This past weekend, as people were coming back to enjoy Seattle?s nightlife, Seattle saw one its worst early mornings of violence in recent memory.?Over the weekend, we had several separate and unrelated incidents that erupted into gun fire that killed 5 and injured 9. This weekend was a sobering reminder that Seattle is not immune from gun violence ? but make no mistake: this is a national crisis.?
Last week,?from Chicago to Minneapolis to Washington D.C., there?were?over 900 shooting incidents. Nine. Hundred.?These tragic events have happened outside of a Nationals baseball game, during a Minneapolis Bucks celebration event, and here in Seattle outside of a popular nightclub in the heart of our historic downtown neighborhood.?
This level of gun violence in Seattle and our country cannot become our new normal.?
In the short term,?SPD will have additional units in Pioneer Square, Belltown, and the downtown core. Officers from Patrol, the DUI enforcement squad, and Gun Violence Reduction Unit will be working to address gun crimes in our increasingly-busy nightlife areas.?
But?Chief Diaz?needs budget approval to?move?closer to our 2021 hiring?and retention?goals for sworn officers and?ensure?an appropriate?911 response?
In July,?SPD sent a?$15 million?plan?using SPD?s?allocated?2021 budget.?By lifting the restrictions imposed by?City Council, the City could create?significant alternatives to 911 response and addressing gun violence?including:??
- An additional?Community Service Officer?Unit?in addition to hiring of?six new CSOs??
- Investment in the Regional Peacekeepers?Collective to address gun violence??
- A new specialized?triage?response to 911 calls?
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New?civilians at SPD including?two North Seattle?crime prevention?coordinators, public?disclosure?officers,?a?Bias Crimes Coordinator,?and a?CID Public Safety?Liaison?
We don?t need to rehash the budget debates of last year on defunding, cuts, and out of order layoffs but Chief Diaz needs to act to address the current real hiring and staffing issues while?we continue?to advance?alternatives that are critical to reimagining policing.?Without adding?any?new?money to SPD,?City Council?can?immediately lift?its restrictions on the Seattle Police Department?budget?by supporting this?comprehensive budget?plan.?
There is?more that needs to be done to address gun violence?and public safety?in our communities.?There is no one-size fits all solution to the crisis of gun violence in our nation, but the widespread availability of firearms in our nation, and the inaction of our state and federal lawmakers to address the epidemic of gun violence only adds fuel to the fire.?
Until this is treated like the public health crisis that it truly is, people will continue to lose their lives, and our communities will continue to suffer.?
As always, please continue to write me at?[email protected], reach out via?Twitter?and?Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on my?blog.???????
Mayor Durkan poses with Community Members and Director Banks in Columbia City at the Patio
This week, Mayor Durkan visited The Patio in Columbia City to attended the?Only In Seattle Celebration recognizing small businesses, workers, neighborhood district partners, and the ongoing work of the Office of?Economic?Development.?Mayor Durkan visited and spoke with community leaders whose?work specifically?made a difference during the pandemic.?
This week, King County?Executive?Dow Constantine and Mayor Durkan announced two new purchases through King County?s Health?Through?Housing to create more housing for individuals?experiencing?homelessness in the region.?
Mayor Durkan has announced 1300 new spaces expected to open between Fall 2021-2022 and Executive Constantine has?announced?up to 1600 opening by the end of 2022.??
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Health officers from across the Puget Sound region are recommending facial coverings for everyone in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccine status. COVID-19 rates are increasing across the region largely due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant.?
Several local health officers from across the Puget Sound region are joining together to recommend that everyone wear facial coverings when in indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown. The recommendation from several local health jurisdictions underscores that wearing a mask is an effective and simple measure that people can take to add an extra layer of protection for themselves and their community at a time when rates of COVID-19 are increasing in the region and around the country.?
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UW Medicine Will Now Provide Free COVID-19 Testing at Aurora and SODO Hubs with Continued Access to Curative Kiosks?
As COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Provider, the City Has Administered 260,000 Vaccinations and Nearly 800,000 Tests?
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan urged residents to continue to be tested for COVID-19 and announced that the City of Seattle is transitioning its testing and vaccination efforts to partners on July 31, 2021. To-date, the City of Seattle has administered 259,315 COVID-19 vaccinations, totaling in over 134,000 individuals, 45 percent of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The City has also provided 786,131 COVID-19 tests, and the City?s fixed testing sites have been used by one in three Seattle residents. The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) will continue to administer vaccine through its Mobile Vaccination Teams (MVT) and at its SODO Vaccination and Testing Hub through 5:30 p.m. on July 31, 2021.?
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Photo by Sunny Martini, courtesy of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the outcomes of?Welcome Back Weeks?? a two-week effort from the City and downtown partners to bring workers, small businesses, and visitors back to downtown Seattle. As part of Welcome Back Weeks, the City invested more than $300,000 dollars directly into small businesses, artists, and cultural organizations who have been significantly impacted by the pandemic.?Those investments support?nearly 500 small businesses, and 80 percent of those are owned by women or people of color. The City is also employing 200 artists and cultural workers, many of whom haven?t been able to perform in person for 16 months, and 90 percent of the City-hired creative workers?are women or people of color.??
Across the City?s large-scale events and partner promotions, the City estimates that at least 15,000 visited downtown Seattle to participate in Welcome Back Weeks. In addition, the City?s?small business partnerships?resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in new spending at downtown small businesses.?
City has now secured Federal funding for 70% of work and remains on schedule to reopen bridge in mid-2022??
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has selected Seattle Department of Transportation?s (SDOT?s) West Seattle Bridge project to receive $12 million from a competitive statewide federal grant program for local bridges. Building on the recently announced?Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant, this now brings the total federal funding committed to this project to $37.7 million of an estimated $54.8 million for construction costs. SDOT continues to?meet key milestones which keep the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge repair process on schedule, and this funding further supports timely repair and reopening in 2022. The City will keep advocating for local, state, and federal funds for construction and maintenance of the West Seattle Bridge as well as traffic and safety improvements throughout the surrounding impacted communities including West Seattle, South Park, Highland Park, and Georgetown.???
When it came to designing Pier 58?s new waterfront playground, the City of Seattle consulted the experts: kids!?
When it comes to planning a playground, it helps to consult the experts: kids! That?s just what the City?s Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects did for the designing and planning of the Seattle waterfront playground that will be a part of the new?Pier 58.?
Currently known as Waterfront Park, the?the?pier will be rebuilt starting in 2022. Designed with families in mind, the new space will feature a public plaza and a children?s playground, located between the Seattle Aquarium and Miner?s Landing. Add a large lawn with plenty of trees for shade, plus the expansive views of Elliott Bay and the Olympics, and you?ve got yourself a new go-to waterfront destination.?
The City?s Office of the Waterfront & Civic Project utilized an online, child-friendly survey in late 2020 in an ?open house? type of style, welcoming feedback on themes, playground elements, and other ideas. More than 180 kids and adults responded, aiding in the playground design.?
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