Editor's note: We recorded this episode before Mayor Katie Wilson announced her plan to reduce gun violence this week. Wilson's plan emphasizes community violence interruption, as opposed to the "focused deterrence" approach that CM Maritza Rivera has been advocating. Although Wilson has expressed support for some form of focused deterrence, she does not support CM Rivera's resolution. And the plan she announced this week doesn't include the core law-enforcement deterrence consequences that have been a linchpin of focused deterrence programs in the many cities where the approach has been successful.

Crime is down, but Seattleites are anxious about public safety after a series of high-profile shootings. Business leaders are demanding action and critics are questioning Mayor Katie Wilson's approach.

This week, co-hosts David Hyde, Erica C. Barnett and Sandeep Kaushik ask: Is the media being unfair to Seattle's mayor on this issue? Or are there legitimate questions about her approach to public safety?

Then we get into the latest City Hall fight: Councilmember Maritza Rivera wants Seattle to try “focused deterrence,” an approach that targets the tiny percentage of people that studies have shown are most likely to be involved in (or victims of) serious violence in cities across the United States, via an integrated, unified front approach that combines community leaders, social service providers, and police. Rivera is proposing that the city spend $418,000 to bring in national experts to help Seattle do it. Wilson rejected the proposal in a recent KUOW interview as “grandstanding and politicking.” The community violence intervention approach that she is currently backing, in contrast to focused deterrence, involves deploying former gang members or others with lived experience of violence as ambassadors and outreach workers who proactively engage with at risk youth and young adults, and does not integrate police into that outreach effort.

Read more about the mayor's new plan here: KUOW: Seattle mayor's new gun violence reduction plan pushes prevention over police

And for more insight into the policy differences between advocates for focused deterrence and more progressive, law enforcement-skeptical advocates for community violence interruption approaches, we recommend reading:

Greg Berman, "No Program is a Panacea: The Fate of Focused Deterrence," Vital City, Jan 15, 2022.

Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com

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