‘Daily reality' of South Seattle gun violence demands more attention

It's been yet another violent few weeks in the U.S.

On April 25, a man opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., apparently targeting President Donald Trump. One Secret Service agent was injured in the attack.

Just three days later and closer to home, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson was rushed away from a news conference in Yesler Terrace after gunfire was heard nearby.

Both incidents highlight that even for the most protected people in our society, the threat of gun violence is always present.

After the Correspondents' Association dinner - an event packed with hundreds of journalists - I saw many attendees comment on how terrifying the experience was. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, for example, described his close encounter with the shooter and the "terrible, frightening moment" it was for him.

I can completely understand that sentiment.

Proximity to gun violence is traumatizing, destabilizing, anxiety inducing and leads to hypervigilance and chronic stress. No one should experience it. Not journalism's elite, not the president or mayor and not regular people trying to live their lives.

But after listening to so many journalists express their shock, horror and personal fear over the Correspondents' Association dinner attack, I wondered how much more empathetic coverage of everyday gun violence would be if more journalists lived in areas that experienced it firsthand. I also wondered how much more focus there would be on policy changes if politicians were not so removed from the real-world impacts.

Some local residents are taking matters into their own hands to help policymakers and community leaders better understand.

A few weeks ago Rainier Beach resident Heidi Hamlin asked neighbors to share how the issue has affected them. She has since been sharing the comments with stakeholders in South Seattle. She wrote in an email that she has heard numerous shots over the years, been in close proximity to shootings and most recently was caught in the middle of an April 8 shooting near both of our houses. That shooting left dozens of spent shell cases and one young person injured. It was just one of a number of shootings over the past month in the neighborhood, many involving dozens of bullets unleashed in terrifyingly rapid succession.

Tragically, yet another shooting left a 19-year-old young man in critical condition after he was shot in the head Friday night near the Rainier Beach light rail station.

"We need to listen to the people who are living this daily. Talk to the moms who have lost children and talk to the moms who are afraid of losing children," wrote Hamlin, who is a mom herself.

Dozens responded to her request for testimony.

One parent wrote about the gun violence, "It's been traumatic for my son, and my anxiety disorder has been exacerbated tremendously. We don't feel safe in our house. Don't feel safe going to school. Don't feel safe shopping for groceries or pumping gas. My husband doesn't feel safe walking to the train. Things have escalated so much this year…"

Another parent feared for their boys. "It angers me to think that when they walk around their neighborhood, they are not safe. It's scary to walk to their daycare, the library, the park, even just outside our house… Our kids should not grow up around gun violence as background noise. They should be safe in this neighborhood and yet they are not. We are not."

One neighbor said that while they loved the neighborhood, gun violence - particularly the killing of their son's Rainier Beach High School classmates - has made them fearful to even walk their dogs on summer nights. "I am tired of this, and hate feeling every day that I just have to hope that I am not at the wrong place at the wrong time," they wrote. "But having lived in other parts of Seattle, I know that this does NOT need to be the daily reality. The fact that everyone just shrugs when there is another shooting in Rainier Beach is not OK."

Another said, "This disparity between the wealthier (and whiter) and poorer Seattle neighborhoods is unconscionable."

The fear and anguish of anyone is devastating enough, but hearing how it has impacted children is even more so.

One parent wrote that their 5-year-old girl commented on going to South Shore in the fall by saying, "there are a lot of guns at that school." In addition to lockdowns, two teens were killed outside of the school in January. Another wrote that their 4-year-old asked after a shooting at a community center, Mom, why were they shooting a gun? Were they trying to kill a kid? She said she had no answers.

One parent said their son's room was in the back of the house and has known what a gunshot sounded like since he was just 4 or 5 years old.

Many mentioned that adding insult to injury was the gunfire from an outdoor gun range in Tukwila, sounds from which can be heard all the way in South Seattle. As one wrote, "To put a community repeatedly traumatized by gun violence through the experience of hearing a shooting range daily is the opposite of trauma-informed. It is triggering and retraumatizing to everyone who can hear it."

I share these stories and sentiments in the hopes that those fortunate to not be touched by the scourge of gun violence will be motivated to push for the complement of policies and priorities that neighborhood community leaders have long advocated for. People in this neighborhood experience constant terror and I am tired of the city acting like it's normal - particularly because it doesn't ever touch them directly.

As one neighbor said, "I think about gun violence daily and wonder if (my child) is safe. I love this neighborhood - love the culture and diversity and sense of community, but at what cost?"

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM.