Happening Now – @CMJoyHollings is holding a public safety meeting on 23rd and Union to address gun violence in the #CentralDistrict. About 100 people in attendance. #WWConverge pic.twitter.com/HZziqHNlPq
— Omari Salisbury (@Omarisal) January 31, 2024
A community public safety meeting organized by the office of newly elected District 3 Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth after a shooting earlier this month at 23rd and Union took on issues far beyond the Central District neighborhood Tuesday night.
Hollingsworth said Tuesday inside an unfinished restaurant space in the Midtown Square development where the meeting was held that she is starting her term at the council asking questions and digging into D3 concerns like the liquor control board’s “lewd conduct” inspections at a handful of Capitol Hill gay bars and clubs.
A question at Tuesday’s meeting is why this kind of enforcement is a priority — especially given other public safety needs and the history of violent police raids targeting queer venues.
“There were ten bars, and four happened to be LGBTQ,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said Tuesday she has written a letter to the liquor and cannabis board and is asking for an explanation.
“I’m trying to get public safety to be a nonpartisan issue,” Hollingsworth said Tuesday.
The meeting touched on safety issues across D3 but focused especially on ongoing gun violence and recent shootings, including an instance when blew out Midtown Square apartment windows earlier this month. Some community members emphasized the need for a stronger police officer presence, while others wanted to address violence in a proactive way rather than reactive.
“We have seen a significant amount of gun violence,” Hollingsworth said. “This is a reaction to the stuff that’s been going on in our district.”
CHS reported on this Cherry Hill shooting Sunday night, and the January 23rd shooting that left one person hospitalized. Hollingsworth ran her campaign with a focus on public safety, and is making it a priority in office after a record number of homicides in 2023.
“Most of the emails we get in from our email box is [about] public safety,” Hollingsworth said.
Activity in Cal Anderson Park including vandalism of the AIDS memorial which Hollingsworth said was “very concerning,” was also a concern raised on the night. Community members said Tuesday that 23rd long been a hot spot for violence, and it wasn’t until A 4 Apple Learning Center children and staff experienced a drive-by shooting that the city started paying attention again.
Hollingsworth said Tuesday she wants to ensure the safety of children walking to and from school, and said middle and high schoolers in the area are being targeted. Working with Black Coffee Northwest, which is set to open its doors in the next couple of months, to activate the area is a way Hollingsworth is working to address public safety on 23rd and Jackson.
The meetings come as the first-time councilmember says she is shaping her office around public safety and communication with planned open office hours, newsletters, and regular community meetings. “People are hungry” for transparency and communication in the district, Hollingsworth told CHS earlier this month. Hollingsworth has also said she supports increased spending on public safety including support for hiring more cops.
As part of the efforts, Hollingsworth’s office has rolled out new social media accounts including a new @CMJoyHollings on Twitter and a twin @CMJoyHollings on Instagram.
Starting in March, Hollingsworth’s office will hold monthly D3 meetings.
“I don’t want it to be where we hear about a shooting and then have a meeting,” Hollingsworth said.
The councilmember said Tuesday she met with SPD’s East Precinct leaders last month over community concerns of slow response times
“We only had ten patrol officers on the East Precinct at a given time,” Hollingsworth said. “The officers that are serving us are concerned, too.”
CHS reported last May that is now takes more than an hour for an East Precinct cop to show up for low priority calls across District 3.
According to a report for the first quarter of 2023 through March, the East Precinct stood at 69 officers assigned to 911 duties managed by nine sergeants. Those totals were down from the summer of 2022 when SPD reported a dozen sergeants in East along with 71 officers and reflect what the report describes as a slow effort by Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office to implement a new marketing and hiring initiative.
CHS reported here on the efforts hoped to grow the police force by 1,500 officers by 2027. Harrell and Chief Adrian Diaz won wide support over concerns Seattle police officer staffing levels had reached what the administration said was “their lowest in more than 30 years” in the wake of the COVID crisis and 2020 Black Lives Matter and anti-police protests.
