January 31, 2018 The Skanner Page 5
News
Events & Announcements
Community
Calendar 2018
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
AN EVENING OF CASSICAL JAZZ: This event features guitar and
piano performances by SPU music faculty members Julian Cat-
ford and Don Kramlich. Musical selections performed will range
from swing and bossa nova in this celebration of jazz. This is a
free concert for the public to enjoy. Nickerson Studios, 340 W.
Nickerson St.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
FREE HOMEBUYER EDUCATION: Windermere Real Estate and
Guild Mortgage Company have partnered with the Washington
Housing & Finance Commission to help homebuyers understand
both the down payment assistance loan programs and tax cred-
its available to them. The seminars are free. 9:30 a.m. – 2:30
p.m., Guild Mortgage Company, 150 120th NE, Bellevue.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Seattle Youth Basketball
LUNAR NEW YEAR IN CHINATOWN: Ring in the New Year of the
Dog at this massive Lunar New Year celebration that showcases
the diversity, richness of the Asia community. 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.,
Chinatown International District.
A player on the Seattle Parks and Recreation Magnuson 12-year-old boys’ basketball team tries to take the ball to the basket in a game
against Jefferson Jan. 27 at the Rainier Beach Community Center. Jefferson won the game, beating Magnuson 34 to 15.
Briefs cont’d from pg 4
the families left behind that are unable to afford legal
representation. The Metropolitan King County Coun-
cil this week provided assistance to those families by
unanimously requiring the County to provide legal
representation through the County’s Department of
Public Defense during the inquest process.
In King County, the Executive has the authority to
conduct an inquest into the causes and circumstances
of any death involving a member of any law enforce-
ment agency within King County while in the perfor-
mance of his or her duties.
Many of the procedures involved in the inquest pro-
cess, including participating in the pre-inquest hear-
ings, engaging in discovery or examining witnesses
at the inquest, can only be done by legal counsel rep-
resenting the family.
According to data collected by the King County
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, between 2012 and
2016, there have been 34 deaths involving a mem-
ber of a law enforcement agency that resulted in an
inquest. Of those 34 inquests, 12 families obtained
either privately retained or pro-bono legal counsel.
Washington law does not require the appointment of
a publicly funded attorney to represent indigent in-
dividuals at an inquest.
This week’s adopted ordinance will require the
King County Department of Public Defense to repre-
sent the families of the decedents during the inquest
process at public expense. Public Defense will absorb
the cost of these cases within its existing budget. Fam-
ilies would be able to decline representation if the
family does not wish to be represented by the depart-
ment’s attorney.
Council Approves Creation of
Immigrant and Refugee Commission
In 2016, the Metropolitan King County Council ac-
cepted the recommendations of King County’s Im-
migrant and Refugee Task Force that evaluated the
challenges facing King County’s growing immigrant
and refugee community. This week the Council vot-
ed toward acting on those recommendations with its
unanimous approval to establish a King County Im-
migrant and Refugee Commission.
The goal of the commission will be to act as a central
point of contact, communication, and coordination
for all immigrant and refugee residents, and those
serving and engaging with them. It will also focus on
understanding and addressing challenges faced by
immigrant and refugee communities living in subur-
ban cities and unincorporated areas of the county.
From 2000-2010, more than half of King County’s
new population was foreign-born, a number that
continues to grow, with the majority of the popula-
tion being located in communities outside of Seattle.
The Council established the Immigrant and Refugee
Task Force in 2015 and asked for recommendations
that would assist the County in ensuring that these
communities, in both urban and suburban/unincor-
porated areas, have the opportunity to successfully
integrate and become “engaged, thriving members of
the community.”
The adopted legislation calls for the creation of a
commission that will:
• Assist and advise the county and other levels of
government on issues, programs, plans, funding
and policies impacting immigrant and refugee
communities,
• Promote civic participation and government repre-
sentation by encouraging application for employ-
ment within the county workforce by immigrant
and refugee residents and representation of immi-
grant and refugee residents on boards and commis-
sions,
• Collaborate with organizations that implement
programs to enhance integration, naturalization
and English-language learning,
• Increase public awareness of immigrants and refu-
gees and their contributions to our community.
The commission will have thirteen voting members
and four nonvoting members for three-year terms,
with the exception of the inaugural term members
whose terms would be staggered into three, two, and
one year terms to ensure continuity of experienced
members in the commission. Those interested in
applying to become a commissioner should contact
either their local community organizations or their
member of the County Council.
Mayor Durkan to Begin Extensive
Citywide Review of Harassment and
Discrimination Policies
In a letter to City employees, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan
announced that she is launching an extensive review
of the City of Seattle’s harassment and discrimination
policies.
To conduct the review, Mayor Durkan will convene
a City-wide Anti-Harassment Inter-Departmental
Team (IDT) to identify areas for improvement and
make specific recommendations on both short-term
and long-term policy changes. As the IDT develops its
policy recommendations, Mayor Durkan will work
with departments across City government, Seattle
Department of Human Resources, and the Seattle
City Council to implement necessary policy changes.
Mayor Durkan is forming an Inter-Departmental
Team, which will include Mayor’s Office staff, Coun-
cilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Pos. 8, Citywide) or her
representative, and labor representatives.
This IDT will make recommendations by the end of
May using the employee feedback from the upcoming
RSJI survey.
With the engagement of employees and our labor
partners, the IDT will provide recommendations on
training, reporting mechanisms, and personnel rules
that focus on discrimination and workplace harass-
ment.
The IDT will engage employees and use employee
feedback from the upcoming citywide RSJI employ-
ee survey, which will include anti-harassment ques-
tions for the first time. Mayor Durkan also will man-
date annual anti-harassment training, which will be
expanded and updated regularly.
Councilmember M. Lorena González (Pos. 9, City-
wide) and chair of the committee which oversees is-
sues relating to Gender Equity said, “As a longtime
civil rights and employment law attorney, I’ve rep-
resented women who’ve endured intimidation, crit-
icism and retaliation after refusing to remain silent
in the face of ongoing harassment. Every worker
deserves to feel safe and protected when bringing
reports of harassment to light, and I’m thankful that
Mayor Durkan is taking this issue seriously. The City
of Seattle, as a large employer, must take seriously
our own responsibility to ensure that our employees
feel safe and heard when they step forward to break
the silence. I look forward to reviewing the IDT’s rec-
ommendations to ensure they afford the strongest
protections available to those who bring forward
claims.”
In December, Mayor Durkan announced to her
cabinet new procedures for complaint reporting re-
quirements and settlements.
The City has established new protocols for involving
Human Resources a full 30 days before commencing
any settlement agreements, Step 3 or 4 grievances,
lawsuits, or formal investigations. Human Resources
has been charged with tracking these incidents and
providing recommendations for intervention as ap-
propriate.
In one of her first actions, Mayor Durkan signed
an Executive Order affirming the City of Seattle’s
commitment to the Race and Social Justice Initiative
(RSJI).
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