By Paul Carr

The meeting of the Alki Community Council of June 18 was about the general level of violence at Alki Beach and the shooting that took place about one month ago. It was a follow-up to the May 19 meeting that included representatives of the Seattle Police Department and City Attorney's Office.

Although only 19 people were in attendance, the officers of the council received several calls the next morning about what transpired at the meeting. That meeting is summarized below:

GUN-FREE ZONE
Sidewalks are public property. Citizens licensed to do so have a right to carry firearms there. There are park signs at Whale Tail Park (nearby) prohibiting firearms, but none at Alki Beach. The Alki board will write a letter to the Mayor's Office and the city requesting clarification on this issue, and if gun can (or have been) prohibited in park areas.

CITIZEN PATROLS
Several meeting participants volunteered information about citizen patrols and other citizen actions in other parts of the city. It has been successful in Highland Park, and efforts have been organized in Belltown and other areas; they require a lot of people and a dedicated organization. Suggestions included setting up a booth at coming community events to recruit volunteers.

OTHER CITIZEN ACTIONS
We might also put up signs at Alki Beach with "codes of cooperation" or similar information. Ask police to be more aggressive in breaking loitering groups, ticketing people who allow dogs on the beach itself, and encouraging people to stay in the appropriate bike and pedestrian lanes. Also, have people carry cameras to record misdeeds (or even appear to do so); it discourages was inappropriate behavior.

ACTIONS BEING TAKEN
In addition to the letter to the city from the Alki council about a "gun-free" zone, the council will contact the city to have someone come to a public meeting to discuss the Pedestrian Master Plan, which is being worked on now at the Mayor's Office. There is also a meeting on June 25 at Fauntleroy Hall on Violence Prevention. The guest speaker is Dr. Gary Slutkin, executive director for the Chicago Project on Violence Prevention.

Finally, people should be reminded to call "911" anytime they see suspicious activity or an emergency. 911 is not just for major matters—the total number of calls from an area has a great deal to do with the resources placed there by the City. In the end, we must have more citizen involvement if we want positive change to occur.

Thanks to Paul Carr for submitting this summary of the meeting.