Hollingsworth has said she will support the 1,500 initiatives.
One victim of gun violence spoke out Tuesday night about how she experienced six to eight bullets shot through her house, having blown out a window. She asked if risk terrain modeling (RTM) is being used in the area. RTM analyzes environmental factors that lead to increased crime, including grocery stores, stores like nearby Uncle Ikes, and schools to name a few. She said the only risk factor missing from the area was a gas station, but she took issue with the nearby Ike’s car wash.
“No one’s washing their cars at 9 PM,” she said.
Hollingsworth explained how after speaking with the Uncle Ike’s owner Ian Eisenberg, the parking lot is now being closed at night to reduce activity.
“The car wash shuts at 10 PM,” Hollingsworth said.
Another community member brought up the back-to-back shootings, and said a buy-back gun option is a good idea, but short-term improvements need to happen quickly. With sirens wailing in the background, Hollingsworth said a short-term goal to address these issues is to, in part, change the tone and officer morale, and acknowledged how nothing can really be accomplished immediately.
“Shit’s popping off all over the city right now,” Hollingsworth said.
Community members can help improve SPD’s morale by being friendly towards officers, which is something officers have told Hollingsworth. A new SPD contract, with talks of major hiring bonuses, will also help.
“The contract is honestly going to help a significant amount,” Hollingsworth said. “We’re hoping [to have it] by March/April.”
UPDATE: Hollingsworth’s office has clarified that she expects the council will have an agreement to discuss by March/April but that not a done deal with the union in that timeframe.
One attendee asked if the city is looking at opportunities to use technology to fill in some SPD gaps, bringing up how other cities use surveillance and video footage, which can be implemented in hot spots for short-term fixes. The city is getting a list of technologies to assist SPD, and Hollingsworth highlighted how funding for Shotspotter passed last year.
A senior at Garfield High shared how they saw a person die from gun violence on Sunday, and that police presence seems to be ineffective. They asked how or if the city works with mental health services in schools, because teachers are taking on the mental health load of students and adding more police officers doesn’t accomplish much on the mental health aspect. The student’s comments sparked a loud round of audience applause.
“Great feedback, thank you,” Hollingsworth said. “I want to see us engaging in more arts…not just medication.”
Omari Salisbury, a local journalist from the Central District and head of Converge Media, shared how he’s seen lots of death in the community. A common thing he’s found is the lack of opportunity those involved in violent crimes, particularly 18 to 23 year olds, face. Salisbury wants to bring back trade schools, which provide a route to success, but no longer exist in the area. While many want to, they struggle to find employment.
Hollingsworth said the city is working with Amazon to improve the teen job portal.
Ashley McGirt-Adair, founder of Therapy Fund Foundation, attended Tuesday night’s meeting and said people need to gain a better understanding of emotional intelligence and anger management.
“Cops don’t prevent crime,” McGirt-Adair said.
The Therapy Fund Foundation provides free counseling services to Black community members. McGirt-Adair said they have available outpatient treatment spots, and that their foundation is inclusive of non-Black community members.
In all, the evening was filled with many ideas around a multitude of issues stretching across District 3. There were a lot of questions and only a few answers at this early point in Hollingsworth’s start at City Hall. With monthly meetings coming, the biggest question will be how the conversations continue and what issues get solved.
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Shotspotter is one of the dumbest things Harrell (& previous Council majority) has done, amidst many dumb and wasteful things. Ineffective and shown to increase police response times.
More of this please! And as a Garfield parent, in case the student who spoke up reads these comments-THANK YOU for your courage and representation
yeah, feeling pride as a garfield alum. we saw this back then too.
that was me- all the love is giving me hope- the community is behind us. <3
It is exciting to have a D3 representative after over a decade where the position was essentially vacant.
What a breath of fresh air and improvement from city council in the CD. Thank god for Joy.
lol the glad handing begins… these business owners only care about their businesses, not your safety
The business owners aren’t committing the shootings. Direct anger there.
