A Seattle lawmaker has angrily denied her support for defunding police responsible for the city’s rising crime.
Councilmember Kshama Sawant said the city should not add police resources to the Central District neighborhood after a shooting sent 24 children crawling to a daycare bathroom.
The incident happened Monday outside the A-4 Apple Learning Center, with a 47-year-old man shot in the street.
A bullet penetrated the center’s window, with co-owner Appollonia Washington telling staff and children inside to “crawl” to the bathroom and hide.
In response, the institution shared a statement condemning the city council and its members for allowing violence to “plague” the area.
Councilor Kshama Sawant said the city should not add police resources to the Central District neighborhood after the incident
The incident happened Monday outside the A-4 Apple Learning Center, with a 47-year-old man shot in the street
Their statement said: ‘The shooting broke windows and shattered glass where the children were sitting.
“Our hearts are broken by this event, as our mission in life is to educate and nourish our children and parents, and trust that their children come to school every day with the expectation that they will be safe and educated.
‘This area has been plagued by violence for two years. Despite reaching out to city council members, community leaders, Vulcan and even the mayor’s office, the learning center has not received any assistance.
“From the staff of the A-4 Apple Learning Center Board of Directors, we would like to ask the community: Is public safety a buzzword for politicians or can it serve as a call to action for our youth and community.”
Speak with KOMO newsWashington said, “Show your face, because your presence is needed to support us. Who is (Sawant)? I’ve been contacting (her office) for two years.
“Nothing, they never support anything that people of color do in this community. We need a police presence.”
Sawant represents the area on the City Council and is a vocal supporter of defunding the police department.
A bullet pierced the window of the center, with co-owner Appollonia Washington, pictured here, telling the staff and children inside to “scramble to the bathroom with the military.”
In response to questions from KOMO News, she said: “I stand in solidarity with all small business owners, but the facts are that blowing up the police station doesn’t work.
“My message to them is that increasing funding for the police is not going to help them, you know why?
‘Because that is the strategy that has been tried for a decade and a half. The police have more and more money. This whole idea that ‘the police were defunded,’ no, unfortunately that didn’t happen.”
Despite her comments, The Seattle Met reported that the budget fell from $402.3 million in 2020 to $361.7 million in 2021 and then to $355.5 million in 2022.
The Seattle Times reported that, following protests across the city against police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the City Council has committed to a series of ideas for police reform.
Sawant said at the time: “My agency and my organization Socialist Alternative are proud to have walked with the community every step of the way.
‘And of course, as a socialist councilor, I have joined the movement I am part of in calling for the SPD to be reduced by at least 50 percent with immediate effect.’
Despite their ambitious plans, the city council ultimately decided to abandon the move to halve the police budget, with the majority of councilors now denouncing the idea.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the City Council has committed to a series of ideas for police reform.
In response to the shooting, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office released a statement saying, “Mayor Harrell believes that every community deserves to feel safe and secure, and this shooting is both frightening and tragic for the residents affected and our broader Seattle community.
“After inheriting historically low staff levels, Mayor Harrell has made it a priority to drive meaningful improvements in both recruitment and retention of officers to retain and attract candidates who share the city’s values and promote diversity of its communities.
“Mayor Harrell’s budget proposal makes critical investments in reducing gun violence, which requires a holistic approach including rigorous research, community-based programs, new technologies and upstream solutions.
“Mayor Harrell will continue to pursue policy changes to reduce gun violence at the state legislative level as the city is prohibited from enacting our gun laws due to state preemption.”
A bullet penetrated the center’s window, with co-owner Appollonia Washington telling staff and children inside to “crawl” to the bathroom and hide
The Seattle Met reported that its budget fell from $402.3 million in 2020 to $361.7 million in 2021 and then to $355.5 million in 2022
Seattle police have investigated 57 homicides so far this year and could surpass the record of 69 set in 1994, according to the Times.
The overstretched force investigated 33 murders in 2019, 53 in 2020, 41 in 2021 and 54 in 2022.
Jim Fuda, executive director of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, said The times: ‘It’s a sad state of affairs.’
Fuda added that there are not enough detectives to investigate the murders, while less serious crimes also go unpunished.
He continued: “Criminals know how to take advantage of that,” adding that more police officers are urgently needed for the city.
In June this year, expectant mother Eina Kwon was shot four times while her Tesla stopped at a red light in the city.
Kwon, who was eight months pregnant with her second child, was rushed to the operating room, where doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver her child.
The restaurateur was pronounced dead shortly after the baby’s birth, while the child died a short time later.
Her husband, Evan Sung Kwon, 37, was also injured in the unprovoked attack but has since been released from hospital.