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By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last week, Cities United, a national organization based in Louisville, Kentucky, brought its 11th Annual National Convening to Seattle. In collaboration with Mayor Bruce Harrell, the City of Seattle, and King County, the event drew more than 1,100 leaders and practitioners from across the country. Cities United, which takes a public health approach to reducing gun violence, focuses on creating safer, more resilient communities by improving the lives of young Black men and boys and their families. The organization seeks to redefine public safety through innovative solutions to the complex issue of community violence.
“We’ve been working closely with the City of Seattle and King County, spending a lot of time with Mayor Harrell’s team, as well as King County’s Office of Regional Gun Violence Prevention,” said Anthony D. Smith, Executive Director of Cities United. “Our goal is to help them think through strategies, implement best practices, and build out a comprehensive public safety ecosystem.”
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell highlighted the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing violence.
“This convening was an opportunity to share best practices, collaborate on innovative approaches, and strengthen our network of leaders,” said Harrell. “We are all committed to reducing violence and creating cities where everyone can thrive.”
The convening, themed “Public Safety Redefined: Shifting the Narrative,” focused on fostering meaningful conversations and exploring innovative strategies to address gun violence, particularly in communities of color. The event provided a platform for experts and practitioners to engage with national leaders and learn about successful approaches being implemented in cities like Seattle. It also focused on strengthening partnerships that support a more holistic view of public safety—one that goes beyond law enforcement to include mental health services, housing, and economic opportunity.
As gun violence continues to rise in Black and brown communities across the U.S., public safety remains a top priority. Earlier this year, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory, declaring gun violence a national public health crisis. At the Seattle convening, Cities United emphasized that traditional public safety measures alone are not enough to address the root causes of violence. Instead, they are championing their Reimagined Public Safety framework, which promotes a broader, more inclusive public safety ecosystem.
“This event was crucial because hosting it in Seattle helped bring attention to the need to reduce the homicide rates among young Black men and boys,” Smith said. “People don’t always realize how spread out we are across the country, but gun violence disproportionately affects Black and brown communities. Bringing together leaders who are facing the same issues helps them connect to new resources and ideas about what innovation can look like.”
Throughout the week, the convening featured a range of events designed to promote new thinking around public safety:
• Morning and Afternoon Plenary Sessions: Highlighting national efforts and Cities United’s comprehensive approach to public safety.
• Breakout Sessions: Elevating strategies that focus on holistic public safety measures, community support, and violence prevention.
• Healing and Centering Spaces: Offering participants time to reflect and find balance amid the challenges of the work.
• Collaboration Time: Giving teams the chance to apply new knowledge and approaches in real-time to address the specific needs of their communities.
With Seattle as the host city, the event showcased the city’s evolving approach to public safety, which has moved away from traditional policing models toward more community-centered strategies. Mayor Harrell’s administration has made significant investments in mental health services, safety support for students, and the creation of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department, which focuses on diversifying responses to non-emergency 911 calls. King County, through its 100 Days of Action and gun-lockbox distribution program, has also been working to tackle gun violence in the region.
Seattle’s approach aligns closely with Cities United’s mission, making it a fitting location for this year’s convening. The city’s leadership, particularly Mayor Harrell, played a key role in planning and hosting the event.
“Mayor Harrell and his team are fully committed,” Smith added. “They co-hosted this event with Cities United and were instrumental in planning and executing it. It’s essential to leverage the leadership of local elected officials alongside community partners to drive real change.”
Harrell echoed this commitment.
“I’m honored to have welcomed Cities United and leaders from across the country to Seattle as we collectively focused on building safe, thriving communities through comprehensive and collaborative public safety strategies. We are driving a holistic approach to public safety that recognizes the importance of mental health, food access, treatment availability, and housing stability, in addition to law enforcement and diversified responses to 911 calls.”
The convening also provided space for community leaders, advocates, and public safety professionals to reflect on the importance of equity, innovation, and collaboration in shaping safer cities. There was a shared understanding that public safety cannot be achieved through policing alone. Instead, participants emphasized the need to address the root causes of violence, including poverty, lack of access to resources, and systemic inequities that disproportionately affect Black and brown communities.
Smith stressed that this comprehensive approach is key to reducing violence in cities across the country.
“We believe gun violence is preventable,” Smith said. “If we take care of people’s basic needs—provide access to resources and opportunities—we can see different outcomes, especially for those most at risk of gun violence over the last four decades.”
One of the central messages of the convening was the need for a community-driven approach to public safety, one that empowers residents to play an active role in creating safer neighborhoods. By focusing on the well-being of young Black men and boys, Cities United aims to create systems of support that address the underlying factors that lead to violence, such as economic instability and trauma.
The event concluded with a commitment to continue the work of redefining public safety across the nation. Leaders from participating cities, including Seattle, left the convening with new tools, ideas, and strategies to apply in their communities.