Business owners are smart enough to know that if people do not feel safe they won’t patronize their businesses, and their bottom line will suffer. This is simple stuff Jason.
Couldn’t go but I appreciate the engagement.
“Shit’s popping off all over the city right now, Hollingsworth said.” Hahahaha Yas!
She apologized if there were any kids in the large crowd :) she’s great!
Im sort of disappointed by Hollingsworth’s responses, which seem focused on law enforcement as the solution. As someone who lives near the 23rd and Jefferson intersection and is there every day, I see police presence consistently. Its fine, but it doesn’t seem to inhibit violent crime.
The police presence on 23rd/Jackson has definitely cleared up the formerly scary bus stop that I and many Washington middle school students like to use. The greater presence of police around Garfield Highschool seems to have had some positive effect. There are no easy solutions to gun violence given the prevalence of guns and the unfortunate interpretation of our constitution. Joy spoke about better lighting, fencing of parking lots, electronic surveillance…
Yes, that bus stop is important. Be cautious advocating to closing a community amenity due to some bad actors. Losing the amenity punishes the community, not the bad actor. One example is a bus stop that had issues in the 80s with people hanging out. Thank goodness Metro didn’t close it and only removed the bench which has never been returned. Still it was thought the bench would return to the shelter. The stop meets the requirements for a shelter and a bench. Metro has never made any improvement. Even if I don’t sit down, often I appreciate a spot for bags and other items while I organize myself to board the bus or just to rest a heavier bag. The shelter is there but when it rainy and wet the ground is wet and gross; so there is no place to rest a bag or rest for those who need a rest. The bus stops at 23rd and Jackson ( I am guessing north bound is the one they think to close.) is highly used. It was an important stop for my children when they were students at Washington and Garfield. There is no better spot for that bus, and it provides smooth transfers for all between the 14 and 48.
What better ideas do you have that can be implemented within 1-3 months?
Great to see Hollingsworth engaging with the community. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the last 10 years.
can’t believe district 3 has representation again. after a decade in the wilderness
It’s been less than a month since Joy was sworn in and she’s already doing significantly better at listening to the communities conserns than her predecessor.
Can’t disagree. But I knew you’d all be tripping over yourselves over her doing the bare minimum. Sawant did real fights. This is small game business owner glad handing. The community aspect is a facade. She only cares about Ike’s parking lot and her business and property at the end of the day.
You need to actually open your mind and listen to what she is saying. This is so far past “the bare minimum”. Actually listening to your constituents – not just the ones you agree with – is such a welcome change.
I don’t really see any sign of this. You’re just among the constituents she agrees with, John.
You’re all over the comments on every article desperately trying to pour water on any optimism. Life is more than hating everything
Sawant trolling Bezos with a megaphone was the ‘bare minimum.’ Unless you live in a cave and subsist on berries, your entire survival is dependent on business owners. Get over it.
A black woman doing things for the mostly black citizens in that area of her district! What is wrong with you!
Sawant’s ‘real’ fights did not fix our roads, build the Garfield green block or reduce the gun violence in our district. She just cared about national and even international affairs after her first turn of service – fully inappropriate for city council. Really impressed with Joy last night – she has energy, heart in the right place, and deep roots in the neighborhood. Why the dig at her business? She is doing the district’s business now that has been neglected for the past decade. About time!
False: From CHS blog, “The majority of funds raised for the (Garfield superblock) park came through amendments in the city’s budget with the help of Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Teresa Mosqueda. The coalition has also received federal and county funding.” Stop spreading lies.
Sawant did performance art Socialism and fundraising for the Socialist Alternative. She did less than nothing for nuts and bolts every day issues in D3.
I am so happy that we have an actual Councilperson now and not a cheerleader for fake revolution
Yet she smoked your worthless opponents in the elections. We liked her and supported her, you were in the minority thank you
She won 51-48 over Egan Orion, a 30 year community organizer and former head of Seattle Pride. She beat her recall by 310 votes out of over 41,000 cast. Two very close elections. She then declined to run again.
