‘Miss me with all of these plans on paper’: Gee calls Seattle’s gun violence strategies ‘performative’

As Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson prepares to announce her own gun violence prevention strategy and the City Council’s Public Safety Committee votes 3-0 to advance a separate plan, KIRO host Gee Scott isn’t sold. He’s spent decades watching cities promise to fix gun violence with plans, partnerships, and press conferences, and he doesn’t believe any of it anymore.

“I am 50 years old, born and raised in Chicago. I’ve been hearing all of the ‘stop the violence.’ I’ve been hearing and seeing all of the plans,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “I think a lot of it is performative. We have a new plan. We are bringing stakeholders together. You guys know the buzzwords.”

Angela asks whether the tension helps or hurts

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell asked whether a mayor heading in one direction and the council heading in another can actually produce results.

“Ideally, governments work better when they can work together, and I don’t know if we’ve reached the point where the council should be throwing in the towel on her,” Angela said. “Is this going to be effective to have a mayor in one direction and the city council in another? I just can’t imagine it will be.”

“No. It won’t,” Gee responded.

The council’s plan, sponsored by Councilmember Maritza Rivera, calls for a two-year, $418,000 partnership with the National Network for Safe Communities, a group Rivera said has helped cities including Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia reduce gun violence by up to 60%. Committee chair Bob Kettle said the council would press forward with or without the mayor’s support.

Angela highlighted the group’s strategy, which includes finding moral leaders in affected communities, having law enforcement send a clear warning about consequences, and offering genuine help.

“Do you feel like that’s a strategy that might make a difference?” Angela asked.

Gee questions whether leaders are connected

Gee wasn’t interested in the framework. He turned the conversation to what he sees as the core problem. The people making public safety decisions are disconnected from the communities being impacted.

“Where are the resource officers in the schools in Seattle?” Gee asked. “They aren’t there anymore.”

Seattle Public Schools removed school resource officers district-wide in 2020. Gee said the people who made that decision have no understanding of the realities kids face.

“The same folks that make the decision to not have the resource officers in school are absolutely disconnected,” Gee said. “They have no clue what it is like to be, maybe friends with someone who is affiliated with a gang, but you come out after school, and the opposing gang is out there, and you’re scared to go outside. By the way, I’m telling you real stories right now.”

He said the only connection those decision-makers have to the community is a document.

“The only connection that they have to the community is a plan on paper,” Gee said. “I don’t give a damn about the paper. I care about your presence. Are you out there learning?”

‘Political posturing’

Angela tried to draw a line between what’s performative and what’s political.

“How much do you think it’s political?” Angela asked. “Political posturing. That’s fair to call that out.”

Gee wasn’t moved by the strategy or the framework behind it.

“All plans on paper is just garbage,” Gee said. “From here on out, miss me with all of these plans on paper. When you want to really come together and show and prove to me that you’re connected, miss me with all that.”

He added that despite his past criticism of the Seattle Police Department, he believes the department has been doing a “phenomenal job” in recent years and has not been supported by the current administration.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.