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. The vote was 6-1 in favor, with only CM Naren Briar voting against it. On Tuesday, a small group of SAW protesters gathered in the street outside Smith's house to protest the ordinance, which goes into effect 30 days after passage. A handful of Bellevue police blocked the driveway, but there were no arrests at the time of writing.
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