I’m not seeing “overwhelming support.” I’m seeing a one-note huckster and promoter of incendiary causes whose time was running out, and who skipped running again because she knew she would lose.
D3 is significantly better off with ‘Our Revolutions’ demise. Good riddance.
Can’t counter what I said so you turn to personal insults. Spoken like a true baby 🍼 and you never defeated her. Rent free.
Your hero Sawant abandoned you. Where is ‘Your Revolution’ now?
“Community members can help improve SPD’s morale by being friendly towards officers, which is something officers have told Hollingsworth.”
Ok, how about SPD starts by apologizing for tear gassing the neighborhood, or for killing pedestrians with their vehicles, or for using their “limited resources” to try to intimidate queer people in bars. It’s hard to be friendly with people who treat you and your neighbors with extreme disrespect.
One of the reasons why SPD has lost about 500 officers in the past few years is that they feel the hostility that many in the community have for them. A little friendliness, and treating officers like human beings, would go a long way.
It is ironic that in their quest for social justice, the far left has dehumanized an entire group of people based on their profession, reduced every member of the group to a stereotype of the behavior of its worst members, and created an extremely hostile work environment.
I’d guess that tear-gassing multiple blocks of our neighborhood over and over might have contributed to whatever sense of hostility they might be perceiving from the general public… they’re the ones with the guns and badges here, so they’re the ones responsible for their behavior, and if they want us to perceive them differently they can damn well earn that by behaving differently.
I’d be more glad to see her holding meetings like this if she doesn’t bring stupid sentiments like “Community members can help improve SPD’s morale by being friendly towards officers”.
Shut the fuck up and do your jobs without hurting or killing people and making jokes about innocent victims you run over or keeping trophies in your break rooms like criminals and murderers do, THEN you’ll be treated with some respect.
Even if you consider yourself one of the “good ones”, your moral isn’t being hurt by the community, it’s your fellow officers.
Positive attitudes go both ways. Your post is not helping. Our community and the police officers serving here share an interest in a safe and peaceful community. I thought Joy did great last night and I really appreciate that she is meeting with the police officers working in our neighborhood and encourages interactions among us.
No. They can do their jobs without us needing to kiss their asses or even giving them a smile. When they stop getting away with killing someone that the rest of us would be charged with manslaughter for, using excessive force, and all the other worse things they’ve done and protect each other over, then maybe they’ll get that polite smile. Maybe.
Kudos to Cm Hollingsworth for starting to listen.
Re: SPD: I don’t feel like I ever have the opportunity to be friendly to officers, because I never see them outside the cars in the neighborhood… Like in a diner, donut shop, on the sidewalk… anywhere really.
The only ‘enforcement’ I see on the street in pike/pine are the private security forces, which ultimately aren’t protecting me — they’re protecting businesses.
It feels sometimes like they treat the neighborhood like they’re an occupying force in a foreign country.
Yeah when I’m in other cities there are bike and foot patrols but here they hide out in their cars /the precinct.
When I’m in other cities the size of Seattle they have police forces 3-4 times larger than ours so not all of them have to be ready to speed to next 911 emergency. They have the staffing to provide foot, bike and neighborhood patrols and meet with the people in the areas they patrol.
Hire more cops. Increase their presence.
Remove tents from streets, not a single one should remain.
Prosecute anyone committing violent crimes, or property crimes.
Seattle can be a top tier city again.
What the hell??
BE MORE FRIENDLY TO OFFICERS?!!?
Is that really what Joy has to offer??!?!?
Joy, listen, I’m not going to be friendly to officers who are going into gay bars with flashlights and cameras and taking photos of scantily clad men without their permission to make it part of a public record.
I’m not going to be friendly to officers who call me back at 3am after they’ve been buzzing my neighborhood for 2 hours with sirens and lights.
Your officers first have to build trust, and that’s more than just putting rainbow stripes on cop cars that stop in front of gay bars.
