Following Monday’s press conference with Mayor Bruce Harrell, State Attorney General Nick Brown, and other city officials, President Trump again inflamed tensions today by claiming he’d use Seattle and other “dangerous” cities as “training grounds” for the military. Over the past two years Seattle crime rates have trended downward, police hiring is dramatically up, and the City Council has passed nearly 30 public safety bills. Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7), who chairs the Public Safety Committee, shared the following thoughts:

I stood with Washington State Attorney General Brown and Seattle Mayor Harrell yesterday as we stated there is simply no reason for the National Guard to be deployed in our city.

In my 21 months as a city councilmember and chair of our Public Safety Committee, we have developed and implemented our Strategic Framework Plan, with nearly 30 pieces of legislation, to help create a safer Seattle.

Further, our military defends OUR nation. If it is seen as defending a partisan effort, then that vital concept is undercut with negative consequences long-term. We must continue to pushback on such actions and rhetoric – we cannot normalize them.  

At the end of the day, Seattle officials continue to work collaboratively with our state and local partners and are making continued progress to keep our diverse community safe. We are on the job.

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