SEATTLE — Shootings have increased over the past year in Seattle, with a deadly shooting at Ingraham High School just this week. Now some city councilmembers want to put more money toward preventing these crimes.
City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is proposing increasing the budget for gun violence prevention from $1.5 million to $2.1 million. That is about a 30% increase.
The budget will be discussed Monday, November 14 and is expected to be finalized on November 29.
Families impacted by gun violence say they don't have a perfect solution, but something needs to change as shootings continue to take people's lives.
Adriel Webb, 18, was shot and killed at a gas station in the Central District of Seattle two years ago.
"He had just graduated 30 days before he got killed, he had just graduated,” said Kayla Travis-Jackson, who dated Webb before the shooting.
Webb was killed just two months before Travis-Jackson gave birth to their son, Kamari.
“He doesn't know his dad,” said Travis-Jackson. “He's only going to know him through pictures and memories, and that alone breaks my heart.”
No one has been arrested for Webb’s murder. Travis-Jackson hopes for justice to be served and for changes to be made to prevent further gun violence in Seattle.
“It's hard, but I would say to be more hands-on with the community, to reach out to people that are in need, see what the real problems are,” said Travis-Jackson about preventing gun violence.
She also thinks getting guns off the streets would help.
"It’s not okay, and it needs to stop, for our children's sake,” she said.
Data from the Seattle Police Department shows shootings have increased over the past year. So far this year there have been 34 deadly shootings and 123 shootings with injuries. Last year there were 26 deadly shootings and 101 shootings with injuries.
Travis-Jackson is in a group called RISE that helps Seattle mothers who have lost loved ones to gun violence and says that support is helping her process her grief. She is thankful for the other moms in her group but says too many Seattle families are being impacted.
“To police officers, these are just another case. They're not just another case to us,” said Travis-Jackson. “These are our family members, these are our loved ones, these are our children's fathers.”
Travis-Jackson is raising her son Kamari to know who his dad was and to know violence is never the answer.
“I just hope that he follows his heart and he does what is right at all times,” said Travis-Jackson.