Public Safety and Community Trust in Seattle
Statement from Dr. Angela Griffin, CEO of Byrd Barr Place
Our community is grieving following the tragic mass shooting at Seattle Center. We extend our deepest care and condolences to the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected. This devastating loss is a painful reminder of the urgent and collective work required to prevent gun violence, protect our young people and build communities where every person can feel safe.
In the days following this tragedy, Seattle has also experienced a significant leadership transition within the Seattle Police Department, culminating in the resignation of Chief Shon Barnes. The circumstances surrounding his departure have raised serious questions throughout our community about civil rights, police reform, public accountability and how Black leadership is treated during moments of crisis. We also recognize the community leaders and residents who gathered at City Hall to raise concerns about Chief Barnes’ departure and to call for greater transparency, accountability and community involvement in the decisions ahead.
These concerns cannot be separated from the broader conversation about trust between public institutions and the communities they serve. When decisions of this magnitude are made, the voices of those most affected by violence, policing and systemic inequity must be meaningfully included.
Byrd Barr Place recognizes Chief Barnes’ service to Seattle and his efforts to reduce gun violence, strengthen community relationships and advance a more community-centered approach to public safety. Chief Barnes and members of the Seattle Police Department previously joined Byrd Barr Place for a community safety convening, creating space for residents, law enforcement and community partners to engage directly about safety, trust and shared responsibility.
We have worked intentionally to better understand what safety means to our community. Alongside our partners, we held more than 14 listening sessions across Seattle and South King County and heard directly from over 200 residents, including youth, adults, and frontline staff. Their experiences helped to inform a dashboard and report that focused on healing, prevention, equity, and community-led public safety strategies.
Both experiences reinforced what we have long known: meaningful public safety is built through relationships. It requires transparency, consistency and collaboration among law enforcement, government, families, young people, service providers and trusted community organizations.
As Seattle moves forward, this moment calls for more than a change in leadership. It calls for honest reflection, accountability and a renewed commitment to civil rights, constitutional policing and meaningful police reform. It also requires us to examine how responsibility is assigned during a crisis; how Black leaders are evaluated and whether the community is invited into the process before consequential decisions are made.
The search for Seattle’s next permanent police chief must be transparent, equitable and grounded in authentic community participation. Black residents, young people, families, civil-rights advocates, neighborhood leaders and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence and inequities within the public-safety system must have a meaningful role in defining the values, experience and priorities expected of the next chief.
Byrd Barr Place stands ready to partner with the Mayor’s Office, the Seattle Police Department and fellow community organizations to convene residents throughout the search process. These conversations must create space for the community to be heard, to ask difficult questions and to help shape a path forward rooted in trust, accountability and shared responsibility.
As Interim Chief Andre Sayles assumes leadership of the Seattle Police Department, we look forward to continued engagement centered on transparency, accountability and community trust. The process for selecting Seattle’s next permanent police chief must be equitable, inclusive and grounded in meaningful community participation. Preventing gun violence requires long-term investment in youth development, behavioral health, education, economic opportunity, early intervention and community- led solutions. Byrd Barr Place’s participation in research examining gun violence further reinforces the importance of allowing credible data and lived community experience to guide Seattle’s public-safety strategies.
For more than 60 years, Byrd Barr Place has worked alongside the Black community to challenge inequity, advocate for systemic change and help create a future rooted in dignity, safety and opportunity. We remain committed to bringing people together, elevating community voices and helping advance solutions that allow every Seattle community to feel seen, heard and protected.
In community,
Dr. Angela Griffin
CEO, Byrd Barr Place
Our community is grieving following the tragic mass shooting at Seattle Center. We extend our deepest care and condolences to the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected. This devastating loss is a painful reminder of the urgent and collective work required to prevent gun violence, protect our young people and build communities where every person can feel safe.
In the days following this tragedy, Seattle has also experienced a significant leadership transition within the Seattle Police Department, culminating in the resignation of Chief Shon Barnes. The circumstances surrounding his departure have raised serious questions throughout our community about civil rights, police reform, public accountability and how Black leadership is treated during moments of crisis. We also recognize the community leaders and residents who gathered at City Hall to raise concerns about Chief Barnes’ departure and to call for greater transparency, accountability and community involvement in the decisions ahead.
These concerns cannot be separated from the broader conversation about trust between public institutions and the communities they serve. When decisions of this magnitude are made, the voices of those most affected by violence, policing and systemic inequity must be meaningfully included.
Byrd Barr Place recognizes Chief Barnes’ service to Seattle and his efforts to reduce gun violence, strengthen community relationships and advance a more community-centered approach to public safety. Chief Barnes and members of the Seattle Police Department previously joined Byrd Barr Place for a community safety convening, creating space for residents, law enforcement and community partners to engage directly about safety, trust and shared responsibility.
We have worked intentionally to better understand what safety means to our community. Alongside our partners, we held more than 14 listening sessions across Seattle and South King County and heard directly from over 200 residents, including youth, adults, and frontline staff. Their experiences helped to inform a dashboard and report that focused on healing, prevention, equity, and community-led public safety strategies.
Both experiences reinforced what we have long known: meaningful public safety is built through relationships. It requires transparency, consistency and collaboration among law enforcement, government, families, young people, service providers and trusted community organizations.
As Seattle moves forward, this moment calls for more than a change in leadership. It calls for honest reflection, accountability and a renewed commitment to civil rights, constitutional policing and meaningful police reform. It also requires us to examine how responsibility is assigned during a crisis; how Black leaders are evaluated and whether the community is invited into the process before consequential decisions are made.
The search for Seattle’s next permanent police chief must be transparent, equitable and grounded in authentic community participation. Black residents, young people, families, civil-rights advocates, neighborhood leaders and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence and inequities within the public-safety system must have a meaningful role in defining the values, experience and priorities expected of the next chief.
Byrd Barr Place stands ready to partner with the Mayor’s Office, the Seattle Police Department and fellow community organizations to convene residents throughout the search process. These conversations must create space for the community to be heard, to ask difficult questions and to help shape a path forward rooted in trust, accountability and shared responsibility.
As Interim Chief Andre Sayles assumes leadership of the Seattle Police Department, we look forward to continued engagement centered on transparency, accountability and community trust. The process for selecting Seattle’s next permanent police chief must be equitable, inclusive and grounded in meaningful community participation. Preventing gun violence requires long-term investment in youth development, behavioral health, education, economic opportunity, early intervention and community- led solutions. Byrd Barr Place’s participation in research examining gun violence further reinforces the importance of allowing credible data and lived community experience to guide Seattle’s public-safety strategies.
For more than 60 years, Byrd Barr Place has worked alongside the Black community to challenge inequity, advocate for systemic change and help create a future rooted in dignity, safety and opportunity. We remain committed to bringing people together, elevating community voices and helping advance solutions that allow every Seattle community to feel seen, heard and protected.
In community,
Dr. Angela Griffin
CEO, Byrd Barr Place