Central District Community Comes Together to Address Gun Violence

by Julia Park

In response to a gun violence incident in October last year, Central District community members have continued to collaborate to proactively work on measures to address safety concerns.

Over 40 people gathered to listen and respond to public safety updates from City and County officials, business owners, and community leaders at The McKinney Center for Community & Economic Development on Jan. 19.

The meeting was the third in a series that Central District residents began after a shooting in front of A 4 Apple Learning Center. At the January meeting, the discussion centered around continuing the mission to end gun violence, especially by centering the needs of children and young people.

"We always think about public safety being just specifically about police," said Deaunte Damper, one of the meeting organizers and a community advocate with VOCAL-WA. "But it really takes a village to be able to make sure that we all feel safe."

DeVitta Briscoe's work advocating for gun violence prevention and police accountability, motivated by her personal experience, led her to become the City of Seattle's Gun Violence Prevention Liaison under Mayor Bruce Harrell. Current priorities for the Mayor's Office include partnering across the county to address gun violence, Briscoe said at the meeting.

Extending partnerships outside Seattle will ensure People of Color outside the city benefit from these services. "You don't have a lot of Black and Brown people that live in Seattle anymore," Briscoe said. "And because of gentrification, we have a lot of our people that are out in Auburn renting with kids, but they're still traveling back and forth to Seattle."

Briscoe and her colleagues studied Shots Fired data and also observed a gap in services for older demographics of people. Their team will focus on reaching those people as well.

"Most of the time, all of our investment dollars in our community safety programs target our young people between 15 and 24, and capped at 24," Briscoe said. "But when I look at the Shots Fired reports, I'm seeing people in their 30s."

At the meeting, Community Passageways Deputy Director Mark Rivers and Critical Incident Response Director Ted Evans showed off new branded sweatshirts and jackets. The high-visibility yellow color indicates the presence of trusted adults at schools and places where youth are present.

The jackets are marked with the words "Critical Incident Response" and identify staff members who can mediate and de-escalate incidents of violence they are alerted to by school staff and community members. Critical Incident Responders can also support families and community members with resources as needed, according to Rivers.

Rivers said Community Passageways is now stationing staff members in front of the Amazon Fresh location on the corner of 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street in response to concerns from Amazon Fresh staff about kids shoplifting and fighting. Community Passageways also runs a snack program in the mornings.

"We've created something that's an alternative to locking them up or them getting a charge just because they're hungry," Rivers said.

Longtime community member Renee Conroy said kids especially need revived youth programs and vocational training in the Central District. Once-active spaces, like The McKinney Center (formerly the Seattle Vocational Institute), have left gaps in opportunities for youth to develop and grow.

"What I don't like seeing in my community is vacancies," Conroy said. "Vacancies and the lack of accountability to our youth. There are no late-night programs. There are no places for people to come for safe spaces."

The Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority is seeking to revive The McKinney Center as a place of significance, particularly to the African American community.

Other meeting updates not directly related to gun violence and emergency services included information on neighborhood cleanup, resources for business owners and low-income residents, and safer public transit.

Vulcan Real Estate installed four gates that are closed and locked from 6 p.m. to 11 a.m. to prevent loitering in the Walgreens parking lot at 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street, Lori Mason Curran, director of investment strategy at Vulcan, wrote in an email. Ian Warner, director of public policy at Vulcan, delivered the update in person.

Darnesha Weary, co-owner of Black Coffee Northwest, called up each department and representative to give their updates. She encouraged listeners to remember that each change is important.

"Why are we hearing about, you know, traffic lights, stuff like that?" Weary said. "It's because it all works together so we can create a safe neighborhood for us and for future generations to come."

According to Damper, the meeting organizers later go through each item introduced at the meeting to ensure the right people follow up and take action.

The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 13 at the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center.

📸 Featured Image: From left to right: Edwin Lindo, co-owner of Estelita's Library; Deaunte Damper, community advocate with VOCAL-WA; and DeVitta Briscoe, Gun Violence Prevention Liaison for the City of Seattle, pose for a photo after the community safety meeting on Jan. 19. (Photo: Julia Park)