King County and Seattle pledge funding to combat gun violence over next 100 days

(The Center Square) – King County and the City of Seattle are participating in 100 days of action to combat gun violence in the area with more than $1 million in pledged funding.

The 100 days of action initiative is a response to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declaring gun violence a national public health crisis last month.

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced $1.6 million in funding over the next 100 days for gun violence prevention strategies. Out of the total, $1 million would go to the expansion of community-led violence intervention programs.

Approximately $250,000 will be used to support victims and families impacted by gun violence through the Harborview Medical Center-based intervention program.

The funds come after the King County and Seattle-backed nonprofit organization Urban Family staged a traffic jam on Interstate 5 to kickoff its own "100 days of Peace" initiative last week.

According to the organization, the initiative will see community leaders roll out a coordinated prevention and intervention plan aimed specifically at residents with a higher risk of being a victim or perpetrator of gun violence.

“King County is allocating one-time funds to enhance community-led violence intervention programs through the Regional Peacekeepers Collective (RPKC),” King County Executive Office Press Secretary Amy Enbysk told The Center Square in an email. “The RPKC has introduced their ‘100 Days of Peace’ initiative, which will run concurrently with the county’s ‘100 Days of Action’ plan.”

“This 100-day, intensive initiative to confront gun violence will expand vital community resources and intervention programs to pave the way for lasting change,” Constantine said in a statement.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently revealed his intention to propose a funding allocation of up to $10 million for 2024 to begin delivering resources to support mental health and school safety. Out of the $10 million, $2.4 would go toward initial telehealth services and $2 million would go toward violence prevention. Additional funding would be used to support scaling programs based on capacity and feasibility.

“Together, with the county and our community partners, our 100 days of action will help us deliver on calls for action from our students, educators, parents and community members, not just for the summer, but this upcoming school year and beyond,” Harrell said in a news release.