Each week on The Newsfeed, host Paris Jackson and a team of veteran journalists dive deep into one topic and provide impactful reporting, interviews and community insights from sources you can trust. Each day this week, this post will be updated with a new story from the team.
A plan to combat the opioid crisis in Seattle
During her campaign for Seattle City Attorney, Erika Evans was vocal about her priority to divert low-level drug cases to LEAD, which has sparked controversy. We used our one-on-one conversation with Evans to learn more about her plans to take on this major issue in Seattle.
Paris Jackson, Cascade PBS: What is your position on combating the opioid crisis?
Evans: “Yeah, 80% of the cases right now that officers encounter with folks dealing with, substance use disorder, they are already getting diverted into LEAD. It's just the 20%. Maybe this is a new officer that wasn't trained on, hey, this is the policy that ends up into this office. And all we're saying is we're going to just make sure that those cases that do come, that we're having a lens and an eye to make sure if some of these folks, some of them are young folks, that they have the opportunity to get connected to services and treatment. We do reserve the right to prosecute. If this person is not making meaningful progress, or they're not engaging with the services provided.”
Jackson: Your office works in tandem with LEAD. Will your office have a different approach than your predecessor?
“I think the biggest, different approach really is the experience that I'm bringing to this role. I've been a city prosecutor and a federal prosecutor. I've gotten close to a million fentanyl pills off our streets, unlawful firearms off our streets. This is work that I've done, boots on the ground that I've done in trial, gone toe-to-toe with high-level, serious drug traffickers. I think that perspective matters in a role like this, when we're talking about a population that is not the traffickers, because those are felonies, our office doesn't do that. It's the misdemeanors. And a lot of these folks with the drugs are the ones that are dealing with the addiction.”
“Plus, the perspective of working on these cases before and seeing the need that these cases with folks dealing with addiction, you know, need to get connected with treatment. We can see clearly, the evidence is in our street of how what's been happening these last few years is not working. It is very clear. We can go to different areas in parts in our city, and we can see how what was happening; it's not working. And our failed policies.”
Staying along the same lines, The King County Department of Public Defense, they had a report, that found 215 criminal prosecutions over the last two years, under the drug diversion program, only six people were connected to treatment. You've called that a failure.
“Yeah, and in that report as well, it found that Black people were four times more likely to be criminally charged for using, than non-Black people. That is a failure.”
One thing you campaigned on was expediting the process of DUI, domestic violence, the backlog of those cases. Now that you're in office, what are some of the ways in which that you'll be able to address that?
“We've been going to Olympia to work on a bill, that will allow us to address the backlog with the DUIs that we currently have. Right now, today, if someone gets into an accident here in Seattle for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, it's going to take 22 months for us to be able to get the toxicology report back, to be able to charge that case, and that is unacceptable. People, in the meantime, will get another DUI as they await to have any conditions imposed on them. And so this bill is going to allow us to use accredited private toxicology labs to be able to get those tests run quicker. So we're doing what is necessary to keep the public safe. And I'm really grateful for the bipartisan support we've had on this bill, and it's moving forward. And we're really hopeful that it will get through this legislative session.”
Bringing back community courts back to Seattle
Evans says one of the first major changes she has planned is to re-establish a community court in collaboration with the city’s municipal court and public defenders.
The court was a place for those accused of low-level offenses to access social services without pleading guilty to a crime.
The Seattle community court was dissolved in 2023 when then-city attorney, Ann Davison, announced her office would no longer participate.
It was the city’s third attempt in 12 years at creating a court like this. In making a 4th attempt, Evans says she’s looking at other Washington cities with active community courts.
“Community court. I think the biggest thing that's great about it, it's it deals with misdemeanors and it deals with nonviolent misdemeanors. It allows folks that are committing quality of life crimes say, you know, a minor theft or someone that's unhoused. It allows them to get connected with treatment and service providers so they don't get out and reoffend. And it allows them to get connected and their case gets diverted,” Evans said.
“And that's what we all want at the end of the day for folks not to get out and reoffend. So it provides that as a catalyst to allow that to happen. I've gone and looked at models across our state in Tacoma, Redmond, even in Bellevue, and they are community courts that are thriving and they're allowing folks to get what they need. So they're not getting right back out and reoffending. And that is inherent on us as leaders to be creative and think outside the box to make sure we're keeping community safe, while also making sure people are having what they need so they don't reoffend, Evans said.
We asked Evans what the biggest challenges will be in this process.
