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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