Seattle mayor rejects locking up repeat criminals during tense debate: 'Maybe they're hungry'

Seattle’s Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell said during a mayoral debate Thursday night that he has "no desire" to put repeat criminal defenders in jail and said he doesn't know how to answer the question on whether the city is "too lax" on repeat offenders."So let me make something very clear. I was the one that sponsored the ‘Ban the Box’ legislation when everyone opposed it because the criminal system has had a disparate impact on black and brown communities, let me lead with that," Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a mayoral debate Thursday night when asked a follow-up question about repeat