“We have already met with the court. We have had the Department of Defense at the table. They were part of our transition team as well. People are ready to have a new reimagined community court. I think the biggest thing is really just leaning in to the importance of that collaboration from the court, from the Department of Public Defense and from our office, because all three of us are key players to making sure one gets created, and that it’s one that is going to work,” Evans said.
Evans vows to defend Seattle against federal threats
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull federal funding from Seattle and other cities across the country over sanctuary policies. Evans vows to take on the federal government to protect the rights of Seattle residents.
She says what's happening nationwide is unacceptable, and that the President is violating constitutional rights and breaking the law. She says her office is ready if a large immigration enforcement presence comes to town.
“It is heartbreaking. The killings we've seen happen in Minnesota and the unlawful surge of ICE agents, essentially coming out like the military against our communities. We are proactively partnering and working with our mayor, Katie Wilson, with our council and with other elected leaders in our city and in our state, and other cities across the nation to proactively be ready on day one, if that were to happen,” Evans said.
She says her previous experience makes the severity of what’s happening even more clear.
“When I left the Department of Justice, I was working in civil rights. Our unit was the one that would hold federal officers accountable when they break the law. That's not happening right now in this Department of Justice. However, I do want to make clear that I believe there will be a Department of Justice one day that will return to prosecuting those cases. So while some ICE agents and federal officials right now feel that they have immunity, there will be a reckoning one day when we have a new Department of Justice that is acting in the interest of justice, not what we're seeing right now.” Evans said.
Evans says leaders in Seattle fight back with urgency and courage, and her office is doing that.
“We will file at contempt motion against Trump. We already have a pending, lawsuit for his threats on cutting funding for us being a welcoming and sanctuary city. So we are proactively preparing to be ready to go if that is going to happen here in Seattle, because that's what we do,” Evans said.
Late last month, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown held a joint press conference condemning ICE’s tactics and the killings in Minnesota.
Ferguson said the actions by immigration agents, snatching people from the streets and breaking into people’s homes without judicial warrants, are “most certainly unconstitutional”.
Major change planned in approach to drug prosecution
In her first day on the job, Evans directed her criminal division to refer misdemeanor public drug use cases to an internal team of prosecutors that will consider diversion rather than pressing charges. Evans told us the prosecution of low-level drug offenders, will be focused on diversion, but also will be case-by-case.
She caught some criticism for this decision. Evans has said her intent has been to follow the original aim of a 2023 ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council - which for her office means strongly encouraging people arrested for public drug use to be diverted, rather than charged.
“I believe that folks that are dealing with substance use disorder, not the traffickers, but the folks that are dealing with addiction should be connected to treatment, not just put in jail. And then they're right back out in a couple days, not addressing the underlying root causes. We can see the evidence is clear in our streets of how what's been happening in the prior administration of this office is not currently working. It is vital as public servants to make sure we are being good stewards of public safety and our public dollars,” Evans said.
“What we're doing is making sure that folks that are dealing with addiction, you know, young folks that are in our streets right now dealing with this unprecedented fentanyl crisis, that they have an opportunity if they want to get into treatment, that they can. And we are providing them with that option for diversion. However, we do retain the right if folks are not making meaningful progress to do traditional prosecution,” Evans said.
Evans says on this, and many other issues, working cooperatively with police will be key.
Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans shares her vision for the office
This week, we're taking a look at the historic leadership change inside the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
Seattle’s new City Attorney, Erika Evans, is the first Black person and African American woman to lead the office. She now manages a staff of about 200 that includes about 130 attorneys.
We sat down with her to discuss her vision for the office.
She says her priorities include reimagining Community Court, fighting back against federal overreach, and at the top of the list: public safety.
“When I think of Seattle, this is my home. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I want Seattle to be a place that feels safe,” Evans said.
Evans most recently was a federal prosecutor, and before that, worked under former City Attorney Pete Holmes. Now, she’s taking over as the city’s top lawyer, as the city navigates an opioid and homelessness crisis.
“Another big thing is making sure our communities can thrive. I want to see Little Saigon being a place that's thriving. We see what's currently happening in our streets right now, and some of the failed policies that have really displaced folks and caused areas that are not, you know, doing good in public safety and in our communities,” Evans said.
We asked about how she plans to build trust with the community, Evans says it is to be in community.
“That has been something that has always been at the forefront of everything I do... making sure that we ensure our office is accessible and that we are setting good examples of what you know, a Seattle we believe, should be and look like is important,” Evans said.
All this week, we’ll bring you more from our one-on-one with Evans.
Full interview with Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans
Paris Jackson had the opportunity to sit down with new Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans and discuss her priorities in office. Here is the full conversation.
