Safety At Garfield
On October 10th, an email was sent out by Principal Howard to parents regarding an incident that happened recently at Garfield. A student saw online information that appeared to be a threat. Although they suspected that it might have been a joke, they informed administration, who then promptly inspected the information and took immediate action. The Seattle Police Department was informed and the suspect was identified, removed, and arrested after questioning. In the email to parents, Mr. Howard concluded by saying “Please be assured that the safety and security of our students is a top priority at Garfield High School. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

Washington State Abolishes Death Penalty
TW: mentions of violence and sexual assault
Washington state has become the 20th US state to ban the death penalty and the eighth in the last 11 years. The Washington Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was applied in an arbitrary and racially biased manner, which violates the state’s constitution. The decision, which was made on Thursday, October 11th, was driven by an appeal by a death row inmate who raped and murdered a woman in 1996. That appeal was apart of a study which showed that black inmates were 4.5 times more likely to be sentenced to death in Washington state than white inmates. While the death penalty law can’t be used, the legislature can try to pass a bill which would address the racial bias or could try to pass the Carlyle bill which will abolish the death penalty all together.