Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has been in office for four months. In that time, the issues that he campaigned on, have made the news. Namely, affordable housing, homelessness, policing and crime.
KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick sat down with Harrell, for a quarterly check-in with the mayor. He described entering office with a demoralized police department, numerous vacancies and demands for change.
Emphasizing his administration's pursuit of "sustainable change," Harrell said the city is pursuing a "housing first" policy; trying to activate areas, like Third Avenue and Pike Street, impacted by increased crime, and
In response to a recent report that Seattle police officers routinely disregarded mask mandates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrell called the findings "very disappointing."
Citing Malcolm Gladwell's book "Talking to Strangers," Harrell said trust must be earned and the Seattle Police Department faces the challenge of rebuilding trust with many communities.
Listen to their full conversation above.
