Mayor Katie Wilson Talks New Gun Violence Strategy on ‘The Big O Show’
On a recent episode of “The Big O Show,” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson discussed the city's ongoing public safety challenges and her administration's strategy for addressing gun violence.
Wilson addressed the impact of recent tragedies, including the double homicide when two young lives were lost outside Rainier Beach High School. "My first thought is we can't let that be normal," she said regarding the incident.
Community-Centered Policing and Neighborhood Investment
Citing her personal conversations with students, Wilson said young people want a "more consistent presence" of officers "who understand the neighborhood” they serve. Beyond policing, Wilson referenced her conversations with community members who pointed to patterns of underinvestment, disinvestment, and neglect in neighborhoods like Rainier Beach.
"We're doing a lot of work right now internally to figure out how the investments that the city makes in gun violence prevention…how we can do that in a more strategic way moving forward with the right kind of accountability,” she said, using Baltimore, Maryland as an example to follow.
Wilson outlined a potential strategy that would focus on aiding a small number of high-risk individuals, providing resources like mentorship and job training while also saying there will be consequences for further violence.
"It's also something that is only going to be successful if it really has broad buy-in in the community because it's really an all-hands-on-deck approach," she said.
The Future of Alternative Response
Mayor Wilson expressed continued positivity for the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) team, a non-armed emergency response unit, in addressing gun violence. While noting that existing police contracts currently restrict ways that CARE can be deployed, she stated her administration is seeking creative ways to utilize the team through partnerships with libraries and other dispatch avenues.
"I am optimistic that CARE is going to be able to be a more robust alternative response moving forward," Wilson said.
A Vision for Governance
Wilson concluded by encouraging the community to engage directly with her office to foster a "two-way street" of governance.
"I want to be straight with people about what we're doing and why," she said. "Even if we don't agree on everything 100%, I want to be able to have that conversation straightforwardly.”
Catch new episodes of “The Big O Show” coming soon on Converge Media streaming platforms.
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