Seattle tragedy speaks to need to invest in our young people

Editor’s note: Today, in light of the mass shooting event at Seattle Center over the weekend, we feature an editorial by Formidable founder and CEO Emily Parkhurst. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families during this heartbreaking time.

For Seattleites, a beautiful summer weekend filled with celebrations of food, culture and community ended in heartbreak when gunfire erupted at a packed event at Seattle Center. Three people were killed and four others were injured. On Monday, the Associated Press reported that one of the suspects is only 15 years old.

That detail brought me back to something entrepreneur and restaurant owner Lillian Rambus said during an event we hosted earlier this year about the state of the restaurant industry. She described how rising labor costs have made it increasingly difficult for her to hire and mentor teenagers in entry-level jobs.

"There are no more community jobs for children because I just can’t afford to hire somebody and pay them $28 an hour to teach them how to sweep a floor," she said. "It breaks my heart. We’re located in the Central District. It’s easier for a young child to get a gun than a job. We have a serious problem."

Her words have stayed with me.

We know very little about the young people involved in this weekend's tragedy at the annual Bite of Seattle, and it would be wrong to draw conclusions about what led to their actions. Acts of violence are complex, and no single policy, circumstance or experience can explain why they happen.

But moments like this do raise broader questions about the opportunities we are creating, or failing to create, for young people in our community.

SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION

Research consistently shows that young people who have access to supportive adults, meaningful work, educational opportunities and a sense of belonging are more likely to thrive. At the same time, when those opportunities are scarce, some young people become more vulnerable to violence, exploitation or involvement in criminal activity. Those realities don't excuse violent acts, but they do remind us that prevention requires more than law enforcement alone.

Washington's teen unemployment rate is 14.8%, higher than the national average. Earlier this summer, the Associated Press reported on the growing challenges teenagers across the country face in finding their first jobs, particularly those from historically marginalized communities.

Many small business owners, especially in the restaurant industry, have said that higher labor costs have reduced their ability to hire inexperienced teenage workers and invest the time needed to train them. Others argue that higher wages are essential for workers to make ends meet.

Both concerns deserve to be taken seriously, and they point to a difficult challenge: How do we ensure workers earn fair wages while also preserving pathways into the workforce for young people seeking their first opportunity?

That question feels especially urgent because the burden of gun violence is not shared equally. In the Seattle area, Black residents are disproportionately affected by shootings, despite making up a much smaller share of the region's population. Young adults are also among those most frequently impacted.

If we want a safer Seattle, we need to think beyond reacting to tragedy. We need to invest in the conditions that help young people build hopeful futures, such as strong schools, mentors, safe community spaces, summer programs and accessible first jobs that teach responsibility, confidence and connection.

This isn't about pointing fingers or claiming there's a single solution. There’s not. It's about recognizing that preventing violence requires all of us to work together.

Every teenager who finds a first job, a trusted mentor or a place where they feel they belong is another young person with a stronger connection to their community and a clearer vision for their future. Creating more of those opportunities is something Seattle and other cities must come together to do.