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Tacoma, Everett, Tukwila. Multiple shootings marred a four-day Thanksgiving weekend for many cities in the Puget Sound area, but few more so than the city of Kent.

Three cases 鈥� including one the night before Thanksgiving and one that proved fatal 鈥� are 鈥渢he hardest parts of the job,鈥� said .

As a South King County mayor, Ralph told Dori Monson Show listeners Monday that it鈥檚 personally painful for her on many levels. She also says that she and other officials are aware of the causes behind the violence, and that she and fellow mayors are working for solutions. Ralph also noted that she believes the shootings are related to regional de-criminalization of drugs and King County鈥檚 鈥渧ery lax鈥� prosecution of offenders.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tough few days, for you and your city,鈥� Dori sympathized with Ralph. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine what it鈥檚 like to be the mayor of a city that goes through this many shootings in just a few days span. It鈥檚 got to be just brutal.鈥�

鈥淢y heart goes out to families involved,鈥� Ralph agreed. 鈥淏ut it also goes out to my residents who are honestly scared, all the way up through the patrol officers and detectives who have literally been working round-the-clock through the weekend. It鈥檚 not acceptable and it鈥檚 hard.鈥�

After three separate weekend shootings and a single fatality in Kent over four days, Dori told the mayor that his sources point to gangs, drugs, and retaliation. Is it true?

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fair to say that the groups are known to each other, and more than likely it鈥檚 a turf war鈥� over a corner bus stop, Ralph agreed. “[It’s] not a surprise to anyone.”

鈥淜ing County has been, by choice, very lax in prosecution,鈥� Ralph said.

Decriminalization policies set in place by county leaders have created a 鈥減erfect storm of making drug crimes off the charts and the violence that goes hand-in-hand with that,鈥� she added.

The county鈥檚 鈥済rand experiment鈥� of turning drug crimes into misdemeanors is not working, the Kent mayor told Dori鈥檚 listeners. She says we 鈥渘eed to have juvenile detention鈥� that is part of our criminal justice system alongside youth and police partnership programs, like those Kent promotes.

鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e finally starting to see the silent majority鈥� call for these kinds of things, she added. 鈥淧eople are tired of living this way. … All of us need to do our part. I鈥檓 not giving up.鈥�

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon 鈥� 3 p.m. on 成人X站 Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.