Shootings across Seattle killed 4 people and injured 5 this past weekend according to multiple news outlets. The tragic shootings occurred in Lake City, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill and the International District.
From the Seattle Times:
“Interim Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz said the rise violence comes at a time when the Seattle Police Department is seeing a steady decline in the number of rank-and-file police officers able to respond to crime. About 270 officers had left the department over the past 18 months as of June”
“’This isn’t just a staffing crisis. We have a public safety crisis,’ Diaz said in an emailed statement.”
The Seattle Times count of people wounded or killed by gun violence this year is at more than 200.
That number and this weekend’s events make clear, again, the need for a real plan from our elected leaders to attract and retain police officers. Gun prevention ideas like this one are critical, but we will not stop the immediate crisis if we do not have enough police.
Our leaders and candidates for office must make public safety a top priority starting today. It is truly a matter of life and death.
You can read more about this past weekend’s events below:
