Community members, local leaders, police, city officials, and youth recently gathered at the Rainier Beach Community Center for the Fathers and Sons Together (FAST) Impact Community Safety Summit and Walk For Change. The event was a collaborative platform aimed at addressing violence, boosting public safety, and developing actionable solutions through direct dialogue and shared responsibility.
A Grassroots Approach to Safety and Listening
Organizers emphasized that driving meaningful change requires shifting away from top-down solutions and instead asking residents directly about their concerns. Rather than dictating fixes, leaders focused on listening to community needs and helping residents make crucial networking connections to available local resources.
"What can we do as community, as police, as city government... to really get a handle on the violence in our community and enhance safety in our community?” Mark Solomon, Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator, said. “It really does come down to all of us coming together, working together to come up with solutions to make our safe community more safe."
Central to the summit’s mission was providing local youth with a dedicated space to voice their perspectives to city officials, including Mayor Katie Wilson, express their concerns, and contribute ideas. Student Calyna shared that their primary concern remains basic safety, specifically, being able to travel to and from school and navigate classrooms without constant fear.
Key Action Items and Shared Responsibilities
King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention Director Eleuthera Lisch stressed that addressing gun violence requires a multi-pronged strategy involving prevention, intervention, and community stabilization.
"Preventing gun violence, intervening in gun violence, and restoring and stabilizing neighborhoods and communities is... a moral obligation... Every single one of us has a role to play,” Lisch said.
Lisch and Solomon discussed several concrete roles that everyday citizens can play, including:
Emergency Preparedness: Learning bystander response measures such as "Stop the Bleed" training.
Firearm Safety: Ensuring firearms—whether legally or illegally owned—are safely stored to prevent accidental harm or misuse.
Mentorship & Engagement: Funding and establishing programs that pair caring adult mentors with youth to support them through challenges.
Law Enforcement Representation: Encouraging local community members to consider careers in law enforcement, building a police force rooted directly within the neighborhood.
While the battle against gun violence is a long-term fight, gathering collectively after every tragedy strengthens the community's resolve. By fostering open dialogue and mutual support, the community hopes to pass on a safer, better-equipped environment to the next generation.
"Never underestimate the power of one or two. But when you multiply that power by everybody that you saw in the room, what could we not get done?" Solomon said.
Learn more about Fathers and Sons Together at www.fastfathersandsonstogether.org
Looking to book a space for your upcoming event? Check out Colman Commons for all your event space needs at colmancommons.com
