By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s commitment to community engagement became a homecoming to the city’s Central District, of sorts.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (Photo by James Tabafunda)
The second of a series of public safety forums was held on April 30 at Garfield High School’s gymnasium. Designed to allow attendees to voice their concerns and help shape the city’s public policies and responses, it follows the forum held March 14 at the Seattle Central Library. Brian Callanan, a Seattle Channel host and producer, served as the moderator.
Attendees at the second ‘Creating a Safer Seattle’ public safety forum (Photo by James Tabafunda)
The series of forums are a part of the “One Seattle Public Safety Framework” initiative, a comprehensive approach led by Harrell to enhance community safety across Seattle.
Harrell, a Garfield High alumnus, began his remarks by thanking all attendees, about 130, for being present, adding, “But you know, this is hallowed ground for me.”
“I am assuming you are here because safety is one of your highest priorities in life. Safety for yourself, safety for your families, your loved ones, your safety in the community,” he said.
During the event, Harrell said, “Unfortunately, in this neighborhood, 911 calls have increased 13%.”
Running for the mayor’s office in 2021 on a public safety platform, he said he takes public safety “very seriously” and has an $8 million budget, along with 14,000 employees.
“I’ll do everything within my power to protect you. And I’m not afraid of anyone or anything to do that,” he said. “I’ll look anyone in the eye and say: ‘I’m committed to you and [so] is my administration.’”
“I’m here to listen to you, and I’ve asked our department heads to listen to you, to collaborate with you.”
“The purpose of this forum is to listen. And we have put resources around you because we realize some of our best answers can come from impacted communities, and you are indeed impacted. So, we come with a spirit of humility and listening on what we can do better. That’s why we are here.”
Collecting community input
The April 30 forum aimed at fostering community engagement through interactive elements, including the use of different QR codes. For example, one survey question asked, “How long have you lived here?” More than half of the attendees answered more than 10 years.
“When we go to different forums, we’re going to try to do this, to just get a good sketch of who we’re talking to,” Harrell said.
Another question: “How safe do you feel in your neighborhood?” Callanan said, “It looks like the bulk of people are feeling somewhat safe.”
One person did not share the same opinion.
“This particular neighborhood is not safe. You can’t even walk a mile in this neighborhood without nearly getting hit by a car,” said Ben, a forum attendee. “Motorists run stop signs and make right turns on red without stopping. There are lots of visibility problems at intersections where pedestrians have to step into the right of way before they can see the traffic.”
“As you mentioned right here, this is high school. There are shootings here. This feels like every month. Pretty dangerous place for a northwest city.”
City officials
The non-technical element consisted of three, timed sessions that allowed attendees to participate in open table discussions or one-on-one meetings with representatives and leaders from 14 city departments.
The following key leaders are just some of the many government officials who participated in the forum: Tanya Kim, director of the Seattle Human Services Department, leads a spectrum of initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable populations.
Tanya Kim, director of the Seattle Human Services Department (Photo by James Tabafunda)
“Please come visit our table,” she said. “The mayor mentioned investing in community-based solutions and upstream [interventions]. Some of you know services like the Seattle Youth Employment Program, or we have our Aging and Disability Services.”
“We invest in community-based organizations like Community Passageways and many others that are in this space. And so, we are here for you, and we want to connect you with the resources you or your neighbor need in order to thrive.”
Ben Santos, assistant chief in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, works in the Juvenile Division. Jimmy Hung, chief deputy prosecutor, also works in the Juvenile Division. He said, “Our team handles every instance of juvenile crime that’s referred to our office by the Seattle Police Department.”
Ben Santos, assistant chief in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (left) and Jimmy Hung, chief deputy prosecutor in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (Photo by James Tabafunda)
Chris Dahline serves as the deputy chief of operations at the Seattle Fire Department, overseeing day-to-day operations of the department. Hamdi Mohamed, director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, focuses on supporting immigrant and refugee communities by engaging them in decisions about Seattle’s future.
Chris Dahline, deputy chief of operations at the Seattle Fire Department and Brian Callanan (Photo by James Tabafunda)
Jeff Geoghagan, a lieutenant and unit commander in the Seattle Police Department, said, “I am responsible for two teams, one of which is the Crisis Response Team and the second, which is the Alternative Response Team.”
James Sather, an operations lieutenant in the Seattle Police Department, manages the response to emergency calls and coordinates strategies for crime reduction. He said, “I handle all the officers and supervise them to handle the area between 520, I-90, and I-5. That’s our big area so I’m here to engage and listen to community members about what we can do to improve and how we can work together.”
Venu Nemani, chief transportation safety officer at the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), provides direction on safety measures for all SDOT programs and projects and oversees the Vision Zero program, which aims to end serious injuries and traffic deaths on city streets by 2030.
Jon Jainga, emergency management and park security manager at Seattle Parks and Recreation, said, “I’m in charge of the park rangers, emergency management activation, and park security.”
Catriana Hernandez, a crisis response manager for the city’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department, oversees 911 calls related to homelessness and substance use that require community-based or mental health interventions.
Dr. Dwane Chappelle, director of the Department of Education and Early Learning, said, “I have the pleasure of providing free, or should I say, preschool services for those families. [I] make sure that each and every child has access to high quality preschool. We also have multiple investments partnering with our Seattle Public Schools partners.”
And Matthew Roberson, a youth outreach officer with the Seattle Police Department, interacts directly with the city’s youth to foster productive relationships between the community and the police department.
Focus on reducing gun violence
The need for policies that address the increase in the number of firearms in the community and the critical issue of gun control became top issues at the public safety forum last March. Harrell said, “We spent a lot of time trying to get as many aggressive gun laws passed. We seized over 1,500 guns last year.”
One goal of the forum was to discuss different strategies to further reduce gun-related incidents.
Over 80% of Seattle’s homicide cases, according to Harrell, involve the use of a gun.
Seattle’s District 3: Central District, First Hill, Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Montlake, Eastlake, and part of Chinatown-International District
Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth represents District 3. The forum became more focused as she gave an update on the current state of the Central District. One subject dominates all others in the emails, phone calls, and comments she receives from constituents: public safety.
Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (Photo by James Tabafunda)
“That is our number one priority in our office. We understand it. We are here with a sense of urgency,” she said. Since taking office four months ago, she has worked on collaborating with the Seattle Police Department on community resource officers who enhance safety in District 3 and implementing different response models.
Hollingsworth spoke about the importance of child safety.
“I know there’s a lot of things with that. But if you can keep your kids safe and you can keep families safe, and so that’s our number one priority. It’s our north star for our kids—make sure that they have a safe place to go, stuff to do, after-school activities, in-school mentorship. We’re looking forward to partnering with our school district, the principal here, Dr. (Tarrance) Hart.”
Hollingworth also made one request.
“I’m asking District 3 to give me some grace and a little bit of patience as we are reconnecting our district to the city services and neighborhood services. That’s our number one priority for our office. We’ve been very, very vocal about that.”
Additional public safety forums are scheduled citywide to encourage community involvement. These forums provide residents with opportunities to discuss the city’s strategies on violence and safety.
The third of five forums will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on May 7 at the Rainier Beach Community Center. Pre-registration for the event is required.
To watch the Seattle Channel video of the second public safety forum at Garfield High School, go to seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x156600.
For more information about the One Seattle Public Safety Framework, go to harrell.seattle.gov/2024/04/24/mayor-bruce-harrell-announces-community-safety-forums-and-upcoming-release-of-the-one-seattle-safety-framework.
James Tabafunda can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.