Legislative District 37

Every person in every community has the right to feel safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods. For too long, our criminal legal system has been disproportionately incarcerating black and brown people, devastating generations of families. Our public policy has not supported successful re-entry. Policies that limit access to housing, education and jobs set these individuals up for a life of crime to survive. We must consider the adverse effects that our public policy has on the criminal legal system, and work to craft legislation that supports both prevention and rehabilitation.

I serve on the board of the Rainier Beach Action Coalition where we work to advance community rooted public safety strategies by breathing life into our community neighborhood vision and plan for a Beautiful Safe Place of Life Long Learning where all can work, live, and thrive.

Our police officers must receive adequate training that focuses on de-escalation tactics when responding to people experiencing a crisis. They must also be held accountable when they ignore the basic civil rights of members of our community, leading to unnecessary bodily injury or even death. We need a more comprehensive approach to community and public safety that acknowledges and provides real resources to respond to individuals in crisis, particularly those with behavioral health challenges and developmental disabilities.

The third leading cause of death for children in the US is now gun violence. I’m committed to continuing to promote common-sense gun safety legislation to reduce the fear of gun violence for all in our state. I also support passing evidence-based gun violence prevention policies that will make Washington safer and save lives.

I commit to work with most impacted communities to advance BIPOC led economic development, youth and young adult programming, and access to culturally impactful health care and housing.

Police officers who abuse their power, ignore basic civil rights, and violate public trust need to be held accountable and removed from the law enforcement profession. In partnering with organizations like the ACLU, I am particularly focused on increasing accountability measures that have been far too lax for too long, and hearing from those most affected when crafting legislation.