Seattle Artists Seek $8M from Police Budget for Arts as Public Safety Infrastructure
A group of 365 artists and 61 arts organizations has sent an open letter to Seattle's Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council, asking them to shift $8 million from a planned $68 million increase in the police budget to the Office of Arts and Culture. This funding would support ongoing public art projects and creative placemaking. The letter highlights that Seattle had no homicides in June, mentions a $3.6 million investment in the arts for the upcoming World Cup summer, and notes over 80 public art initiatives. It emphasizes that the arts play a crucial role in public safety, citing a 2017 study linking community nonprofits to reduced violent crime rates. The author will discuss evaluating mental health outcomes of arts organizations at NOAHCON.
Key facts
- 365 artists and cultural workers and 61 arts organizations signed an open letter to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council
- The letter asks Seattle to redirect $8 million of a proposed $68 million police budget increase into the Office of Arts and Culture
- Seattle recorded no homicides in June, its first June without one since 1970
- The city invested $3.6 million in arts and cultural programming tied to the World Cup, with more than 120 grantees producing over 80 public art projects and cultural events
- The letter cites a 2017 study of 264 American cities linking growth in community-focused nonprofits to reductions in violent crime
- June also included a World Cup, extra federal security and more than 80 arts events, making it impossible to isolate each factor's effect
- The author led a cohort of 20 arts organizations through the Collaborative Arts Impact Initiative using standardized instruments to measure outcomes
- The author will present at NOAHCON, the National Organization for Arts in Health conference, in Rochester on Tuesday
Entities
Institutions
- Office of Arts and Culture
- Seattle City Council
- Collaborative Arts Impact Initiative
- NOAHCON
- National Organization for Arts in Health
Locations
- Seattle
- United States
- Rochester