Today Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7), chair of the Public Safety Committee, and Councilmember Rob Saka (District 1), chair of the Transportation Committee, released the following joint statement in response to the early morning fatal stabbing of King County Metro bus driver Shawn Yim.  

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Shawn Yim. Today’s senseless killing demonstrates that we must do more to protect our neighborhoods and ensure that Seattle is a welcoming, safe community for all.  

“Since day one of taking office, we have been focused on improving public safety in Seattle. Part of this work includes transit security where we appropriated an additional $2 million in the recently adopted city budget. The Transportation Committee has been, and will continue to be, laser-focused on investing in and strengthening regional transit security. We recognize that Seattle needs more police officers on our streets, and we’ll continue to do the work necessary to bolster our force. Community members should expect to go safely about their lives on a daily basis, and we as a City Council need to continue to ensure that public safety remains priority number one.  

“We are committed to working collaboratively with the county and the state to keep our buses and other forms of transit safe. This is not just a concern for Seattle, it is a concern for everyone who uses public transit in the Puget Sound region.” 

The Seattle City Council is the elected legislative branch of the city’s government. It’s comprised of nine councilmembers serving four-year terms and representing over 730,000 constituents — seven selected by districts and two through citywide positions. For the latest news and information, please visit seattle.gov/council.  

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