Seattle venue operators push for more surveillance cameras after festival shooting

A shooting at Seattle's food festival that killed three people and injured five has reignited debate over the city's police‑linked surveillance camera program. A coalition of major sports teams, venues and cultural groups—including Climate Pledge Arena, the Space Needle, Seattle Storm, Seafair, Visit Seattle and the Downtown Seattle Association—sent an open letter to Mayor Katie Wilson urging her to reactivate 22 shuttered police camera feeds in the Stadium District and Pioneer Square and to expand coverage to Seattle Center and the redeveloped waterfront.

Mayor Wilson’s interim communications director Dawn Schellenberg said the mayor is awaiting the results of a New York University data‑governance and privacy audit of the cameras, as well as a concurrent University of Pennsylvania evaluation overseen by the Office of Inspector General, both expected in September. The letter also noted uncertainty about whether former police chief Shon Barnes’ support for the cameras contributed to his recent resignation; Barnes declined to comment when approached at his home in Illinois.