March 21, 2018 The Skanner Page 5
News
Events & Announcements
Community
Calendar 2018
cont’d from pg 4
EASTER EGG HUNT AT ESTHER SHORT PARK: Activate Church is
happy to present a free Easter egg hunt in the beautiful park!
Featuring 15,000 eggs, face painting, balloon animals and much
more. 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Esther Short Park, 605 Esther St., Van-
couver.
SUNDAY, APRIL 1
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
EASTER EGG HUNT: Free Easter Egg Hunt for toddler kids through
5th grade join in between our two Easter investigation events,
where kids search for the golden egg. The entire family is wel-
come to join. 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Heritage, 8803 NE 76th St.,
Vancouver.
Seattle Bulletin
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
Seattle Searches for New Chief
Panelists Andre’ Taylor, and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, participate in a community meeting and panel discussion March 14 at Seattle
Vocational Institute, about what sort of person should be chosen to be Seattle’s next police chief. The discussion which was co-
hosted by Not This Time and The Public Defender Association was an opportunity for communities of color to voice their concerns
and expectations of what they believe a police chief should represent. The Mayor’s office is conducting an online survey and holding
additional public meetings in an effort to find the best candidate. A 25-member search committee will produce a list of candidates for
Mayor Durkan in May. The city intends to hire a new chief in June 2018.
Briefs cont’d from pg 4
more than $21.6 million in tax credits for food, rent
and other basic needs.
The initiative is supported by H&R Block and their
website MyFreeTaxes.com, an online portal where
individuals or families earning $66,000 or less can
file their state and federal taxes for free. Over the last
nine years nearly a million people have filed their re-
turns via MyFreeTaxes and generated more than $1
billion in refunds back to local communities.
New this year, UWCW and CASH Oregon are also
teaming up for focused EITC campaigns with several
corporate partners including Key Bank, Pendleton
Woolen Mills, Burgerville USA and others. By deliv-
ering tailored communications directly to thousands
of employees the campaign aims to increase the num-
ber of filers and EITC participants.
Seattle News Briefs
King County Immigrant and Refugee
Commission Seeks New Members
The King County Immigrant and Refugee Commis-
sion, designed to be the voice of King County’s immi-
grant and refugee communities, is looking for com-
mission members.
The application period for those interested in be-
coming commission members starts Monday, March
19 and closes on Friday, April 27.
The Immigrant and Refugee Commission, approved
by the County Council and signed into law by the
County Executive, will focus on integrating, strength-
ening and valuing immigrant and refugee communi-
ties and upholding the county’s commitment as a wel-
coming community.
The mission of the Immigrant and Refugee Com-
mission will include: achieving fair and equitable
access to county services for immigrant and refugee
communities, improving opportunities for civic en-
gagement, setting annual goals, and participating in
important dialogue on County policies and practices
that impact the 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.
Individuals interested in applying to become a
member of the Immigrant and Refugee Commission
should go to https://www.kingcounty.gov/irc
City of Seattle Seeks Community
Members to Serve on the
Community Police Commission
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, the City Council, and the
Community Police Commission (CPC), are seeking ad-
ditional members for the CPC. Initially established as
a requirement of the Consent Decree, the City of Se-
attle established the Community Police Commission
to make policy recommendations during reform and
to serve as a conduit between SPD, the City, and the
community.
In 2017 the City made the CPC permanent and ex-
panded the number of commissioners from 15 to 21.
The Mayor’s Office, the CPC, and City Council are re-
cruiting applicants to fill these newly created seats.
The CPC’s mission is to listen to, amplify, and build
common ground among communities affected by po-
licing in Seattle. It champions policing practices cen-
tered in justice and equity. The Commission strives to
recruit individuals from communities that are most
affected by policing, and those who have a desire to
integrate police practices with your community’s val-
ues.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For
consideration of appointments by all appointing en-
tities by June 30, please submit your application by
April 12, 2018 at OCPC@seattle.gov.
