Crossposted from Public Health Insider When refugees escape from war, conflict, famine and other disasters, it’s not unusual for them to end up in King County. We are one of the nation’s major host communities for refugees. A well-organized local network of agencies helps refugees take the first steps into a new life. This network emerged in 1979, when an earlier wave of refugees came from Vietnam, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. One first step for every refugee is a visit to the Refugee Health clinic inside the Downtown Public Health Center,… Read More

Crossposted from King County Natural Resources blog Families had a blast at King County’s second-annual Cine en el Parque in Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center on Aug. 6. The Spanish-language outdoor moving night was co-sponsored by White Center Community Development Association and King County Parks. Cine en el Parque was a special opportunity for us to welcome everybody to one of our beautiful parks and build community. King County screened the box office hit and animated Mexican film, “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos” onto a 40-foot-tall inflatable movie screen (bigger than most… Read More

Crossposted from For The Defense A friend of Dua Abudiab stopped wearing the hijab after a man accosted her and called her several names while she was riding a bus in downtown Seattle. It was a sobering moment for Dua, a public defender at the Department of Public Defense’s The Defenders Association Division (DPD TDA), who wears the hijab every day. Dua is also active in the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Around the same time that Dua’s friend was accosted, the director of CAIR reached out to her and asked her if she would write about… Read More

Crossposted from King County Youth Justice King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Susan Craighead is one of many Court leaders encouraging the use of implicit bias training and awareness among other criminal justice leaders and their staff. Judge Craighead also serves on the Juvenile Justice Equity Steering Committee, a group collaborating on solutions to end racial disproportionalities in the juvenile justice system. Recently, I sat next to a businessman from southern Utah on a plane. Like the rest of the country, we found ourselves reflecting on the apparently unjustified shootings of African-American… Read More

In 2014, Sheriff John Urquhart directed the Metro Transit Police Bicycle Emphasis Enforcement Squad (BEES) to train and implement the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. Since its implementation, it has become a roaring success. The program addresses low-level crimes, focusing on drug and prostitution in many areas of downtown Seattle, White Center and the Skyway area of unincorporated King County. Initially the only downtown area included was the Belltown corridor, but it quickly expanded to all of downtown in May 2014. It recently grew again in August 2016 to comprise the… Read More

Crossposted from DES Express “Keeping it Fresh,” a graffiti art contest, was held at the Archives and Records Center on July 30. County Archivist Carol Shenk supervised the site along with event security staff. The contest was led by local artist Andrew Morrison, known for his Indian Heritage murals at the Wilson Pacific School in north Seattle and other local works. Morrison is about to leave Seattle to study on the East Coast, but before leaving our region he wanted to hold an event for young local graffiti artists. He donated the… Read More

Crossposted from King County Parks Did you know that King County Parks not only acquires sites for recreational purposes but also for environmental preservation? In 2015, King County Parks worked on a total of 24 restoration sites and planted over 25,000 native trees. The sites we acquire come in a variety of conditions. The majority of the sites are previously developed lands that are run over with invasive weeds such as Himalayan blackberry, reed canary grass and Scot’s broom. With the help of community members and partners, we restore these sites by… Read More

This is the story of a female inmate who was incarcerated in our Seattle jail in March 2015.   She had previously started community college at Seattle Central College (SCC) but dropped out of her classes because she became incarcerated. Dropping out left her with a bill of over $400 that prevented her from reenrolling until paid. She enrolled in the women’s GED course at the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) where she was connected with the SCC’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (IBEST) program. This is a college level certification program… Read More