While you were campaigning I asked you what the hell you were going to do to reign in out of control cops. And, the answer seems to be “hire more of them so they can do more bar raids, give out more money to make them feel better about themselves and have community members give them participation trophies for the mere act of existing.”
Joy, you’ve lived in this city for your entire life. You’ve been campaigning for a year. You’ve heard the horror stories of the city police and of the rising gang violence and drug epidemics.
Yet your solution is to be nicer to cops?!
GTFO.
geek
/gēk/
noun
1. A person regarded as foolish, inept, or clumsy.
2. A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.
3. A carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken.
As a carnival performer myself, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Way to go
You are obviously a cop-hater who will not be dissuaded from your position no matter how well the majority of cops behave. Stop stereotyping.
Weren’t you the one who left two comments in a row lambasting the settlement that injured protestors achieved with Seattle Police before having to double back on your criticisms when you realized the protestors were actually injured by the out of control cops?
Just making sure I’m talking to the same “zach” who apparently hasn’t learned not to immediately run to the SPD’s defenses.
Wow! So, what do you think SeattleGeek, just let social workers handle everything. The officers have built trust, the raids on gay bars were performed by the Liquor control board, and again, what is your solution???? Go cry to Sawant!!!
“the raids on gay bars were performed by the Liquor control board”
Wrong. As shown by the documents on this site, the gay bars were mostly chosen by the SPD with no reason cited and they were conducted by a group that included the LCB, SPD, and SFD.
Cops never let the truth get in the way of a good story, why should you?
A couple of years ago, SPD was called to diffuse a situation in an apartment at Broadway and John, where a person in crisis was shooting bullets out the window of their apartment.
A block away in Cal Anderson park, a rally to promote Starbucks Unionization was wrapping up, and about 15-20 of Councilmember Sawant’s followers were milling around or heading back to Link rail.
As police cordoned off the area and as the tense drama of a live shooter in crisis unfolded, what did Sawant’s red-and-white sign holding followers do?
Run over to the police barrier tape and … start chanting negative police slogans and flipping off police.
Councilmember Sawant was nowhere to be found to de-escalate the deliberate interference by her followers.
Police focused on the crisis at hand, diffused the situation, talked the shooter into voluntary and peaceful surrender, and no casualties happened on that day.
Sawant’s people quietly left having unsuccessfully disrupted a life-threatening incident.
Sawant and her followers: 2020 is over. We had elections and your side lost. People running on Public Safety won. Including Hollingsworth. She is not wrong that neighborhood hostility against police has been a two-way street and an ongoing problem. You on the other hand need to stand down with your “ACAB” disruptive noise.
ACAB always and forever. Your side will lose again like it always does, enjoy your rolling back of civil liberties and human rights for a few years, no one would actually elect a psychotic rich landlord like Woo.
Rolling back civil liberties and human rights? Who has proposed anything like that? I know you love Sawant but you don’t know her nor do you know Woo. I happen to know both and you are way off base.
I agree with you Let’s talk, I know them both and they are wonderful! Jason, are you a troll?
“My side” has won 5 of 7 Council seats in 2023 and Mayor and City Attorney in 2021. The Progressive takeover was short lived – as Seattle voting majorities saw what Progressive leadership really meant in terms of crime and OD rising, and crisis management failing. Seattle voters wisely voted many of the Progressives out.
Your Revolution lost. 2020 is over.
Connecting the community and addressing the underlying problems was part of the conversation. There were quite a few speaking for more policing. On the other hand, some specific audience members on that subject took their time when commenting. Even Joy sometimes mention community connections, along with working together and getting to know one another as important steps in prevention, Others mentioned taking care of each other. Selling mainly fear is a way to empty the CD to make it easier for investors and speculators to buy property. Yes, we deserved to feel safe. Vivian Phillips reminded us to consider the many assets in this community. Yes, the recent actions of the alcohol and cannabis also got a big mention.