Dow ConstantineVerified account

This moment forces us to acknowledge the brutal reality of racism and bias that is embedded throughout our societal institutions, including but not exclusively, within our criminal legal system.

In June, I joined @KCPubHealth to declare that racism is a public health crisis, and we committed all of King County government to implement a racially equitable response to this crisis, centered on community, on those who are the most directly affected.

So I'm focusing my budget around those three principles: - Divest - Invest, and - Reimagine. That means stopping current practices that cause harm, and diverting the savings to serve a greater good.

First, I'm proposing reallocating $4.6 million in marijuana tax revenues from the King County Sheriff’s Office and transferring those funds to community-based programs.

I'm also proposing including $2.8 million to help people vacate previous marijuana convictions, that make it harder to get employment and housing.

We have also reduced the daily adult population in the jail to 1,300, and as I said in my State of the County Address a couple of months ago, we need to not just continue, but reinforce the effort to reduce the population.

With fewer people in jail, we will be able to close one of the 12 floors in the downtown jail, saving $1.9 million in a single year, and we will invest that in programs outside the criminal legal system.

My proposed budget will also invest public resources to where we can make the most difference, and co-create with the community and up lift community-led solutions.