What's up, South End?
This week, I had a one-on-one with Mayor Katie Wilson about her new proposal that has major implications for the South End. But before we get to that …
Quick question: Have you ever witnessed an armed and uniformed Seattle police officer playing full-court basketball with youth in a high-crime neighborhood?
I have. In fact, I played too. We also ran games of flag football and indoor soccer and had Mario Kart tournaments on Nintendo Switch — games that included both cops and kids.
What I’m describing is Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Teen Late Night program. I worked as a rec specialist in a community center when I was fresh out of college.
This was my only experience with community policing, and it was a sight to behold. These cops, who volunteered for this assignment, spent Friday and Saturday nights interacting, or simply hanging out, with youth.
I’ll never forget the times officers picked up kids in my program during the school day for skipping class and committing petty crimes — and instead of arresting the teens, whom they recognized, they actually brought them to us, staff at the community center.
As a kid, the Teen Late Night program kept me off the streets. As a young adult, I returned the favor and helped run that same program for the next generation.
And since the ’90s, we’ve witnessed crime rates drop by up to 30% in these neighborhoods where the program happens. Tacoma has even tried to replicate this. There’s plenty of data supporting the effectiveness of programs like these to prevent crime.
Here’s why this is important: Earlier this week, two plans to address gun violence made headlines. Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera’s proposal, which passed unanimously in a Council vote (7–0 with two abstaining), amounts to a $500,000 plan to make a plan (the Seattle way).
The quick version: The City will consult with the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. They will do research, create a plan, and local stakeholders will carry it forward. (I plan to reach out and ask Rivera how the South End is included in her proposal.)
Then, there’s Mayor Katie Wilson’s proposal, which brings various city departments, social services, and community groups under the direction of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department. It also provides critical investments to youth and young adult programs, including the Teen Late Night program I mentioned.
Seattle wouldn’t be the first city to address gun violence by investing in youth and grassroots community programs. Last year, The Washington Post presented data on five major U.S. cities — Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles — all of which saw dramatic dips in violent crime by simply increasing investments into underserved communities and at-risk youth.
This week, I spoke with Wilson about her new plan and what it means for the South End. We discussed the difference between “focused deterrence” and stop-and-frisk, the timing of when she released the plan, whether she engaged with South End community members, and how this proposal will directly impact Rainier Beach.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
MD: I’ve heard directly from people in the South End that this plan was only crafted after the Seattle Center shooting made national headlines, but we’ve had gun violence here for years. What do you say to people who feel this way?
KW: I’ll say that early this year, at the end of January, obviously we had a tragic shooting in Rainier Beach. I’ve known since I stepped into office, and especially since that moment, that addressing gun violence and reducing gun violence in our communities had to be a very high priority for my administration. This has been in the works for the whole year, and other shootings around the city, including the Bite of Seattle shooting, just lit a fire under that and under the need to make a real public announcement so that people could see the work that was going on behind the scenes.
MD: Reading the plan, I see a few specific neighborhoods identified. But can you tell me specifically what this means for Rainier Beach? And what, if any, role community members had in the process?
KW: We are focusing not just on how we respond to gun violence when it occurs, but on the upstream investments that we need to make into our youth, teenagers, and families so that people have the necessary support that stops gun violence from happening in the first place. And this is something that I’ve been hearing about through conversations with youth in Rainier Beach following the January tragedy, and throughout the year, that has really informed my decision-making as we’re going into this budget process.
We have a large deficit, but it’s a really high priority for me to maintain — and, when possible, expand — funding for programs that are serving our youth in the South End. That means, for example, preserving funding for Teen Late Night programs. I’m also proposing funding in this budget for a new after-school program in Rainier Beach, and expanding funding for peer mentorship programs at Rainier Beach Community Center. These are priorities for me because I know how important it is that youth have these activities that can give them an alternative to violence, and mentorship supports mental health.
All of that has been informed by youth in Rainier Beach who have told me they need safe places to go at night and after school.
MD: A part of your plan is “focused deterrence.” I’ve already had people ask me if this is just Seattle’s stop-and-frisk. Is it? And how are you going to ensure that this doesn’t turn into people of color having disproportionate interactions with law enforcement?
KW: This is absolutely not stop-and-frisk. The idea behind focused deterrence is that we already know, the community already knows, who the young people are who have been engaged in gun violence in one way or another. This is about focusing on those specific individuals. This is not about profiling. This is not about picking people off the street. This is about using what we know, and what the community knows, about the young people who need our help, and then really focusing on figuring out what they need. Do they need mentorship? Help with employment? Housing? It’s about laying out a positive path, while also making clear that if they continue to engage in violence, that there is a backstop, and law enforcement is the backstop for that. It’s a combination of support and accountability. It needs to be done carefully, so we’re doing it with community partners.
Both the Seattle mayor and City Council dropped proposals to address gun violence this week. Here’s a breakdown of both plans.
Will your ballot be safe in the mailbox this November? We have the most recent developments right here.
Have you ever tasted a black garlic latte? This cafe in Georgetown is serving them up. (Spoiler alert: They’re delicious.)
These South End authors wrote a book about trauma stewardship two decades ago. Now, they’ve made a few updates.
Have thoughts on who should lead SPD? Show up and be heard: 9/26. Noon. Van Asselt Community Center.
This is an abbreviated version of The Roundup newsletter. To get the entire newsletter, including a weekly list of events to check out and my shout-out to South End Gems, subscribe here. See you next week!
Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.
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