We all want to be safe in our homes,
on our streets,
and in the city that we love.
In pursuit of that goal,
we have poured our money
into cops, courts, and jails
with ever worse returns on our investment.
The city attorney
prosecutes misdemeanors.
Right now, we spend
over $70 million per year
punishing the poor,
BIPOC, and the disabled for misdemeanors,
most of which are petty crimes.
If we want safe and healthy communities,
we have to stop giving in
to those who pander to fear.
We must instead enact real solutions
that get to the heart of our problems,
and we can.
The lack of available addiction
and mental health treatment
has resulted in widespread
and visible suffering.
For the health of the entire community,
we need expanded access to treatment
and help prior to crisis.
A victims' compensation fund
will repair people and small businesses.
I will work with community
to expand accountability programs
that interrupt harm
and advance healing and connection.
I will listen to what survivors tell me
they need to be empowered.
A trauma-informed approach,
violence-prevention programs,
and the resources they need
to stay safe, with prosecution
as a last resort
until we build something better.
The city attorney
does not just deal with misdemeanors,
it also directs
all of Seattle's civil litigation,
and I will take on those
who have done the most harm
to our community --
landlords that abuse tenants,
companies that commit wage theft,
and fossil fuel corporations
that have knowingly created
our climate crisis.
I will litigate to make sure
that those who have done large-scale harm
to our city are held
financially accountable for their actions,
not taxpayers.
Our shortage of affordable housing
is a community crisis.
Jail is not the answer.
Housing is.
I will collaborate
with the mayor and council
to change our land use code
so we can build
affordable housing quickly.
Everyone in Seattle
deserves to be safe and healthy.
Let's make it a reality.