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Municipal Court Judge.

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Seattle Municipal Court's
seven judges

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hear cases
involving misdemeanors

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and gross misdemeanors,
including domestic violence,

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DUI, parking tickets,
and traffic infractions.

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The municipal court
also hears cases

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involving civil offenses such as
violations of the city's fire,

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housing, or zoning codes.

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Each municipal court judge
serves a four-year term

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in this nonpartisan office.

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This year, all seven judges
are up for election.

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All voters in Seattle

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can vote in each of
the seven judicial races.

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♪♪

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♪♪

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-My name is Judge Damon Shadid.

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I'm running for reelection
to the position

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I've held on the
Seattle Municipal Court

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for the past eight years.

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My two terms in office have been
guided by a singular principle,

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we can make Seattle safer
and healthier

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by addressing
the root causes of crime

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instead of the business as usual
approach of jailing people

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repeatedly and then releasing
them back onto the street

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in a worse condition
than when they entered.

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To accomplish this, I've taken
a multi-pronged approach

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to addressing crime in Seattle.

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First, we needed
a more efficient

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and effective way of handling
low-level property crimes,

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I therefore created
a new community court

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unifying the court,
the city attorney,

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and the Department of Public
Defense behind a shared vision

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connecting defendants
to services

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on their very first court date,

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instead of having to wait months
for a case to resolve.

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Second, we needed better ways
to address people

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who come to the court system
with untreated

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and sometimes long-standing
mental health issues.

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These people can often act out
in violent and dangerous ways,

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holding them in jail
for long periods of time

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can often destabilize them
further,

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making them even more dangerous
when released.

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I therefore expanded
and re-imagined

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Seattle's Mental Health Court
to better serve

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these challenging individuals.

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Finally, we needed a better way

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to support
our essential case workers

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who are on the streets every day
helping connect

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those experiencing homelessness
to services and housing.

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I created
a consolidated calendar

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that allows case workers
to come to court

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just one-half day per week
to support their clients

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who are involved in
the criminal legal system,

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thus giving case workers
more time to work

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with their clients on the street
instead of sitting in court.

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The common theme behind all
these programs is collaboration.

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No one institution or program
can solve all of our problems,

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we must work together
to make our city a safer

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and healthier place to live.

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But we have much
more work to do,

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and I would ask for your vote in
the November general election.

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Thank you.
My name is Judge Damon Shadid,

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Seattle Municipal Court,
Position 7.

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-I'm Nyjat Rose-Akins,

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and I'm running for Position 7

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on the Seattle Municipal Court
bench.

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I love Seattle.

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I became a U.S. citizen here,
but I've seen it erode

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with the breakdown of
collaboration across the city.

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I'm running for
Seattle Municipal Court

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to help repair this breakdown,

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to improve community
confidence in the court,

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and to return to
an individualized approach

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to judicial decision making.

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I'm running because
I've spent the last 12 years

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working with victims of crime
in Seattle

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and managing our community
relationships with police.

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In my 12 years
at the City Attorney's Office,

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I've partnered with
community members,

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government officials,
law enforcement, and businesses.

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I've seen firsthand that
issues affecting communities

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are rarely resolved in silos.

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Real change takes collaboration
from everyone involved,

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a willingness to listen,
and taking responsibility

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when things are not working.

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Systems can always be better.

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I'm the candidate that can make
Seattle Municipal Court better.

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I've worked in
the public sector in Seattle

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for my entire legal career.

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I worked in the Seattle
City Attorney's Office's

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Criminal Division for six years.

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In that role, I developed
a great understanding

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of all types of cases
that come before the court.

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While working in
the criminal division,

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I tried over 60 cases,

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I resolved cases
in Mental Health Court,

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Community Court,
and Domestic Violence Court.

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My awareness for
how a criminal case

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impacts all those involved
has further deepened

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since serving regularly as a pro
tem judge within King County.

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These experiences in
the City Attorney's Office

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and serving as a pro tem judge,

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have shaped
my judicial philosophy.

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I understand that the court
cannot single-handedly solve

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all the problems
affecting communities,

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but by being innovative

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and willing to try
alternative approaches,

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it can change the course
of someone's life.

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Judges should lead
with compassion

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but they also have to consider
the facts presented and the law.

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And for those reasons,
I ask for your vote.