The Big O recently joined Seattle News Weekly on FOX 13 Seattle to discuss the upcoming Reclaiming the Village Summit at Garfield High School and ongoing King County nonprofit fraud. 

The upcoming Reclaiming The Village Summit is happening tomorrow, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The summit is designed to set up Garfield families to successfully uplift their children, following the murder of student Amarr Murphy-Paine in 2024 and the pain and trauma that has faced the community in recent years.

"If we're not walking a mile in the shoes of students, if we're not walking the mile in the shoes of these young people, then we won't understand their challenges and we're not able to help them,” The Big O said.

On the alleged nonprofit fraud concerns, The Big O pointed to the tens of millions of dollars that never touched the streets they were meant to be invested in. “The biggest question I want to know is, who is going to hold the people who stole from us accountable?” he said.

Stay tuned for the return of The Big O Show on Monday, January 12.

On a recent episode of “The Big O Show,” Mayor Bruce Harrell defined accountability in relation to his term and the incoming Wilson administration. Harrell said that the new administration will also be held accountable and must be held accountable just as he was and the administration before him. 

"When you hold someone accountable, it doesn't mean that you're sitting back just judging. Means that you're helping,” he said, reiterating that he will hold the Wilson administration accountable. “They should be held accountable as I was held accountable," he said. 

Harrell advised that when people are critical, they should be prepared to volunteer for something. Despite leaving the Mayor’s office, he said that he is “not going anywhere” and that he will continue to stay involved in helping communities find their voice and helping businesses succeed.

Watch the full livestream on Bruce Harrell here. 

Anzhane Slaughter, the CEO of Young Black Homeowners (YBH), recently joined “The Big O Show” for a critical conversation on building Black wealth through homeownership. Founded in 2022, YBH is dedicated to providing culturally relevant, trauma-informed homebuyer education to address the critical decline in Black homeownership since the 1960s. 

Slaughter explained that her work at YBH focuses on communication and strategically sharing information to ensure buyers are well informed first and foremost. She stressed the need for direct, real-world application of home-buying knowledge to shift the tide of Black homeownership in Washington state, noting the Covenant Homeownership Loan. This Washington state program addresses historic housing discrimination. 

Ultimately, Slaughter believes YBH's work is about more than building wealth or merely surviving; it is about living and breathing comfortably. She encouraged everyone to not count themselves out of resources and take the next step in learning about their options, because they just might fit the mold. 

Check out the whole interview here.

You can support YBH and their mission at their fourth annual Black Equity Masquerade Ball on February 28, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center. Tickets are available online at youngblackhomeowners.net or on Eventbrite.

The Big O joined Seattle News Tonight last night to reflect on his recent interview with Mayor-elect Katie Wilson on “The Big O Show.” He focused on the new administration’s structural changes, including the decision to appoint only one Deputy Mayor, Brian Surratt, and Wilson’s strategies at alleviating issues in the Chinatown International District.

The discussion also touched on Wilson’s sharply differing approach from previous administrations as the first openly socialist Mayor-elect. This management philosophy, which Wilson admitted will see some things work and some things won't, set the stage for her administration's strategy for the persistent issues plaguing the Chinatown International District (CID), including Little Saigon. 

The Big O relayed Wilson's plan to reverse this historical neglect involving two simultaneous tracks: long-term investment with organizations like Friends of Little Saigon and a short-term public safety adjustment combining police and neighborhood outreach teams. 

He emphasized the immediate need to relieve residents and business owners from daily crime. "I hope that it becomes a top priority and it isn't just talking points,” he said. 

Watch Katie Wilson’s full interview on “The Big O Show” here.

This morning, Converge Media’s Omari Salisbury “The Big O” joined Good Day Seattle to discuss his recent interview with Mayor-elect Katie Wilson on “The Big O Show.”  Salisbury shared his perspective on what Seattleites should expect from Wilson's administration, including a new approach to City Hall, public safety, and homelessness. 

"Katie Wilson, her management style or approach is exactly what she says. She is a community organizer,” he said. “I think one of the biggest takeaways is that City Hall is pretty much going to represent that style…and so a lot of the structures that we've seen in previous administrations will be a bit different."

Salisbury shared that Wilson announced on “The Big O Show” that she will be keeping Shon Barnes as Seattle Police Chief, and will be moving from four deputy mayors to only one, Brian Surratt, with other staff reporting to him.

Reflecting on his recent surgery, Salisbury shared his experience navigating a drug store, only to find many products behind glass. He touched on the normalization of declining quality of life in Seattle's public spaces, which Wilson agreed with during the interview. 

"When does Seattle return to its quality of life?” he said. “If you become institutionalized, years of going and getting things behind glass in the store, then you suddenly just think that it's normal. That's not normal.” 

Additionally, Salisbury said he doesn't expect the controversial sweeps of homeless encampments seen under Mayor Harrell to continue once Wilson takes office. 

Watch Katie Wilson’s full interview on “The Big O Show” here.

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.