Federal Way mayor announces Violence Prevention Coalition members
Published 4:28 pm Wednesday, July 27, 2016
The city of Federal Way has filled the 13-seat Violence Prevention Coalition steering committee, a resident-based advisory group intended to help combat violence in the city.
Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell announced the committee members on Wednesday, saying the group’s makeup reflects a wide array of demographics, interests and stakes in the city. Members represent local youth, the faith-based community, nonprofits, the criminal justice system and Federal Way at large.
“When we originally thought about this group, we really wanted to make sure you had many major segments of the community represented,” Ferrell said in an interview Wednesday. “What’s really exciting about this group of people is that they represent all walks of life, all different backgrounds. That’s going to provide a healthy dynamic.”
According to an email Ferrell sent earlier Wednesday announcing the coalition members, the group’s mission is “to liaison with the community to formulate and submit recommendations regarding what is needed to reduce incidents of violence in the Federal Way community.” A component of that will be community outreach – open community meetings “will likely be scheduled” between now and Nov. 1, and anyone with ideas on reducing violence in Federal Way is encouraged to email suggestions directly to the coalition at VPC@cityoffederalway.com.
Recommendations from the committee will be given to the mayor and City Council by Nov. 1. The Violence Prevention Coalition members will be introduced to the community at the next meeting of the Federal Way City Council on Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, after which the group will adjourn to a nearby conference room to hold its first meeting.
“We’re looking forward to hearing their suggestions later this year,” Ferrell said. “I’m excited, but I’m also mindful of why this group was created in the first place. We had a lot of violence in our community, and these people stepped up to help do something about it.”
The idea that led to the coalition first emerged in February after the murder of 16-year-old Wesley Gennings. That idea took on increased urgency in May after a 48-hour span saw three homicides in Federal Way, and the City Council approved the creation of the coalition shortly thereafter. A preliminary coalition meeting, held June 2, collected early ideas from about 60 attendees and discussed potential solutions for the then-unselected steering committee.
The city site for the VPC is at cityoffederalway.com/page/violence-prevention-coalition.
Violence Prevention Coalition steering committee representation and members:
Youth representatives
· Alonzo Aguilar, Federal Way Public Schools
· Zenaida Cruz, Federal Way Public Schools
Faith-based community
· Dr. Andre Sims, Pastor of Christ the King Bible Fellowship
Service providers
· Kelli Lauritzen, Juvenile Probation Supervisor at King County Superior Court
· Lawrence Garrett, Executive Director of Advancing Leadership & AL Youth
· Mark Hendricks, Director of the Boys & Girls Club Federal Way
Federal Way school district
· Dr. Tammy Campbell, Federal Way Public Schools
City of Federal Way
· Andy Hwang, Federal Way Chief of Police
Staff support
· Kyle Sumpter, Federal Way Deputy Chief of Police
Community representatives
· Doug Baxter, Violence Prevention Coordinator for CHI Franciscan
· Kira Kuetgens, community member
· Erin Herringshaw, community member
· Dion Schell, community member
· Dianne Zoro, community member
