Today Councilmember Maritza Rivera (District 4) issued the following statement in response to Mayor Katie Wilson’s remarks on KUOW’s Soundside, in which the mayor described the City Council’s efforts to stand up a focused deterrence strategy as “grandstanding and politicking.” Councilmember Rivera is currently sponsoring Resolution 32217, urging the City to adopt the National Network for Safe Communities collaborative gun violence strategy. A vote on the resolution is expected at next Tuesday’s City Council meeting.  

“Three people were killed in Belltown in the span of 24 hours. Several more were wounded. That comes after the mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle. It comes after the violence on North Aurora, after Little Saigon, and after Rainier Beach. This city is upset and alarmed, and the people I represent are asking me a simple question: what are we, as elected city officials, doing about it? 

“Focused deterrence is not an experiment. It is not a theory. It is not another study. It is a proven gun violence prevention strategy that has significantly driven down shootings in multiple cities across the nation.  

“The mayor called my effort ‘grandstanding.’ She called it ‘politicking.’ I call it meaningful action. It is the action and leadership this city desperately needs, and it is the action constituents have been asking for since long before this summer.  

“So, I’ll leave this to the people of Seattle. When your neighborhood has had three shootings in a weekend and there’s a proven strategy that could stop future tragedies – is that grandstanding? Or is it the job we have been elected to do?” 

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