 "The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."
- Peter Drucker -
 On Thursday, Police Chief Mark Caillier, Assistant Chief Sam Betz, Senator Claire Wilson, and I, alongside many in our community, were invited to a community meeting at Church of the Nazarene, 1225 29th Street SE, organized by community member Jacob Blixt.
Jacob, his friends, and family were understandably distraught after a shooting incident at M Street and 29th early Sunday morning at a King County Metro transit stop. The shooting left multiple juveniles wounded and many in our community terrified. Police recovered over 100 shell casings at the scene, and Jacob's friend's house was caught in the crossfire, taking multiple shots.
This incident and Jacob's story hit extremely close to home since I grew up about four blocks from that intersection, and I still have family that lives there. I've lived in Auburn most of my life, and I'm concerned right alongside Jacob and the rest of our you about the amount of youth gun violence and crime we've seen over the past several years. Auburn is our home!
 These recent shootings are perpetrated by a relatively small group of juveniles who are wreaking havoc across Puget Sound. Many of the shooters and victims are minors, and in many cases, several who are involve are suspects one week and victims the next, making the job of gleaning information incredibly difficult. There are also laws in place that do not allow an officer to question a victim or witness without an attorney present – especially once there’s any thought that the juvenile might be involved or a suspect.
The goal of Thursday's meeting wasn't to make excuses or finger point down the road and say there's nothing we can do, because that's not true. The goal was to discuss the issues and identify solutions. I think it's really important for folks to understand the difference between local, county, and state governments and their responsibility, but just because we're seeing a region-wide trend happening in Auburn doesn't mean we're going to throw our hands up and give up. I asked our team to create the graphic below that reflects the responsibilities of the City, County and State. It’s not exhaustive but should give you a better understanding of the oversight. It also reflects the need to continue to work across jurisdictions to partner on solutions.
 I want to encourage everyone reading this to remain engaged -- we can't solve this issue alone. I’ll continue to engage with our County and State electeds and others that have oversight. But a phone call (or several dozen) from residents like yourselves goes a long way toward meaningful change. Please vote, and please demand meaningful action from your area elected officials.
A couple of weeks ago, the Elected Leadership Advisory Group on Preventing Gun Violence convened to discuss the increased activity (it’s not unusual in summer months to see and increase) and how to move forward in a meaningful way. We don’t all see eye to eye on the solutions, but when it came time for Kent Mayor Ralph and I to speak, we emphasized the need for accountability! The meeting also kicked off KC & Seattle’s 100 Days of Action Initiative.
I encourage residents to continue to call 911 – every time you hear or see something. I've heard the frustrations that call responses can be delayed, but please keep calling. When a call is made to 911 – Valley Communications – the call receiver and dispatcher will triage or prioritize the calls, and it all depends on what else is going on in the city at that time. We can't do anything if we don't know about it, so please continue to call when you see an emergency.
Lastly, I want to ensure everyone that this isn't the last meeting. Our Equity, Engagement and Outreach Department is working to schedule meetings for us throughout the City of Auburn, with the goal of meeting people where you are and hearing concerns directly. We’ll also can chat during National Night Out, if you have an event registered with us.
 I want to thank Jacob and his team for putting together such a well-organized event on Thursday and for inviting Chief Caillier and me to speak as well as Pastor John and Pastor Steve and their congregation for hosting us. Chief Caillier and I are frustrated right alongside you. We want actionable change, and we're doing everything in our power to make it happen. Working with your City Council, we will be making difficult decisions in the days and months to come.
 National Night Out is a nationwide (as the name implies!) community-building campaign that promotes police and community partnerships. In Auburn, it helps to build camaraderie and make our city an even more caring place to live.
This year marks the 41st Annual National Night Out. Many communities throughout the city will be hosting a variety of special events such as block parties, cookouts, youth activities, and visits from City officials, staff, and police to get better acquainted with neighbors and promote a more connected Auburn.
Check out Auburn's National Night Out page to get full details, including a downtown event, and we'll see you Tuesday!
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Tuesday, Aug. 6
5 - 9 p.m.
All across Auburn
 With the final details in place, we're ready to officially cut the ribbon at the new and improved Cedar Lanes Bike Park! A huge kudos to our Parks, Arts and Recreation staff for all the hard work that went into completely revamping the park into a biker's utopia.
The pump track has been open for months and it's already a huge hit for area cyclists, including the young members of our Pioneer Bike Club.
Now let's open it for real!
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Thursday, Aug. 8
5 p.m.
Cedar Lanes Park, 1002 25th St SE
 The Almost 5K Poker Fun Run & Walk is an easy run around the big loop at Les Gove Park -- five loops around is “almost” a 5K (short of a 5K by 1,138 feet). For each lap around the loop, participants stop, choose a card, and try to get the best poker hand with the five cards drawn!
During and after the run, listen to the songs from Prom Date Mixtape (self-described as "The Greatest Tribute Band in the PNW!") and catch the Friday Night Flick, which is the Wizard of Oz! Remember “There’s no place like home”.
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Friday, Aug. 9
7 - 8:30 p.m.
Les Gove Park, 910 9th St. SE
Register
 The White River Valley Buddhist Temple celebrated Bon Odori Saturday, alongside millions of of Buddhists in America and Japan. If you weren't able to attend (there's always next year!) you can relive the festivities via our photo gallery below.
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