Mayor-elect Katie Wilson spoke on increasing economic stability in Seattle’s Black community during a recent interview on “The Big O Show.” Wilson said she is highly committed to "cracking this knot of intergenerational wealth" and aims to create stability and security in the Black community by growing wealth for individuals, families, and communities.

Wilson said she learned about great organizations during her campaign doing key work, including Black Legacy Homeowners, the Resource Equity Association, and the Peoples Economy Lab. She said her goal is to not only prevent further displacement but also to create lasting stability in the Black community. This stability is associated with having land, resources, and housing that is owned by the community and is permanent.

Watch the full interview here.

Councilmember Bob Kettle discusses what it takes as community members to create safe neighborhoods in Seattle on a recent episode of “The Big O Show.” Kettle said he observed that people tend to turn away from public safety challenges facing their whole neighborhoods, creating environments where danger is almost permitted. “We cannot allow this permissiveness to happen,” he said. 

Saying he initially ran for City Council in 2023 to create a “safe base” for his 10-year-old daughter and children across Seattle, Kettle advocated for a Director of Public Safety to oversee a broader, coordinated approach. He stressed the importance of community engagement to avoid the "echo chamber" of City Hall.

Watch the full interview here.

Omari Salisbury recently welcomed Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle to “The Big O Show.” Kettle spoke on balancing compassion and wisdom when addressing perpetrators and victims in Seattle, saying he has observed a community focus on helping individuals who have been in and out of the prison system multiple times, without enough acknowledgement of the victims and their stories.

Representing District 7 and chairing the Public Safety Committee, Kettle discusses the impetus for his run for City Council and the state of public safety in Seattle. He described Seattle as having a "permissive environment" around crime, where certain detrimental behaviors were excused or allowed, leading to a lack of accountability. Kettle highlighted recent legislation, such as the after-hours establishment and chronic nuisance properties bills, as successful steps in holding owners accountable and dramatically reducing incidents.

Watch the full interview here.

On a recent appearance on “The Big O Show,” Chief Amy Barden of Seattle’s CARE Department asked a harrowing question: how do you help someone who doesn’t believe their life has value? Through her work at CARE, Barden asks herself this same question while attempting to steer people away from suicide who have gone through seemingly insurmountable circumstances, from the carceral system to family crisis to an inhumane lack of emotional support.

In the full interview, Barden explained the CARE Department's dual dispatch pilot, which sends mental health professionals to 911 calls to avoid sending law enforcement to calls unrelated to their work. Her goal, she explained, is to forge emotional and validating connections that, from her experience talking with survivors, have literally saved lives.  

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988—the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Watch the full interview here.