Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

We’re back with another weekly reporting round-up from August 24-31. Last week, we published three thorough articles on Mayor Katie Wilson’s hunt for a new police chief, funding for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and a Trans journalist at the Washington State Penitentiary seeking accountability for alleged discrimination. Let’s dive in!

A Trans woman built a newspaper behind bars, but now her own treatment is becoming the headline

Jennifer Jaylee is a Transgender journalist who’s currently in prison at the all-male Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) in Walla Walla. Jaylee founded the Top of the Mountain, a news-magazine that was made to help incarcerated people write about their lives and share news from inside the prison walls. Now, she is taking on the Washington State Department of Corrections (WA DOC) in federal court.

On August 7, Jaylee filed a case against the Washington DOC, and again on August 21, although the publicly indexed docket does not currently provide the substance of Jaylee’s complaint. The Seattle-Tacoma Chapter of Black & Pink has been supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ people in prisons since 2016, and recently posted on social media about Jaylee.

“She was denied a job at a concession stand that over the last three years has refused employment to all trans and queer applicants, while hiring several homophobes instead,” Black & Pink SeaTac said. “Jaylee filed a lawsuit against the discrimination by the unit manager who oversees the concession stand, as well as two inmates who were part of the job interview process and recommended Jaylee not be hired.”

Jaylee was then placed in solitary confinement, according to Black & Pink SeaTac, which stated she is in there solely due to transphobic discrimination. Rachel Ericson, deputy communications director for the WA DOC, told TtS that Jaylee is currently in administrative segregation.

Read the full article here.

Seattle Office for Civil Rights announces $550k for 2SLGBTQIA+ community, building on previous investment

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) announced $550,000 in new funding for the city’s 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, which adds on to the $300,000 in emergency funding approved by the Seattle City Council earlier this month for the Queer community. This funding comes after months of LGBTQIA+ advocates in the city demanding that the mayor declare an internal Trans refugee crisis and protect the community.

Under this new $550,000 investment, $450,000 will go towards rapid relief funding for local, Queer organizations to support immediate stabilization needs, such as housing. The other $100,000 will be dedicated towards community resources and services, and small material relief, like ORCA cards.

“We are currently developing recipient eligibility criteria and designing the selection process with input from communities and will share more information in the coming weeks. At this time, no funding has been awarded. We will also pursue additional funding to support 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in 2027 and beyond,” according to the SOCR.

At the August 11 Seattle City Council meeting, members unanimously passed $300,000 in funding to assist with emergency shelter, food, employment support, and other essential services, as previously reported by TtS. 

Click here to learn more.

Mayor Katie Wilson searches for permanent police chief; hiring incentives to end come September

The city has cycled through a slew of police chiefs over the past few years, and after the sudden resignation of Chief Shon Barnes following the international headline-grabbing Bite of Seattle shooting in July, Mayor Katie Wilson is on the hunt for a new, permanent fixture. At the same time, thousands of dollars of financial incentives for new and lateral hires are ending on September 1, creating more major changes to the department after years of its union complaining of a lack of pay and low officer numbers.

Mayor Wilson kicked-off her nationwide search on August 25, and is focused on candidates who will shape the culture at the Seattle Police Department (SPD), as well as the future of public safety.

This new search comes amidst ongoing budget issues. For years the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild (SPOG), which is SPD’s Union, has claimed that the department has been understaffed and underfunded, despite their operating budget ballooning each year. In 2025, $457.9 million was dedicated to the department, and this year it received 6.68% of the total operating budget, or $488.6 million.

Due to this year’s budget constraints, Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles made the decision to temporarily pause financial hiring incentives for new and lateral officers, according to King5.

Read the full article here.

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