Dear Community,
While our nation simmers, I know many of us here at home remain vigilant and concerned about our local police forces and their tactics and behavior in the face of protestors. While the Seattle Police Department has jurisdiction in Seattle, the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has jurisdiction in the unincorporated areas of the county and with the cities that contract for its services. King County is dedicated to the continuous improvement of our Sheriff’s Department, and the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) is working hard to ensure fairness and accountability. Today, OLEO issued a press release asking the community for input regarding citizens’ experiences interacting with KCSO in recent days. Please take the time to participate if you have meaningful experiences to share—we will benefit from your voice.
Councilmember Zahilay was recently on a segment on KUOW 94.9 FM NPR discussing police reform. It was played on another segment with Executive Constantine who commented on it. Councilmember Zahilay has introduced a motion to enact the recommendations made by OLEO, and I am pleased to co-sponsor this important legislation that will be heard in the Council meeting this coming Tuesday.
The rest of this e-newsletter is meant to provide you with an update on some of the other issues on which I’ve been working as well as helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. You can now read previous updates I sent out on an archive page so you can find any information you may have missed. I have been sending updates every day since March 1 (sometimes more than one in a day). Click here to visit the archive page.
As always, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best,
Latest numbers from Public Health
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting 56 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (83333 total) and 2 new COVID-19-related deaths (564 total).
As of June 3rd, there were 23,847 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 1,149 related deaths. (Note: We do not receive the statewide data in time each day to include in our daily enews.)
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 are available on Public Health’s data dashboard. And, interestingly, you can click on your zip code to learn of the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Also, and again, here is an excellent website that offers real-time COVID-19 data in clear formats, broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
(A note regarding data sources: The graphs included below are based solely on the daily announced totals from Public Health. They do not take into account that announced cases on a given day are typically diagnosed during previous days. Corrections or adjustments by Public Health that change prior daily totals are not reflected. Moving averages ignore days where data were not available.)
   
Racism, Health Inequities, and Coronavirus
Berkeley Conversations is sharing important insights into the connections among racism, health inequities and the current pandemic. This panel discussion, led by public health professor Denise Herd, brings together experts in public health, maternal health, land use, bioethics and law to discuss the basis of the racial disparities we’re currently seeing in the COVID pandemic. It is a riveting, powerful discussion - - highly recommended!
Youth Aging Out of Foster Program Facing Difficulties
This lengthy but worthwhile article illustrates the additional challenges that young adults leaving the foster program are up against. These individuals are already facing increased risks for homelessness and other problems, but the coronavirus pandemic has only worsened their situation. Fortunately, the Governor and others are working to help.
Dangers of Tear Gas Worsened During the Pandemic
ProPublica has published an article on the results of its investigations into the hazards of tear gas – especially now, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. There are a wide variety of health impacts from tear gas, including the risk of increasing the public’s susceptibility to contracting Covid. It can also have long-term health impacts, even to people inside their homes when the gas is released. Read the ProPublica article here.
A Reminder – Safety in Crowds
Yesterday, I shared this release from Seattle-King County Public Health on how to attend protests safely. As crowds continue to form in downtown Seattle and in other parts of the county, I felt it important to share this information again.
50 Books for 50 States
Some of us are more avid readers than others, but there is likely a book for everyone in this list of reading material. The author collected fifty novels to represent each of the fifty states. I have not yet read Jim Lynch’s The Highest Tide, the choice for Washington, but it is now on my short list.
An Interesting Look Inside the Zoo
I found this article about zoo operations—and particularly the experience of the animals these days—to be quite interesting. Even in the midst of the pandemic, the Zoo is quite active inside its own walls, but is also doing a lot to reach out via the internet. I look forward to the day when I can take a walk through one of the County’s more beautiful landscapes and support the Woodland Park Zoo.
A Moment to Learn
I still believe the current turmoil in our nation’s cities and in all our hearts makes levity seem a bit hollow. But I am very encouraged by Warner Bros’ decision to make its film “Just Mercy” available to stream for free on many different digital platforms during the month of June. Based on the life and work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, the film delivers an education on systemic racism in America. You can see Rolling Stone Magazine’s review here. I have seen the movie twice and highly recommend it. I hope you also take the time to see it.
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect these to continue being sent out on a daily basis, sometimes more than one. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to mark this email address as a “safe sender” by adding the email address to your contacts or address book. And be sure to check your spam folder if you think you may have missed an update.
And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be well.
-Jeanne
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