WA parents of crime victims gather for first-of-its-kind summit in King County
Crime survivors advocate for county support and funding
King County partnered with organizations and parents of murdered children for the first-ever Summit on Crime Survivors, addressing needed community changes.
SEATTLE - For the first time, King County teamed up with organizations, as well as parents of children who were murdered for a Summit on Crime Survivors and the changes needed in the community.
On Friday, members of law enforcement, judges, lawmakers, survivors and advocates all gathered to share their experiences and what more needs to be done.
What they're saying:
"When I lost my son in 2014, when he was murdered, there were no support groups out there for me, there were groups of parents who lost their children to sickness" Salana Young said.
She and Alicia Dassa both lost their sons. They now co-lead the Parents of Murdered Children and were at the summit not only as mothers, but also as advocates for survivors to have more funding and support.
"People see legislators, they see lobbyists, folks in court, they very rarely see the survivors," Dassa said. Kate Garbey is the Chief Executive Officer at the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.
She told FOX 13, if they were fully supported and funded, they would be able to support survivors from the moment they called 911. "Supporting survivors is so incredibly important and then supporting the system that supports them, it is equally as important," Garbey said.
"None of us chose to be here, none of us chose to be a survivor, but what we can choose is what we do with the rest of our lives, but we need support," Dassa said.
"It’s really powerful, listening to people who have been through violent crime themselves, who have lost loved ones and then hearing about how the system really doesn’t serve their needs," Councilmember Claudia Balducci said.
Local perspective:
She walked away from the summit with strong messages about how the future of the criminal legal system should be looked at, and how policymakers can step in.
"Listening to these stories just brings it home, it’s so true that it could be any one of us, and we should think of it that way," Balducci said.
"Just remember when you know someone who has gone through something like this or who has lost someone, it is okay to talk about their person, it brings us joy sometimes, and it’s hard sometimes, but it’s okay," Dassa said.
The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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