‘We are still reviewing’: National nonprofit’s support for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson recall is short on details

A potential recall of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has generated huge interest among voters, and the involvement of a nationally recognized nonprofit has given the effort an added air of credibility.

But what does that involvement actually mean?

The organization is the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, which launched in 2022 as the Uvalde Foundation for Kids after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers. It has since rebranded and expanded nationally, focusing, according to its website, on violence prevention in areas considered “hot spots” for gun violence.

“We are seeking ways to support the recall effort, and we have asked our attorneys to review how the Foundation can appropriately become involved,” Youth Peace and Justice Foundation Founder Daniel Chapin stated in a news release Sunday.

Chapin said the foundation’s interest comes down to public safety and accountability.

“We are now looking at whether and how the foundation can appropriately support the recall effort, subject to legal and nonprofit requirements,” he said.

Chapin and the foundation have been quoted nationally and locally during conversations about gun violence. The foundation raised money for various causes, including a reward for information leading to an arrest in the Bite of Seattle shooting that killed three people in Seattle in July.

Youth Peace and Justice Foundation spokesperson Jennifer West said their attention has been increasingly focused on Seattle this year amidst high-profile gun violence involving teenagers. Their staff organized a community meeting after two students were shot to death outside Rainier Beach High School, and has been in touch with Seattle Public Schools about a potential partnership.

Foundation sided with Wilson on Barnes decision before backing recall effort

Chapin and the foundation also publicly supported Wilson’s decision to ask former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes to resign.

That position is at odds with the recall petition filed by a north Seattle couple, Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud. They cited five factors they said added up to a “dereliction of duty” to public safety, including the removal of Barnes and the decision to turn off CCTV cameras.

The couple missed a key filing deadline before asking a judge to dismiss their recall effort. He did so “without prejudice.” That means it can be re-submitted.

“We’ve found some additional information that needs to be investigated as per the charges. That’s number one,” Jacobson said in court.

Jacobson said they were seeking legal representation and had recently retained counsel but wouldn’t say who. She added that they did plan to file a new petition “sooner rather than later.”

Wilson and her representatives have repeatedly denied all charges. An attorney for the mayor’s office called the recall frivolous and suggested new efforts could be met with sanctions.

Foundation announces support for recall but offers no specifics

The announcement of support from the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation makes a public splash. What it means in practice is unclear. The foundation said by email that it had not been in touch with Jacobson or Osterud, and did not have an answer when asked what kind of support it would offer their recall effort or others.

“We are still reviewing what, if anything, the foundation can appropriately do,” West stated. “Our attorneys are looking at the legal and nonprofit considerations before we make any decisions. There is no specific form or amount of support that has been decided, and the Foundation has not made a financial commitment to the recall effort at this time.”

That leaves the news release as the only current support for a recall.

A crisis hotline that goes to voicemail

News outlets have questioned what the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation is actually doing, and have cast doubt on whether claims about violence intervention are actually true. In 2024, the foundation advertised it was recruiting volunteers for safety walks in West Seattle but pulled the plug before the project got off the ground.

Questions about current programs and partnerships in Seattle were not thoroughly answered, and it’s not clear what impact the organization has had beyond quotes in news stories.

The foundation advertises a 24/7 crisis hotline and encourages young people to call, but that number is the same as their organization’s office line. KIRO Newsradio called it, and it goes to voicemail.

West said the focus is on direct, immediate financial relief for crime victims and families and support like their AnchorPoint Program, which they said provides temporary housing and basic needs.

A graphic on their website advertises $13,500 in cash support, as well as “$5,400+” in “pro-bono professional services” like legal advocacy and trauma-related care. Chapin said his background is in chaplaincy services for first responders, but doesn’t specify the period this covers.

The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation is a federally registered 501(c)3 organization, and IRS documents show it reported gross receipts of less than $50,000 per year since it was founded in 2022. There’s no detail on those forms about where money comes from or how it’s spent.

Foundation claimed it was ignored, but the emails tell a different story

Chapin and the foundation did say they reached out to the mayor’s office in late July to offer “collaborative safety frameworks” and a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest for the Bite of Seattle shooting.

They withdrew that offer after they said nobody from the mayor’s office or the Seattle Police Department responded, saying they would instead go forward with recruiting and training volunteers for safety patrols. But the emails the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation sent to KIRO Newsradio show their correspondence wasn’t sent to Wilson or her staff. Instead, they were addressed to major media outlets, a general Seattle City Council email inbox, a staffer in the city’s human services department, and the city clerk.

Just a few hours after KIRO Newsradio started asking questions, though, emails show that the mayor’s office had responded.

“I’m reaching out regarding your offers of support for public safety in Seattle,” Matt McIntosh, the mayor’s interim deputy director of community relations, wrote. “I tried to leave a voicemail, but the voicemail box is full. Looking forward to talking.”

Wilson’s office calls recall ‘meritless and a distraction’

As for the recall effort, another spokesperson for Wilson emailed KIRO Newsradio this statement:

The court’s decision confirms what we have said from the beginning: this petition was meritless and a distraction from the work Seattleites expect us to do.

Since taking office, we’ve expanded community crisis responder hours, launched neighborhood-based public safety strategies, and made significant investments in upstream community safety interventions. We’ve also addressed affordability with universal school meals, banned rental junk fees, accelerated shelter expansion, improved transit, invested in our libraries, and taken on unfair grocery pricing.

We’re glad to put this distraction behind us. Our focus remains on making Seattle safer and more affordable.”

Read more of Jillian Raftery’s stories here.