SEATTLE — Community members gathered Friday night to reclaim a space that was the scene of a mass shooting in July. It happened outside the Rainier Beach Safeway.
Because of the recent violence, the SE Network Safe Passage team at Boys and Girls Clubs of King County is relaunching a safety program in the neighborhood.
“We wanted to create a space, a safe space for our neighborhood to gather, to connect, and to heal. And what better way to do that than together,” said Marty Jackson, the executive director of SE Network SafetyNet Program.
The program initially began in response to gun violence in the area that claimed the lives of two men from the neighborhood in May 2020.
It motivated a new mission for Jackson, who works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County.
Jackson says they’ve held community get-togethers every Friday night for nearly three years up until last month. The weekly outreach events paused after one of the community celebrations turned into a chaotic crime scene with five people hurt during a shooting.
“We have never had a shooting while we've been present in this space,” said Jackson, who said she was devastated by what happened on July 28.
Two of her fellow staff members were among the five people injured.
As traumatic as it has been, Jackson says it is time to come back and once again have a presence in the parking lot.
“We’re committed as we're still recovering. But in the midst of the adversity that's happening in our neighborhood, in the midst of all of the shootings that are occurring, it's important for us to maintain this space,” said Jackson. “We're eager and anxious, all at the same time.”
Seattle police say they are still working to find the shooter or shooters in this case.