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Prosecutors for the city of Seattle avoid referring to groups of criminals as gangs, opting instead to refer to them as 'cliques,' according to an official.
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Prosecutors → see → official
Amy Barden, the first chief of Seattle's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, explained on the Jason Rantz Show how the woke terminology change left her baffled during a meeting.
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change → explain → meeting
'Everybody’s talking about "cliques,"' Barden said.
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Barden → talk → cliques
'And I remember I had to lean over and say, "What are we…
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we → remember → ?
Are we talking about gangs?"
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we → talk → gangs
'And you know, the captain next to me said, "Yeah, they’re talking about gangs.
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they → know → gangs
We call them cliques."
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We → call → them
Barden said officials were avoiding using the term 'gang' during a SeaStat meeting, a regular crime statistics briefing attended by prosecutors and city officials, because the label can be considered stigmatizing language.
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label → say → prosecutors
The CARE chief questioned the purpose of using the word 'clique' when the groups themselves call themselves gangs.
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groups → question → themselves
'I think it’s well-intentioned.
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it → think → ?
I’m a compassionate person.
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I → ’m → ?
I don’t like stigmatizing language,' Barden said.
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Barden → like → language
'I also think we need to dwell in reality, and that it slows us down to not just name the problem, try to identify the solutions, and understand with human behavior, you always need incentives and deterrents.
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you → think → incentives
Amy Barden, the first chief of Seattle's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department explained on the Jason Rantz Show how during a meeting with prosecutors and city attorneys gangs were referred to as 'cliques'
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gangs → explain → cliques
Seattle's dedicated gang unit was disbanded in 2020 as the department shifted its approach toward gun violence.
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department → disband → violence
Under former Mayor Bruce Harrell, officials were reluctant to use the terms gang and gang member, according to Seattle Red
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the word 'clique' as 'a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons.
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dictionary → use → persons
Meanwhile, the definition of gang reads: 'a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends especially: a band of antisocial adolescents.'
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definition → read → adolescents
When asked by the Daily Mail if the county's prosecutors have been advised to use 'cliques' instead of gangs, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office said 'no.'
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office → ask → cliques
The office added that it was 'separate from Seattle.'
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it → add → Seattle
The revelation comes months after Seattle's then-police chief Shon Barnes repeatedly referred to gangs as 'small groups' in the wake of a mass shooting in the city that killed three people.
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that → come → people
Barnes repeatedly used the term during a press conference after the July 26 massacre at the Bite of Seattle food festival, which authorities have linked to gang violence.
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authorities → use → violence
He said that a motive remained under investigation but that it was 'certainly group activity.'
Seemingly referring to gangs, the police chief added at a press conference: 'We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other.'
'In our city, 0.01 percent of the population is connected to 52 percent of our shootings, most of which are young people,' Barnes said.
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Barnes → say → which
Under former Mayor Bruce Harrell, officials were reluctant to use the terms gang and gang member, according to Seattle Red.
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officials → use → Red
Seattle's dedicated gang unit was disbanded in 2020 as the department shifted its approach toward gun violence.
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department → disband → violence
Seattle mayor Katie Wilson has came under scrutiny for her response to a horror mass shooting in her city on July 26 that killed three people and injured at least four others and was suspected to be connected to gang violence
Harrell's successor, Mayor Katie Wilson, has favored a community-policing approach that prioritizes relationships and problem-solving over strict enforcement.
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that → come → enforcement
Wilson came under fire for her response to the mass shooting in July.
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Wilson → come → July
The shooting unfolded at around 6pm local time, but the city's response was later scrutinized over delays and problems communicating information to the public.
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response → unfold → public
Wilson has since asked the city's Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent review of the public information response to the shooting.
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Wilson → ask → shooting
She was previously a supporter of efforts to defund the police in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in 2020 but has since said her views have evolved.
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views → defund → 2020
According to crime statistics tracker NeighborhoodScout, Seattle residents have a one in 132 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.
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residents → accord → crime
The robbery rate is more than triple the national rate, at 2.16 cases for every 1,000 residents, and there are an average of 446 crimes per square mile in the city.
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rate → be → city
Seattle has also struggled with a significant homelessness crisis.
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Seattle → struggle → crisis
A Brookings Institution analysis found that unsheltered homelessness in Seattle jumped 88 percent from 2015 through the period it examined.
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it → find → period
The Daily Mail has contacted Barden, the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle City Attorney’s Office for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
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