Safe Passage is a community-based violence intervention program in the Rainier Beach and Mount Baker neighborhoods. With an emphasis on relationship and community roots, we bridge the gap between traditional safety through law enforcement and community safety. As a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, we have a strong connection to SE Seattle schools and a deep concern for youth in the area. Safe Passage staff patrol high-risk and youth-prominent areas that have been identified as violence hot spots and use a restorative justice approach when practicing violence mitigation. Safe Passage staff all wear bright blue coats—with our Be Safe motto on the back—so they are highly visible and easily identified.

In partnership with the Rainier Beach Safeway, we offer a Community Healing Space in the grocery store’s parking lot every Friday evening. With food, games, and a restorative Community Circle, we bring members of the community together in a location previously known for gun violence and loss, giving them the opportunity to connect, heal and reclaim their neighborhood.

The SMART Moves (Skills Mastery and Resilience Training) prevention and education program examines the everyday pressures and situations facing youth today. Through discussion, role-playing, assertiveness training and resource sharing, youth develop the skills and gain the knowledge they need to make responsible choices and keep themselves safe—from substance use, premature sexual activity, peer and social media influence, and poor mental health—for life.