Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes on Thursday sent his letter of resignation to Mayor Katie B. Wilson, four days after a fatal shooting at a food festival, the mayor's office and Seattle Police Department announced.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (C) and Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes (L) attend the vigil for victims the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, in Seattle on July 27, 2026. Lindsey Wasson/AP PhotoThe shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center left three people dead and four wounded. One suspect was arrested.
At around 6 p.m. Sunday, a 15-year-old was seen firing into a crowd at the popular three-day festival by at least one officer who was among the dozens of police present. The officer quickly persuaded the teen to surrender. An acquaintance of the teen was among those killed, and four others were wounded, among them a 2-year-old boy.
The aftermath drew sharp public and media criticism focused on communication failures at the scene, and authorities continued searching for at least one more suspect.
After an initial social media post confirming a shooting with multiple victims, nearly five hours passed before additional details were released, including whether any active threat remained. Wilson briefly announced that two people had been taken into custody before retracting the statement, and an official update did not come until a late-night news conference around 11 p.m.
Barnes, who had been attending a law enforcement conference in Dallas at the time of the incident, faced scrutiny alongside city leadership for the delayed and sometimes inconsistent information.
"It has been an honor to serve the Seattle Police Department and this city," Barnes said in a statement released by the mayor's office. "The members of this department show up every single day with professionalism and dedication, and what they did in the aftermath of the Bite of Seattle tragedy reflects the very best of who they are. I am proud of them, and I have deep faith in the future of this department and in the vision for community-based policing that is taking root here."
Wilson thanked Barnes for his service.
"Chief Barnes has served this department and this city with dedication," she said. "The courage and professionalism that the officers of the Seattle Police Department showed deserves to be honored."
Sayles has more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement. He previously served as chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin. He joined the Seattle Police Department in 2025 as deputy chief of administration and investigations.
Wilson announced Deputy Chief Andre Sayles as interim chief as the city conducts a search for a permanent chief.
"My vision for public safety in this city is grounded in transparency, trust, and genuine collaboration with the community," Wilson said. "Keeping people safe requires trust, and trust requires that this department shows up in neighborhoods every day, builds relationships with residents, community organizations, and small businesses, and is accountable to the people it serves."
Sue Rahr, a former Seattle police interim chief and retired sheriff, backed the decision.
"This situation is very difficult, and I admire the mayor for acting decisively to move forward and rebuild strong and engaged leadership inside the department," Rahr said.
Wilson and Sayles will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Friday at City Hall to introduce the interim chief and detail the process for selecting a permanent chief.
Tyler Durden Fri, 07/31/2026 - 13:05The average American has learned about the far-left movement, or more particularly, reformist socialists, otherwise known as the Democratic Socialists of America, in recent months. The DSA says in its own words that its platform is about collapsing America from within. To accomplish that, they must push open borders and flood the nation with millions more illegal aliens, similar to what the Biden-Harris regime of globalists did, among many other nation-killing policies.
The only problem for the DSA is that, after weeks of heightened news coverage in the corporate media about its sinister plan, the news cycle has turned against it. Tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of people across the West have just witnessed the border invasion of 50,000 military-aged men into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at a time when the socialist regime controlling Spain has adopted what some call "suicidal empathy" and welcomed illegals into the country by the millions on a red carpet.
Just kidding, this is the actual footage … pic.twitter.com/jYRpSWM24e
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2026In the minds of millions across the West, one political association is becoming increasingly easy to see among the average voter: mass migration from the third world is now seen as a direct consequence of electing socialist governments. Spain has become the latest case study, with the country's socialist-led government planning to grant amnesty to at least one million illegal migrants.
We wrote earlier that President Trump and the GOP would connect the dots for American voters through a media campaign, warning that electing socialists could trigger another U.S. border invasion. The chaos in Ceuta now provides powerful imagery of what Trump argues could happen if the DSA seized more power.
Trump said Friday morning: "It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in... If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life."
.@POTUS: "It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in... If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life." https://t.co/gCSfGLO58i pic.twitter.com/K1F7fhYue0
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 31, 2026Readers should remember that the DSA is a reform-socialist organization. That distinction matters because reform socialists seek to destroy and dismantle the nation and capitalism - and reconstruct the political and economic system along socialist lines.
Second, the DSA has openly promoted an agenda that would collapse border enforcement and facilitate another invasion of illegals numbering in the millions. The economic consequences of the Biden-era migration surge are already visible, particularly in housing. Dallas Fed research estimated that unauthorized immigration accounted for roughly 30% of U.S. home price growth and about 20% of rent increases between 2021 and 2024.
All in all, the Ceuta invasion is strengthening the political case for secure borders across the West - already being spoken about by right-wing EU officials today - while creating an optically devastating moment for socialist parties and the open-border left across the West.
Tyler Durden Fri, 07/31/2026 - 12:55Several immigrant business owners are preparing to sue New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his plan for city-owned grocery stores, Fox News Digital confirmed Wednesday.
The Multicultural Business Coalition’s board voted this week to pursue legal action against the city over Mamdani’s proposal to open five taxpayer-funded grocery stores that would sell food at prices up to 30% below traditional retailers, according to the New York Post, which first reported the vote Tuesday.
MBC Chairman Frank Garcia said the coalition plans to send a letter to Mamdani’s office in the coming days outlining its legal plans to protect bodegas, competing grocers and other small businesses. If the mayor does not respond or agree to meet within three weeks, the group intends to proceed with the lawsuit.
Garcia said he has sought a meeting with the administration for months without success, despite public assurances from a city commissioner that officials would engage with all stakeholders.
“The commissioner said this administration is open to speak to everybody, and they want to hear from everybody,” Garcia told Fox News Digital.
“So I’ve been waiting for a meeting for a couple of months. Why aren’t they having me? We are ready to file the lawsuit if the mayor doesn’t meet with us.”
Garcia described the effort as nonpartisan, saying it is aimed at defending small business owners who are already struggling with rising costs in New York City.
He said lawyers will be ready to file once the three-week window closes, citing support from a coalition of civil rights and community organizations across the political spectrum.
“We’re nonpartisan. So we’re going to meet everybody, Republican or Democrat,” Garcia said, adding that a Democratic Jewish organization and other civil rights groups have offered support and funding for the legal fight.
The coalition was formed earlier this year specifically to oppose Mamdani’s grocery store initiative and includes members from African, Asian, Caribbean, Hispanic, Jewish and Middle Eastern business communities. It has drawn backing from city and state lawmakers, including New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
The looming lawsuit follows Mamdani’s release of additional details on the city-backed grocery plan, which has drawn renewed criticism from opponents who have branded it a “communist fantasy” and a threat to independent grocers already operating on thin margins. The mayor has separately faced pushback over his endorsed rent freeze, which a group of city landlords is also seeking to overturn in court.
Mamdani has defended the grocery store plan as a way to lower food costs for residents, pointing to it as a signature piece of his affordability agenda. Critics, including small business advocates and economists, have questioned whether a government-run retail operation can undercut private grocers without straining city finances or distorting the local market bodegas and immigrant-owned stores depend on to survive.
Tyler Durden Fri, 07/31/2026 - 12:25