Tim Burgess' City View

May Day, Anarchists and a Woman from China

Yesterday was quite the day.

The weather forecast called for rain throughout the day, yet the sun popped out and I was confident I could make it to and from City Hall on my scooter without getting drenched.

Then, on a day to celebrate the effective and necessary role of labor unions, along with a separate march celebrating the importance of immigrants and the need for immigration reform, chaotic violence and property destruction occurred downtown.

Self-described anarchists mingled with peaceful May Day demonstrators at Westlake Park, covered their faces with masks or bandanas and engaged in destructive acts of vandalism and violence.  It stopped almost as quickly as it started; the anarchists pulled off their black clothing and melted away into the larger crowd once again, though not before some were arrested. (The Seattle Times has extensive coverage of all this in today’s newspaper.)

Seattle Channel City Inside/Out

Councilmembers Bagshaw and Rasmussen and I joined host Brian Callanan for the March taping of City Inside/Out: Council Edition. You can watch our conversation below as we touch on issues related to education, public safety, transportation and a new sports arena.

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up

Victory for Minors Exploited Through Prostitution

Washington was the first state to criminalize human trafficking and today our State Legislature took another giant step by making advertisers accountable for their role in the exploitation of children. 

The State House of Representatives unanimously passed ESSB 6251 this afternoon. The Senate passed the bill earlier without dissent. The legislation prohibits knowingly publishing advertisements for a commercial sex act involving a minor and requires that advertisers—including online advertisers like backpage.com—keep records of the identification they use to verify the age of the person depicted in the advertisement or else face prosecution.

The unanimous bipartisan support for this bill signals that local and state policymakers continue to be united in our efforts to stop the horrific violence against children through coercive prostitution.

Read earlier posts on this issue here.

Human Trafficking: The Evidence is Clear

I'm going to Olympia this afternoon to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on a package of bills related to the growing problem of human trafficking.

Nicholas Kristof wrote an illuminating article yesterday in The New York Times that described how the Internet has become the primary marketing tool of those who "sell" young women for profit.  It's not a topic we will likely raise at dinner tonight, that's for sure.  But, the commercial sexual exploitation of our children demands moral clarity and a keen focus.

So what are the facts of sex trafficking in our region?

Yesterday, my office completed a compilation and review of criminal prosecutions in Seattle-King County over a 42-month period ending in August 2011.  We found that 67 offenders had been charged and prosecuted over the 42 months.  These 67 individuals had victimized more than 78 girls and women in King County.

We have gathered together key documents from these cases in one place so the public can gain a sense of the psychological abuse and violence committed against these women. As a warning, the documents contain graphic and disturbing information. Details on the cases and links to the case stories are available in this table.

The remarks I will be sharing with our legislators this afternoon follow the jump. 

Potpourri: Seattle Police Doing Good, New York's Almost Crime Free Central Park

Two important factoids this morning.

First, Judy Lightfoot, writing over at Crosscut.com, makes the case for SPD's Crisis Intervention Team and the hundreds of officers with advanced training for dealing with people with mental health challenges.  It's a good piece that showcases the exemplary work done every day by Seattle police officers.

Second, when you think of Central Park in New York City do you shudder and think of runaway crime and disorder?  Would you walk your dog or jog in Central Park after dark?

You may be surprised by what's happened in Central Park in recent years.  A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times reported on a nearly crime-free Central Park.  Smart policing can produce amazing results; it proves that urban crime is not something we must shrug our shoulders over and accept.

And here's another believe it or not factoid out of New York City.  The High Line, an elevated park extending over a mile and designed by James Corner—the same urban designer working on our central waterfront—has been crime free since it opened two-and-a-half years ago.  Crime free!  There hasn't been one reported major crime on the High Line. (Seattle will begin work later this year on our ground-level version of the High Line on Bell Street between Fifth Avenue and First Avenue in Belltown.)

Criminologist Franklin Zimring argues in his new book, The City That Became Safe, that the long-held belief that large urban cities will always have a minimum threshold level of crime is false. He says New York City's experience since 1991—they have eliminated 80% of major crime—proves that smart policing can produce amazing results, even in areas where crime has flourished for years. It will be difficult and require intense focus, but we can do the same here in Seattle.

