By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last week, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell joined community leaders and community members to discuss public safety and provide public feedback on his One Seattle Safety Framework. The event, held in the gym at Garfield High School, allowed members of the community to engage in meaningful dialogue on how Seattle can begin to address and solve its safety issues.
According to city officials, the public forum is part of a series of forums to be held in neighborhoods across the city to share information about Harrell’s public safety framework and provide an opportunity for citizens to engage in direct conversation with City leaders and representatives on public safety ideas and solutions.
“Public safety is our highest priority—the One Seattle Safety Framework defines the outcomes we aim to achieve and the vision to help get us there, based on what we know works and have put into effect, new approaches, and our shared values,” said Mayor Harrell. “Ensuring the framework is informed by meaningful community input is critical for its success—and these public forums will help add and enhance specific actions most impactful to neighbors and communities. I am grateful for the hard work our emergency responders do every day, and I look forward to working with them, the City Council, the City Attorney’s Office, and our neighbors to continue building a safer Seattle.”
Harrell and City leaders provided opening remarks, which were followed by interactive input sessions for participants. Community members rotated in small groups to engage directly with City leaders and provide input informing action and policy priorities. Moderating the forum was Emmy-winning local journalist Brian Callanan.
“We wanted to start this first public safety meeting right here at Garfield because right now I have a few statistics,” said Harrell. “Unfortunately, in this neighborhood, 911 calls have increased 13 percent, that means we have had 13,000 911 calls in this neighborhood so far this year. Now, I will be very candid with you, I ran on a public safety platform. I take public safety very seriously. I have an $8 billion dollar budget, 14,000 employees, and I will do everything in my power to protect you, and I’m not afraid of anyone or anything to do that.”
“I am committed to you as is my administration. I’m here to listen to you and I have asked our department heads to listen to you, and to collaborate with you,” added Harrell, as he set the tone for the meeting.
During his presentation, Harrell outlined his vision for the One Seattle Safety Framework, which is designed to create a city where everyone, in every neighborhood, is safe and feels secure. The framework includes six key strategies:
• Reduce gun violence and other violent crime with evidence-based solutions and enforcement strategies.
• Respond to 9-1-1 calls efficiently and effectively by hiring more officers and diversifying response options.
• Address the root causes and impacts of violence by investing in community-based solutions and upstream interventions.
• Prioritize a public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce overdoses, reduce violence, and better support victims and survivors.
• Coordinate community safety efforts to avoid duplication and inefficiencies by breaking down silos between departments.
• Build and maintain community trust through strong accountability systems and community engagement on law enforcement priorities.
In addition, Harrell announced four additional community safety forums that will give the public an opportunity to help shape the soon-to-be-released One Seattle Safety Framework.
Building on lessons learned from a citywide public safety forum held in March, the community forums will be held in neighborhoods across the city, and will provide community members the opportunity to share their input and ideas on how to make Seattle safer.
“I think it is great that we have the community here and they are connected to all 14 city departments,” says Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, who was in attendance. “They have the mayor, they have their councilmembers here so they have elected officials. It was eye-opening for some people about what community safety means to them, which I think is important because it is different for every neighborhood and demographics, so I am looking forward to hearing all of the ideas.”
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the upcoming forums in their community:
• North, Bitter Lake Community Center, 5/9, 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
• Southwest, Concord Elementary School, 5/14, 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
• West, Queen Anne Community Center, 5/16, 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
The citywide public safety forum that was held on March 14, at the Seattle Central Library and included Mayor Harrell, Police Chief Adrian Diaz, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, CARE Chief Amy Smith, and HSD Director Tanya Kim, you can watch a recording of that forum on the Seattle Channel’s website.