‘We need to stop youth violence’ say Seattle community leaders

Seattle Police admit they don’t have enough evidence to make any arrests in a rash of fatal shootings in Leschi and the Central Area involving young people.

Community leaders gathered at Powell Barnett Park Wednesday to talk about solutions to youth violence; solutions that include residents taking some responsibility.

“I think we owe it to the children to step up and say we can do better,” said Rev. Harriet Walden. She encouraged witnesses to contact police. She said humans must evolve and stop killing one another.

“You’ve got to be responsible for your little people and if somebody’s not being responsible for those little people, as a community, you’ve got to look and take care of somebody else’s child,” said grandmother Ellen Larkins, who said she lost her fiance to gun violence 15 years ago.

One thing businesses can do is provide jobs, said community activist Charlie James.

“If we keep saying stop doing what you’re doing, but we can’t give you anything better to do, we can’t give you a better opportunity, we can’t give you a better life, but just stop doing what you’re doing, that just doesn’t cut it folks,” he said.

Police have already increased the number of officers and resources in the area, according to Capt. Pierre Davis, “Such as our anti-crime teams, our SWAT teams, our gang units.”

Three people have been shot dead in the last two weeks, including killings on back-to-back nights in the Central District, April 24 and 25. Police say the killings have the look of retaliation involving young people, but they can’t say for sure that they’re gang related. No arrests have been made and no eyewitnesses have come forward, according to police.