A New Philosophy of Policing for Seattle

My tenure as chair of the Council's public safety committee will end this afternoon when the Council reorganizes, something we do every two years. 

I've learned a lot over the last four years.  We've accomplished a lot, too.  But one important area where I don't believe we've made as much progress as we should have is in reforming the culture of our Police Department.  I've written about this before here and here.  We also have not effectively wrestled with and abated the persistent and extremely corrosive street crime and disorder that plagues some of our neighborhood business districts. 

As a summation of my work on the public safety committee, I've compiled my thoughts on these two major challenges in a policy essay.  My hope is this paper will spark needed discussions among and between policymakers, law enforcement officers and concerned citizens about the best way we can work together to make our city safer. Please take some time to read it and let me know how you react to these ideas.

Let's Try Something New: Less Punishment and Less Crime

Think that's possible?  I mean, really? 

Can we have less crime and less punishment? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" 

A pilot program launched last February with state prison inmates released to community supervision in Seattle has reduced drug use, crime and days in jail for violations of release conditions, according to a preliminary evaluation presented this morning to the City Council.  The Seattle Times has a story about the program in this morning's paper.

The Police, Occupy Protesters and Civil Order

Twelve years ago this week Seattle was rocked by the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference civil disorder.  It was ugly.

Legitimate WTO demonstrators saw their protests disrupted—and their message overshadowed—by individuals who wanted to wage violence against the police, WTO delegates and local businesses.  And because police commanders were not adequately prepared they responded with rapidly escalating interventions, including chemical irritants and rubber bullets.  Chaos reigned in our streets.

In early 2000, the City Council appointed three citizen review panels to determine what happened at the WTO meetings.  I chaired the panel that examined the police response.  Our report to the Council in September of that year included 11 major findings and recommendations, including very specific recommendations on police tactics to maintain order and the use of chemical irritants (see “Finding 3: Large-scale arrests rather than chemical irritants or other less-lethal force should be the tactic of choice in dealing with unlawful assemblies”).

After re-reading that 2000 report, I'm reminded of the vital importance of consistent clarity and boundary setting by the Mayor, the City Council and the Chief of Police. In

Acknowledging the Good Work of Seattle Police Employees

Last Friday night, nearly a thousand people gathered downtown for the 10^th Annual Seattle Police Foundation Awards Banquet.  The Mayor was there, so were Councilmembers Sally Clark, Richard Conlin, Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, Tom Rasmussen and myself.

I’ve been to many of these banquets over the years; there’s something special about an evening dedicated to acknowledging the honorable work of our police officers and the civilian employees of the Police Department.  Friday night was the same; affirmation, praise and kind words all around. 

Even the Mayor revealed that we all change over time as he expressed his love of police horses, just a year after removing their funding from his police budget.  (The Mounted Unit controversy has been resolved, but it was difficult for me and my colleagues.  I wrote about it here.  More, including the list of award winners after the jump.)

What I'm Looking for in Mayor McGinn's Monday Budget Message

The Mayor will present his proposed budget for 2012 to the City Council and kick-off our budget season in a speech next Monday at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall. The Council’s process of reviewing, modifying and approving a budget is done in a very short 57-day period that ends on November 21 when the Council votes to adopt our version of the budget. (Seattle is the only Washington city required by state law to approve its annual budget no later than the first Monday in December. Why? I have no idea. But it means we will be in a sprint to complete our work with extremely limited time to do the job and do it right.)

I will listen carefully on Monday to what the Mayor has to say. The goals and priorities he outlines for us will be a measure of his focus and leadership. We are in tough times. We need vision to ensure that even with constraints on our revenues, critical City services will continue to be delivered and delivered effectively. Here are important areas of emphasis requiring strong leadership that I hope the Mayor will prioritize:

Outcome-Based Budgeting and Program Accountability
As I wrote in the Seattle Times earlier this year, we don't do a very good job proving that we spend taxpayers' money efficiently and effectively. One of the very best ways to build public trust and confidence in government is through increased accountability. We need to set measurable goals and stop funding programs that don't achieve good results. Getting the city government bureaucracy to adopt rigorous outcome-based accountability standards will require very strong leadership grounded in collaboration and respectful partnership with our excellent city employees.

