SPEAKER_02

Okay, we're going to go ahead and get started.

Thank you for coming and welcome.

My name is Tanya Wu.

I am the citywide council member.

A month ago, I announced my intention of convening a stakeholder work group to address the unacceptable levels of gun violence here in Seattle.

I wanted to bring attention to the fact that there have been dozens of shootings and homicides that have occurred in connection with after-hour nightclubs that operate between the hours of 2 a.m.

and 5 a.m.

In fact, the Seattle Police Department reports that nightlife-related shootings, particularly in connection with after-hour nightclubs, account for over 10% of all city shootings.

I also have a very personal connection to this.

I was good friends with Donnie Chin, who was the protector of the Chinatown International District, who was shot at 3 a.m.

about eight years ago in front of an after-hour lounge nightclub.

And so today, I stand with neighbors and families impacted by gun violence under these circumstances, and I want to thank the community members who so generously and graciously donated their time, energy, and wisdom to this endeavor.

Our stakeholder group members included Marone, Abraham from the Eritrean Family Advisory Group, thank you for being here on behalf of impacted families in your community.

Caroline Esquitel, thank you and Erica for your time and the perspectives you and your family provided us to make our proposed legislation stronger.

Erin Goodman, Thank you for your advocacy and leadership in the SOTO area and the insights you provided us.

I'd also like to thank others who provided feedback and their expertise to help us develop this legislation who aren't able to be here today.

We have Amir Azur, a nightlife operator, and Brian D. Wade, current nightlife and after-hours nightlight operator.

We have the Alliance for Pioneer Square, Pioneer Square Residence Council, and our city departments, partners, and experts.

So I called this press conference today to share the proposed legislation and its one-page summary publicly before the final legislation is introduced, hopefully in December.

The legislation will allow after our establishments to obtain a new regulatory license to remain open between the hours of 2 a.m.

and 5 a.m.

and under the conditions that they follow principal safety requirements.

This license and legislation will not apply to nightlife bars or clubs that close at 2 a.m.

By adding responsible regulations, I believe it can more efficiently enforce public safety, providing a reasonable level of safety to patrons.

In addition, we should ensure we have tools in place for enforcement and accountability.

This hopefully will save the lives of men like David Francisco Escotel, Donnie Chin, and other people who are so sorely missed by family members and community, all because of unchecked gun violence.

I'd like to now introduce Caroline Escotel to speak.

SPEAKER_01

Hello, I'm Caroline Escotel and Francisco David Escotel was my baby brother.

I want to take this time to thank Councilmember Wu and all of her team and everyone that has been involved in this process.

It is not easy to be here, but we know the importance of being here in representation of my brother and making sure that things change around the city.

And I think this is an important step that is much needed.

This bill would regulate after night clubs and it would help the youth, it would help anyone that goes out to be in a safe place.

I think we all deserve to go out, have fun, enjoy a night out and know that where you are is a regulated space and that if something were to happen, there's steps in place so that whoever involved would be held accountable in whatever part they play.

And I think as a family that's grieving, it has been an honor to be part of this.

And I just want the public to know the importance of listening to what is in this bill and the importance of it and how it can change our city for the better.

And having these regulations in place will give us more peace of mind whenever we're out.

And like I said, I think it's something that should have already been in place, but this is a good step towards, um, having that I just want the public to know that it's important to listen to everything that is in this bill and that we need your support in order for this to pass.

And the importance that it brings, not only because we as a family are doing this, being a part of this in honor of my brother, but for all the other families.

It's not just my brother, unfortunately.

It's been several other families.

families going through this and It needs to stop and I think this is a good starting point So that regulations can be in place for the city of Seattle Thank you Now presenting I'm sorry Erin Goodman

SPEAKER_00

Good morning.

I'm Erin Goodman, Executive Director for the Soto Business Improvement Area.

Our city, as you know, has seen a rise in violence and lawlessness associated with unpermitted after-hours nightlife venues, like we saw this summer in Soto with the tragic shooting that took the life of Francisco David Esquitel.

And I have long advocated for a pragmatic approach to addressing this issue.

And that is what we are here discussing today.

The proposed ordinance recognizes that simply shutting down a single club after a tragedy doesn't address the root issue.

That Seattle is a growing city and needs to have safe options for people who want to socialize after 2 a.m.

I want to thank Council Member Wu for her leadership on this issue and for recognizing that targeting a specific type of club or calling for shutting down all after-hours nightlife are not realistic solutions.

The legislation being introduced today will provide a legal pathway so that those who want to operate nightlife venues after 2 a.m.

can do so legally and safely.

This proposal was not created in a vacuum.

Council Member Wu and her staff brought together a working group of nightlife operator neighborhood organizations, business district representatives, and the families of victims of nightlife violence to discuss, influence, and inform the ordinance you have before you.

And these conversations were real, with some items being hotly debated as we looked for the path forward that everyone could support.

But since everyone in the room was committed to finding a solution, we stayed in the room.

and took the time to find the right words and the right conditions that made this ordinance acceptable to the entire group.

The legislation presented today is the result of this community process and is a step in the right direction to ensure that the City of Seattle has a nightlife ecosystem with diverse types of venues and operating times that are all operated safely.

Thank you.

Council Member Wu.

SPEAKER_02

So as we all know, urgent response to gun violence are long overdue.

That's why my office has worked in a very aggressive timeline to ensure that the community stakeholder group was able to review draft legislation by the end of this month.

I'm sharing with our wider communities now and look forward to committee consideration in December.

Our goals are simple.

First, improve safety in the after-hour establishments between the hours of 2 a.m.

and 5 a.m.

When people, often young people, need a safe place to be, everyone should expect a reasonable level of safety in any establishment.

Secondly, we seek to uplift and legitimize these establishments with entrepreneur partnerships among fellow operators who understand city processes while providing safer places for young people to be.

We know that nightclubs, even illegal nightclubs, take hard work to set up and operate.

It takes entrepreneurs to make these clubs work, and our city needs to support diverse entrepreneurs, wherever and whatever we can find.

Our goal is not to shut down small business arbitrarily, but to improve the conditions for where people are congregating as Seattle grows.

We are growing into a world-class city.

Let's offer world-class services.

Of course, we cannot solve all gun violence challenges plaguing our city, but by calling in community survivors and businesses, we can find a path for our nightlife to be treated as an opportunity for the city instead of a problem.

So thank you so much for being here today, and we have time for three questions.

No, alcohol sales is, that's a state law.

This is between the hours of 2 a.m.

to 5 a.m., making sure there's regulations for safety in place for these nightclubs.

This does not apply to any nightclub open before 2 a.m.

Requiring things that are listed in your checklist, like security procedures, Things such as having a safety plan in place, it's all in your packet.

And how will this be enforced?

Oh, this will be enforced by the administration of, I believe it's the facilities and services.

It's all right here.

And there are different penalties for operating without a license in place.

And so the legislation speaks for itself.

So I'll go ahead and take a look.

Are there any other questions?

So with our hope is that we're hoping to get this legislation passed in December once it gets introduced in committee.

We're hoping to get it passed as soon as we can at the beginning of the year.

There will be a couple of months of ramp up to have the education outreach out there for these clubs to be able to come up into compliance.

And then if not, the penalties are listed right here in the legislation.

I know it's frustrating to see that previous clubs where shootings have occurred and where loved ones were lost have reopened.

Um, and so this will, this will help to make sure that there are safety precautions in place and that these are able to operate safely.

Well, there are no further questions.

Uh, we will be here for a couple of minutes.

Please feel free to reach out and ask.

Thank you.