2021 Seattle Primary Election Voters’ Guide

SPEAK OUT SEATTLE is a diverse, non-partisan group of concerned residents and voters united by one goal:  We all want a more compassionate, accountable, transparent government that uses evidence-based solutions and gets better outcomes for everyone in Seattle. We are volunteers who want Seattle to remain a livable big city that respects its greenspaces and is safe […]

Suddenly everyone is more vulnerable

Just two short months ago, before the Covid-19 virus arrived, homelessness was the number one issue in the State of Washington. And seventy-five percent of Seattlites said that addressing public safety downtown was an urgent issue. Now everything has changed and nothing has changed. With the virus spreading throughout our communities, the vast majority of us are rightly focusing […]

Sign the petition to reform the broken Seattle / King County criminal justice system

Seattle should be a safe place for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits our great city. In spite of emphasis patrols and other law enforcement measures, violent crime has increased by 43% in Seattle’s downtown core since 2016 (SPD and Crosscut 1/27/20). Many other neighborhoods have also experienced dramatic increases in violent crime. We need […]

Key Piece of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is Missing

[Updated 1/14/20] Mayor Durkan is withholding funding for the LEAD program pending program evaluation. We sincerely hope that the Seattle LEAD program is not simply an emerging practice, but a highly effective practice. The difference between the two is that effective practices have ongoing, systemic measurements built into the program, which Seattle LEAD, no longer […]