CITY OF SEATTLE

ORDINANCE __________________

COUNCIL BILL __________________

AN ORDINANCE amending Ordinance 126237, which adopted the 2021 Budget; changing appropriations to various departments and budget control levels, and from various funds in the Budget; and adding provisos; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.

WHEREAS, the racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) people is rooted in American history from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to prohibit the immigration of Chinese laborers; to the unconscionable internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II guided by an idea that Asian Americans are “perpetual foreigners;” to the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 and subsequent failure of justice that ignited a national coalition of Asian American activists to call for an end to anti-Asian bias and racial intolerance; and

WHEREAS, the recent mass murders of eight people, six of them Asian American women, in Atlanta, Georgia, has highlighted the violent, racist anti-Asian American sentiment that has been surging in our country; and

WHEREAS, inflammatory and racist rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic across the country has stoked unfounded fears and perpetuated stigma about Asian Americans, specifically Chinese Americans, and has contributed to increasing rates of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against AAPI persons; and

WHEREAS, since the start of the pandemic, there has been a frightening increase in violence and discrimination against members of the AAPI community in cities across the country, including Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, where an alarming random act of violence occurred against a Japanese American teacher who was out walking and shopping; and

WHEREAS, elder Asian Americans have been targeted by violent assaults and robberies, some of them fatal in other West Coast cities; and

WHEREAS, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, has reported that anti-Asian hate crime in 16 of America’s largest cities increased 149 percent in 2020 based on an analysis of official preliminary police data, with the first spike occurring in March and April amidst a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, the impact of the pandemic on the AAPI community in Seattle is particularly profound. Beyond the pandemic’s effect on public health, economic growth, education, medical services, food supply, and international relations, the AAPI community has been blamed for the pandemic and has been the target of hate and violence; and

WHEREAS, the national Pew Research Center has reported that 40 percent of U.S. adults believe "it has become more common for people to express racist views toward Asians since the pandemic began"; and

WHEREAS, according to a report issued by the organization Stop AAPI Hate, it received a staggering 3,795 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021; and

WHEREAS, the FBI has reported more than 2,500 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents related to COVID-19 between March and September 2020 across the U.S., and this number understates the actual number of anti-Asian hate incidents because most incidents are not reported; and

WHEREAS, mistrust of government and law enforcement among AAPI communities often leads to underreporting of hate crimes due to the belief that reporting a hate crime will not address the underlying bias and racially-motivated crimes; and

WHEREAS, The City of Seattle supports inclusion and belonging for people of all races, ethnicities, genders, and national origins. The City condemns and combats racism, xenophobia, violence, and hate crimes against AAPI persons and will take measures to ensure that all persons are treated with dignity, equity, and respect - no matter their race, ethnicity, primary language, country of origin, religious beliefs, gender, or background; and

WHEREAS, the Executive’s outreach and engagement with the AAPI community in Seattle has identified investments in community safety and wellness to provide bystander training, public awareness campaign and direct funding for community organizations to add additional capacity for services that include: mental health support, counseling, trauma response and care, and advocacy; community-based grants informed by community in areas that have been identified as gaps; mini-grants to youth led organizations to focus on youth support; and small grants to businesses to support crime prevention efforts; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. In order to pay for necessary costs and expenses incurred or to be incurred in 2021, but for which insufficient appropriations were made due to causes that could not reasonably have been foreseen at the time of the making of the 2021 Budget, appropriation for the following items in the 2021 Budget are increased from the funds shown, as follows:

Section 2. This ordinance imposes three provisos, as follows:

“Of the appropriations in the 2021 budget for the Civil Rights Budget Summary Level (BO-CR-X1R00) in the Office for Civil Rights, $100,000 is appropriated solely for contracts with community-based organizations to support the Coalition Against Hate and Bias and may be spent for no other purpose.”

“Of the appropriations in the 2021 budget for the K-12 Programs Budget Summary Level (BO-EE-IL200) in the Department of Education and Early Learning, $100,000 is appropriated solely for mini-grants to youth-led groups and clubs for special projects focused on issues of racism, discrimination, and bias and may be spent for no other purpose.”

“Of the appropriations in the 2021 budget for the Community Building Budget Summary Level (BO-DN-I3300) in the Department of Neighborhoods, $150,000 is appropriated solely to fund a position in a community-based organization to act as a public safety coordinator for the Chinatown-International District and may be spent for no other purpose.”

Section 3. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.

Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2021, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2021.

____________________________________

President ____________ of the City Council

Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this ________ day of _________________, 2021.

____________________________________

Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor

Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2021.

____________________________________

Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

(Seal)