Local religious leaders credit Black Lives Matter for progress while acknowledging much work remains. by Updated Dec. 22 1:18 p.m. Arrius Graves dances with a Black Lives Matter flag while marching in South Lake Union on Nov. 3, 2020. (Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut) Black religious leaders in Seattle haven’t always agreed with the direction of this year’s Black Lives Matter movement, but the two branches of this activist spectrum are showing signs of coming together at the end of an unprecedented year of protests and human suffering. This past summer, some religious leaders stood in defense of former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, as others called for her resignation in response to her handling of protests against police brutality after the killing of George Floyd.