(The Center Square) – Commuters on Interstate 5 in the Seattle area recently dealt with a traffic jam that was not caused by a motor vehicle accident, but rather a staged protest by a Seattle- and King County-funded nonprofit organization.

Urban Family is a Skyway-based group that specializes in work to address gang and youth violence, including the influence of systemic poverty.

On July 5, the organization led a protest on I-5 to kickoff its “100 days of peace” initiative, which seeks to raise awareness on the issue of gun violence in Seattle and King County neighborhoods. 

“Urban Family once again answers the call of community and civic leaders to respond to the recent incidents of senseless gun violence in our communities,” Urban Family Co-Founders Paule and Shantel Patu stated on the organization’s website. “It’s going to take all of us together to make our city safe again.” 

The organization caused traffic to slow down during the holiday weekend, with automobiles displaying signs reading “Traffic jam for peace.” 

The Washington State Department of Transportation told The Center Square that traffic during the protest did not come to a complete halt and that vehicles were still able to get through via the high occupancy vehicle lane during the protest.

Traffic on northbound I-5 near Boeing Field in south Seattle was slowed down for less than 30 minutes, with a traffic backup of approximately four miles. Washington State Patrol escorted them off to the South Albro exit.

Urban Family receives funding from King County Seattle.

The organization takes part in the Seattle Community Safety Initiative, which is funded an annual $4 million by the city. The collaborative partnership also includes Community Passageways, The Boys and Girls Club of King County, and the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

Public Health – Seattle & King County also funds Urban Family through the Rainier Beach Action Coalition. The coalition’s Restorative Resolutions project aims to support families and individuals in southeast Seattle that are the most impacted by or after incidents of gun violence. Urban Family is a service provider for the coalition.

Despite being sponsored by the region’s public health department, the coalition’s description of the Restorative Resolutions project states on its website that “the U.S. (Seattle, King County, WA) government and their historical [and] current patriarchal white supremacist values, policies, and practices create [and] maintain the conditions for gun violence to exist in Rainier Beach.”

From July 5 through Oct. 13, 2024, Urban Family along with community leaders intend to roll out a coordinated prevention and intervention plan that is aimed specifically at residents with a higher risk of being a victim or perpetrator of gun violence.

According to the Seattle Police Department crime dashboard, there have been 291 shootings and shots fired through May 2024. That is an 8% increase from the 270 that occurred last year in the same time span.

Out of the 291 shootings and shots fired through May, eight were fatal.

Through all of 2023, there were 731 reports of shots fired, including 43 fatalities.