If you’d like to submit your application to a specific
appointing entity, please submit to:
• Community Police Commission:
Fe.Lopez@seattle.gov
• City Council: Thao.Madsen@seattle.gov
• Office of Mayor Jenny Durkan:
Evan.Philip@seattle.gov
Mayor Jenny Durkan and
Councilmember González Announce
New Action on Safe Storage
Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, Seattle City At-
torney Pete Holmes, and Councilmember M. Lorena
González announced that they will be developing
legislation within the next month to address gun vio-
lence in Seattle. Following outreach and engagement
with stakeholders including gun owners, safety ad-
vocates, community members, public health experts
and others, this legislation will require safe storage
of firearms and increase civil penalties and legal re-
sponsibility for not reporting lost or stolen firearms,
which is required within 24 hours.
Across the country, nearly 1,300 children die and
5,790 are treated for gunshot wounds each year. In
2015, an estimated 150,000 adults in King County re-
ported keeping a firearm unlocked. In Seattle, 250
stolen guns were reported from burglaries and car
prowls in 2017 according to Seattle Police Depart-
ment.
In 2015, the Seattle City Council passed legislation
to establish a tax on gun and ammunition sales to
fund gun violence prevention research. Although
the City Council continued funding gun violence
prevention work at Harborview Injury Prevention
EMERALD SPIRAL SPRING EXPO: The Emerald Spiral Expo is a
preeminent New Age Fair in the Northwest featuring spiritual/
metaphysical authors, demonstrations from intuitive arts to
crystals and much more! Bring family and friends to this free
event and lectures. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Kent Commons Community
Center, 525 Fourth Ave. N., Kent.
FREE COMMUNITY EASTER EGG HUNT: The fifth annual Easter egg
hunt at Bellevue College. We will have 50,000 eggs, popcorn,
inflatables, face painting and much more. Please visit www.
lovebellevue.com for more information and to pre-register your
family. 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., Bellevue College, 3000 Landerholm Cir-
cle, Bellevue.
SUNDAY, MARCH 25
PROVIDENCE HOSPICE OF SEATTLE MEMORIAL BONFIRE: Provi-
dence of Hospice of Seattle invites individuals and families who
have lost a loved one to gather for a memorial bonfire at Alki
Beach Park to share stories and remember loved ones that have
died. This is a free event for individuals and families to join. 7:30
p.m., Alki Beach Park, 1702 Alki Ave. SW.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
TUMWATER’S 22ND ANNUAL EASTER EGG DASH: Join family and
friends for the 22nd Annual Easter egg dash. More than 20,000
colorful eggs will be nestled in the large grassy area behind the
stadium at Tumwater High School. Bring a basket or bag to carry
your treasures home in. 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Tumwater Fire Hall,
311 Israel Rd. SW, Olympia.
EASTERFEST: Free and safe family event celebrating Easter sea-
son and community. Bring the whole family along for our Easter
hunts organized by age. There will be popcorn, bouncy houses,
a photo booth and games for the entire family. 10 a.m. – noon,
Federal Way Church of Nazarene, 1525 SW Dash Point Rd., Fed-
eral Way.
& Research Center, the revenue was initially blocked
due to ongoing litigation. With the tax upheld by the
State Supreme Court, this proposal will invest 2018
revenue and future gun and ammo tax revenues in
Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center’s
work to help individuals with firearm injuries.
In 2013, Seattle became the first city in the nation to
conduct basic research on gun safety. The City Coun-
cil-funded research led to a report from The Harbor-
view Injury Prevention and Research Center that
established that “gun violence begets gun violence.”
The research found that individuals hospitalized
for a firearm injury were 30 times more likely to be
re-hospitalized for another firearm injury than peo-
ple admitted to the hospital for non-firearm related
injuries.
In addition, the City of Seattle and Seattle Police
Department launched a new site, seattle.gov/ERPO,
to ensure all Seattle residents can easily complete an
Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO). An ERPO was
designed to give family, household members, and law
enforcement a way to petition the court to restrict
the access and ability for a person with health crisis
issues to purchase or possess firearms. In Seattle, 18
ERPOs have been petitioned by law enforcement with
37 weapons recovered.
“From Columbine to Newtown to Parkland, we are
constantly reminded that Extreme Risk Protection
Orders are more important than ever. These protec-
tion orders won’t prevent every act of gun violence,
but we know they are already making a difference,”
said Seattle Interim Police Chief Carmen Best.