City Government Makeover with Strong Service Focus
Today's economic reality compels us to rebuild city government by discontinuing unnecessary functions and services and creating more efficiencies. At the same time, we need a strong service focus. Government must be oriented to serve the people, not the bureaucracy. Author Ken Miller says it well: "The work of government is noble. The people of government are amazing. The systems of government are a mess." That is precisely why we need a top-to-bottom makeover which will increase our capacity to do more good work. This is work for the long-haul and requires deep engagement with our partners in every city department.

Acknowledgment of Significant Public Safety Challenges in Some Neighborhoods
Major crime is down in Seattle, as it is across the nation, but the reported frequency of other crimes is up. These so-called quality-of-life crimes increased 4% in 2010 compared to 2009, and as of July 2011 they remain at this higher level. Such crimes include all drug trafficking and use violations, car break-ins, prostitution, non-aggravated assault, liquor violations, graffiti and other more petty street disorder offenses. Frustration and anger about quality-of-life crimes are widespread and growing. Specific intervention plans, tied to measurable outcomes, are urgently needed from the Mayor and Police Chief to address these public safety problems. Platitudes about living in an urban environment and “that's just the way life is in the city” won't cut it any longer.

Policing Reform
We should embrace sweeping changes in how we police our city and how we manage our police resources. 

Experience in other cities reported in research findings and the fiscal limitations on police hiring indicate we should formalize proven strategies and spread them citywide. We should move away from the traditional American policing philosophy that focuses on the policing of the overall population. Instead, we should adopt a new philosophy of policing place, because crime is intensely concentrated and anchored at a few micro-places and policing the frequent offenders responsible for a vastly disproportionate amount of crime.

Seattle police, to their credit, have experimented with several new policing strategies over the last few years. Two examples in particular prove my point. First, after the 23rd and East Union "hot spot" intervention by the City last autumn, 911 calls in area fell by over half. Businesses are thriving, and new businesses are opening. The people in an area which has been plagued by crime for decades are rejoicing. Second, after Seattle police focused its efforts on frequent offenders involved in auto theft several years ago, the rate of auto theft dropped by more than half.

Smart policing gets results.

Caring for the Most Vulnerable Among Us
Poverty is increasing in our region. There are dangerous signals about a weakening middle class, something I wrote about last week. Our city is well known for the effort we take to care for those among us who need support. My colleagues and I have sustained (and sometimes increased) funding for human services in each of the past three years. We will do so again.

And in doing so, we should also become much more committed to funding human service programs with proven track records. One great example is the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) which serves low-income mothers. NFP has been tested and evaluated for over 30 years. It works. The City currently provides funding at a level that allows us to reach about one-third of the new moms in Seattle who qualify for NFP services. Since this program is so effective—providing benefits that significantly outweigh its costs—we should extend it to all qualified moms.

We also need to be innovative in how we arrange for or directly deliver social services. For example, many of our immigrant and refugee neighbors—now 17% of our population—already poor, are experiencing increased economic and other hardships which I believe require unique and specialized interventions. The City can do so more effectively if it consolidates its outreach and services to these communities, allowing better coordination of resources available to them.

Seattle's Strengths and Opportunities
I've listed some of my priorities which I hope the Mayor addresses next Monday. While City coffers are not flush, the limits on our resources also offer us an opportunity to be more innovative, more focused and more deliberate in how we organize and manage City services. That is a good thing.

We have an amazing city with terrific assets—the beauty of our setting, the caring and energy of our people, the drive and talent of those who run businesses, large and small. We are fortunate to live here.

Because all of us love our city and want it to flourish, it’s important to pay close attention to the budget and business of City government because it affects Seattle’s prosperity and vibrancy. That’s why I will listen closely to what the Mayor proposes on Monday. And why my colleagues and I will work together diligently in the coming weeks to develop and adopt a final Council budget we can all be proud of.