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Monday |
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| What kind of civic
centerpiece might Seattle be building for $160
million? To look at this rendering with its large
public plaza and red abstract art doodle hanging in
spacious atrium you might reasonably guess it's a
new museum or performing arts center--you know, a
cultural institution that represents the core values
of a city that preens itself on inclusiveness and
innovation. But look closer. The foreboding sky is a
tip-off, as are the red and blue lights in the
distance. And of course the SPD above the entrance
is a dead giveaway, but it's telling that these
details are de-emphasized though they represent the
building's purpose as proposed
North Seattle precinct, which if built would
be the most expensive police station in the nation,
if not the world. It will house a bombproof command
center, ample storage for 1033
Program military equipment, and a subterranean
firing range for honing assault weapons skills. It
will also serve to process detainees on their way to
the new $210
million youth jail. All this glitter and
excess is a lavish gift to a federally
investigated police
department that balks at demands for
accountability. The job of the cops should be
to make themselves obsolete, not enshrined in
signature architecture of glass and steel as if a
police state were something to be proud of. |
