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Ann Davison has officially been sworn in as Seattle City Attorney.

An often overlooked election which caught headlines in 2021, it was fought between candidates with diametrically opposed perspectives on prosecution: Challenger Nicole Thomas Kennedy largely couched misdemeanor crime as a function of poverty, pledging to stop prosecuting 鈥減eople with the lowest income,鈥� per her campaign鈥檚 website.

Davison often echoed the plight of store owners and community members who struggle to maintain their quality of life in the face of loitering and petty theft (Davison often quotes the owner of Seven Stars Pepper Szechwan Restaurant and how an 鈥渙pen air drug market鈥� just outside has put them on the brink of closure).

Davison ultimately won out by a 10% margin (55% to Thomas-Kennedy鈥檚 44%), and on Tuesday, she clarified her office鈥檚 priorities in an acceptance speech at her swearing-in ceremony.

Underwritten by a refrain of 鈥減owerlessness鈥� and 鈥渇ear,鈥� much of the speech painted a grim picture of Seattle.

鈥淲hen you talk to people in Seattle today, you hear about fear,鈥� Davison said.

鈥淐ommunities are afraid to use their parks,” she continued. “People are afraid to walk down Third Avenue. Parents are afraid to send their kids to wait for the bus. Many feel powerless powerless to save their businesses, powerless to make it safe for their employees to come to work, powerless to stop bullets from flying through their windows.鈥�

Davison鈥檚 solution lies with a more aggressive prosecution of crime, saying 鈥渙ur legal system must be used as a tool to stand up for victims.鈥�

Complicating the issue, however, is that the Seattle City Attorney鈥檚 criminal division only handles misdemeanor crimes, and much of the office鈥檚 responsibilities lie with representing the city in civil litigation. For example, the office recently defended the city against a , and helped dismiss a lawsuit against Seattle’s hazard pay requirement for grocery workers in March of 2021.

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Despite that, Davison highlighted one policy point in her speech: more aggressively prosecuting crime, both in the form of drug crime and gun offenses.

鈥淚t is the duty of the city attorney’s office to prosecute weapons charges and take guns off the street, so misdemeanor gun offenses don’t lead to felony homicides,鈥� Davison continued.

Unlawful possession of a firearm is a felony charge. One of the few misdemeanor gun charges in Washington state is that of .

鈥淓very case that comes to the city attorney’s office tells a story,鈥� Davison added. 鈥淎 story like Young’s from Seven Stars, a business owner with no advocate struggling to survive. A story of a son lost to a story of the vulnerable preyed upon by drug dealers. But this election showed that people are powerful and they are demanding that we enforce our laws.鈥