By: Alesha Washington
464. That is the number of shootings and shots fired in King County during the first half of 2026. Twenty-three resulted in the loss of life. And the violence has continued: nearly two months after a shooting at Seattle Center took three lives, a series of shootings in Belltown over Labor Day weekend left three people dead and four injured.
When gun violence becomes a recurring part of community life, we risk treating it as inevitable. As The Seattle Times has argued, Seattle may be accepting higher levels of gun violence as a “new normal.” We become overwhelmed and begin to believe there is nothing we can do. Some of us may even quietly tell ourselves that gun violence only happens to those people, over there—failing to see how it affects all of us and the place we call home.
The reality is that gun violence affects all of us, whether we experience it directly or not. It is the trauma children carry after losing a classmate, the potential denied when a young life is cut short, the fear that takes hold when neighbors no longer feel safe, and the customers lost when that fear keeps people away from local businesses, as noted by the Seattle Metro Chamber and their latest remarks in response to gun violence.
These consequences are reflected in data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General, who has declared gun violence a public health crisis because of its effects on quality of life, mental health, community stability, and economic growth.
I’ve listened to community leaders and organizations across the region, and one truth is clear: we all want a safe home, a sense of belonging, and opportunities for ourselves and our loved ones to live full lives. Yet the organizations closest to preventing harm—the ones young people and families already know and trust—are too often asked to carry the weight of this crisis without the sustained investment, infrastructure, and authority to meet it at scale.
Philanthropy is not reserved for the wealthy; at its best, it reflects the understanding that our lives are inextricably linked and that caring for one another creates vibrant, joyful communities.
Rainier Beach Action Coalition, the Mentor Group, and Brothers United in Leadership Development help young people build belonging, develop leadership, and pursue educational and career pathways. Their work is especially important in Greater Seattle, where data from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office show that Black men and young people are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Staff at these organizations often bring firsthand knowledge of street violence and traumatic loss to advocacy for community safety, afterschool programs, mental health services, job opportunities, and other efforts that ultimately help our neighborhoods thrive.
Yet these organizations tend to not be well resourced; an issue that isn’t unique to Seattle – gun violence prevention is an underfunded philanthropic area across the nation. These findings reveal a persistent mismatch: community-based organizations are expected to meet the needs of young people and families without the resources and infrastructure to operate at their full potential.
Given the abundance of philanthropic capital in this region, philanthropy owes these organizations sustained, multi-year support to hire strong talent, build durable operations, and expand programs. As community members, we can contribute time, financial investment, and expertise.
But neither philanthropy nor individual action can meet this challenge alone. Public leadership must align city funding and policy with private sector and philanthropic investment.
Last week Councilmember Rivera proposed $481,000 to fund a program led by National Network for Safe Communities to address gun violence in our community.
National partners should not displace local wisdom and leadership. While they can provide a wealth of perspective, local partners understand what’s happening on the ground, which can drive practical solutions that require investment to execute.
The best case is a national entity is leveraged to help facilitate planning and ensures a community has what it needs to move forward with execution once they’re gone.
The Mayor and City Council should use their convening, policy, and budget authority to align coordinated action, not isolated investments.
Government, business, and philanthropy must direct sustained resources, authority, and infrastructure to Seattle’s grassroots organizations so they can shape the interventions their communities need.
Do not accept gun violence as normal. We have the collective power to change our community’s trajectory. Let us invest with the thoughtful urgency our city deserves and show up with the humility to listen, learn, and follow the leadership of those with the wisdom and creativity to build safer, more joyful communities.
Our children deserve every opportunity to thrive—and a future in which picking up a gun is no longer part of navigating their lives.
Alesha Washington is president and CEO of Seattle Foundation.