Mayor Harrell announces funding to address gun violence in Seattle

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced nearly $15 million for services supporting people affected by gun violence.

Starting Tuesday, community organizations will be able to apply for funding through the Seattle Human Services Department.

"We know this work is rooted in relationship and trust. These strategies only work when they're invested in, consistently and at scale," Harrell said during a press conference Monday. "Small pilots or one-offs will just not work."

Standing outside of Garfield High School in Seattle's Central District neighborhood, Harrell said the funding would help build a network of organizations dedicated to prevent violence before it starts.

RELATED: Family of Garfield High student fatally shot on campus sues Seattle Public Schools

According to a request for proposal published by the Human Services Department, the city intends to direct money to groups focused on gun violence intervention, school safety, and support services as part of a push to build what the mayor called a "broader public safety ecosystem."

Tanya Kim, the director of the Seattle Human Services Department, said the proposal was developed after studying initiatives launched in the cities of Oakland and Baltimore, and with academic insight from the University of Washington's Firearm Injury and Policy Research Program. Kim said an external evaluator will also be hired to hold partners accountable and track data.

Kim said the city needs programs built on evidence-based practices and training, supported by data that can uniformly show where the city is successful.

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Garfield High School, where the mayor made his announcement, has been rocked by gun violence before, and it's partnered with the Human Services Department on prevention programs. Garfield Principal Tarance Hart said students are in a "better place" today because of investments made by the department.

"We have case managers who are immediate, trusted adults for our students and families," Hart said. "They work with students on a daily basis to address the needs of our students in attendance, in academic supports, [and] mental health behavior."

Hart said those new resources have created a different atmosphere for Garfield students, administrators, and families, but many are still living with the trauma from past acts of gun violence in the community.

In June 2024, 17-year-old Garfield student Amarr Murphy-Paine was shot and killed during lunch. Just a few months before Murphy-Paine was killed, a 17-year-old girl was injured in a shooting at a nearby bus stop. And in 2023, the school was put on lockdown after a series of incidents involving two students, followed by an off-campus shooting.

RELATED: Garfield High School community asks for more student mental health resources amid gun violence concerns

Last school year, there were no violent gun incidents on campus, Hart said.

Harrell announced the investments this week amid his re-election campaign. In November, he'll be on the ballot against challenger Katie Wilson. In an email to KUOW, Wilson's campaign acknowledged violence reduction strategies are "obviously critical" — but criticized the mayor's approach.

"As the City Auditor found last year, Seattle lacks a rigorous evidence-based framework for our violence prevention investments," Wilson's campaign said in a statement. "Putting existing contracts out for bid now is putting the cart before the horse — the strategic framework should be hammered out first, and should draw on highly successful approaches that have been tested in other cities. ... This RFP should be postponed until after leaders in this work locally and nationally are engaged to identify best practices; our skilled and dedicated community-based organizations doing this work, and individuals vulnerable to preventable violence, deserve that."

A report released in March found that gun violence in Seattle had "increased significantly in the past decade," yet the city lacked "a mechanism for systematic reporting on gun violence patterns."