The past 18 months have been truly challenging for Seattle and the pandemic magnified many of the inequities that exist in our city and country. I have made clear that our work to dismantle generational inequity must be a sustained multi-pronged approach. We must create more community led solutions to addressing violence, continue to improve and reform the work of sworn officers, and build alternatives to sworn officers when someone in our community dials 9-1-1. We also must deeply focus on building healthy, thriving communities by investing in housing, education, health care and generational wealth.
In these past few weeks, we have advanced a few key milestones to invest in community and re-imagine policing. Read more about each of these programs, which have been led by community:
Mayor Durkan and speakers at Harborview Medical Center as the City announces funding for gun violence prevention
Even with these new programs, rising gun violence continues to be a challenge. Our region is experiencing a significant increase in gun violence and firearm-related homicide. Homicides are up 42% across the nation since the onset of COVID, and here at home, by August 2020, we had already surpassed the number of homicides recorded throughout all of 2019. The need for continued investments in public safety is urgent and critical including ensuring the Seattle Police Department has sufficient resources to respond to 911 calls for emergencies.
It was hard year for our city, but I am still committed to making Seattle safe, and to addressing these challenges. It will take years of deep engagement to truly build equitable community safety within Seattle. Especially with the pandemic, we face many challenges ahead as we continue to build back better. But, hope is on the horizon.
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Mayor Durkan and Governor Inslee at Hood Famous Bakeshop
Today, Mayor Durkan and Governor Inslee visited Hood Famous Bakeshop in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. They enjoyed some delicious treats and spoke about the importance of supposing small businesses and the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations. As we #WelcomeBackSeattle, please shop local so the City’s small businesses like Hood Famous Bakeshop can reopen and recover!
Photo: Dean Rutz / Seattle Times
Mayor Jenny Durkan, along with fans and supporters, attended the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. The event place at Gas Works Park, while other spectators were ‘sailgating’ on Lake Union. The expansion draft was a highly anticipated event since the initial announcement of the team – especially as the City focuses on reopening.
After a grueling 16 months, we’ve reached an incredible moment as a city: We’re able to fully reopen, and we can once again come together as a community. We were able to reach this point – which came so much sooner than expected – because of our work together to combat COVID-19. Seattle has the lowest COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths of any major American city, 80 percent of our residents have begun the vaccination process, and nearly 75 percent are fully vaccinated.
Our success in combating the pandemic was thanks to our Seattle residents who prioritized community-wide health and acted in their neighbors’ interests, alongside their own. Now, we need to bring that same sense of civic and city pride to our recovery efforts. Our downtown small businesses, cultural institutions, and workers need our support – they can’t fully reopen or recover without us.
One core element in this work is our Welcome Back Weeks, which will occur from July 12 – 26, and will feature promotions across downtown neighborhoods, but large-scale events will take place in the Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, and Westlake. You can find more details on each event here.
We’re proud to host these events with a focus on supporting local BIPOC artists and musicians, small businesses, and community-based and neighborhood organizations. Our Welcome Back Weeks are about celebrating what makes Seattle the best city in the country, and we hope you and your loved ones come back downtown to celebrate alongside us!
#WelcomeBackSeattle
City Partners With More Than 30 Restaurants and Retailers for Halloween in July Trick-or-Treating at Westlake
Welcome Back to Pioneer Square and Westlake Events Taking Place This Saturday and Sunday
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced final lineups and activations as part of the City of Seattle’s large-scale Welcome Back to Pioneer Square and Welcome Back to Westlake events taking place Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25, respectively. Renowned hip-hop trio Digable Planets will headline the free Sunset Concert at Westlake Park alongside a lineup of Seattle-based artists. The Welcome Back to Westlake event will also feature a Halloween in July celebration, and the City has partnered with more than 30 restaurants and retailers to host trick-or-treating for kids and families.
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Smoke from wildfires has become a recurring seasonal air quality hazard in the western United States and British Columbia. In the Puget Sound region in 2018, wildfire smoke led to 24 days of poor air quality, including nine days that were considered either unhealthy for sensitive groups or unhealthy for everyone.
This year, the threat of wildfire smoke is compounded by the ongoing presence of COVID-19 in our communities. Smoke may create additional risk for people with COVID-19 and worsen symptoms. So while wildfire smoke may seem like a less pressing threat in light of the global pandemic, COVID-19 gives us even more reason to be prepared for wildfire smoke this summer.
You can take steps now to prepare:
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Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk, especially if you or someone in your family has a health condition like asthma, heart disease, or diabetes.
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Take steps to keep indoor air cleaner by not smoking inside, ventilating well when cooking or using candles, and not smoking inside.
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Invest in an air purifying or cleaning device, like a simple and low-cost with a filter (Learn how to make one here). Air filters are in high-demand during smoke events, so get one ahead of time if possible.
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Monitor local forecasts and air quality using websites like airnow.gov.
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Sign up to receive emergency alerts at Alert.Seattle.gov.
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The City of Seattle was named as a 2021 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). Seattle was the only city with this honor out of the 16 cities recognized -- which include having a full-time staff, a digital inclusion plan, publication of research about internet access, dedication of government funds for digital inclusion programming, and taking steps to increase affordability. Digital Inclusion Trailblazers is a public inventory of local government initiatives promoting digital literacy and broadband access for underserved residents. To read more about this recognition, the work Seattle is doing in digital equity, and how Mayor Durkan and Councilmember Alex Pedersen continue to support this vital work, visit the Seattle IT Tech Talk Blog.
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By Alyssa Hertel
Before even playing a game, the Kraken have become a fixture in the community, something for the people of Seattle to look forward to during one of the most difficult times in recent history. Mayor Jenny Durkan, who saw firsthand how hard her city was hit by COVID-19, knows the first hockey game can’t come soon enough.
“From the very beginning, they were not just building an arena, they were supporting community,” Durkan said. “They’re involved in so many community events coming out of the pandemic to build back better. Seattle has been through such a hard time in the last 18 months and coming out of COVID to now have this new team really helps us imagine and frame a better future.”
Whether they intended it or not, the Kraken have become a symbol of healing. As the city returns to some semblance of normality, Seattle’s NHL franchise can now focus on bringing fans back to live sporting events.
First, they must build that fan base, which has a strong reputation around the city. Not to mention the ticket sales speak for themselves. The Kraken collected 35,000 deposits for season tickets in a matter of hours, and there are more than 60,000 people on the waiting list. They’ve managed to build constant enthusiasm despite not having NHL players officially on the roster until last night's expansion draft.
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