Affected Persons Program Initiative

Please join us to learn more about our fight to create a permanent, independent Seattle office dedicated to providing resources to victims of police violence and their families, the Affected Person Program Initiative. The APP Coalition is a group of community members, led by Castill Hightower, the sister of Herbert Hightower Jr., who was killed by Seattle police in 2004 while experiencing a mental health crisis, who are currently working to launch the Affected Persons Program Initiative later this year which aims to create a permanent, independent office in Seattle that offers direct resources to victims of police violence and their families who typically qualify for little to no victim compensation.

The resources that the office will provide will be determined by survivors of police brutality, members of families whose loved ones were killed by the police, and communities affected by police violence and the carceral system by way of yearlong movement building that includes community input events followed by healing sessions, mutual aid events, and teach-ins.

The type of support that has already been expressed includes attorney and investigator fees, mental health resources, medical expenses, travel costs, burial and funeral costs, childcare costs, loss of wages, and more. At the same time, far-right movements will attack on two fronts. First, some call for doling out vigilante-style “retribution” on opponents--attacking all who seek Dr. King’s vision of beloved community. Far-rightists will also push the administration and all of society in a more ominous direction. This is the “three-sided struggle.” This workshop will map likely threats from far-right movements: white nationalists, militias, Christian nationalists, tech-bro fascists, anti-immigrant vigilantes, and other bigoted conspiracy-mongers. We will examine their advances into the mainstream, including the incoming administration and state legislatures. We will also explore concepts of resistance and the three-sided struggle as we prepare to face the fear together.

Presenters: Castill Hightower and Saunatina Sanchez

Organization Name: Affected Persons Program Coalition

Website: seattleappinitiative.org

Castill Hightower is an organizer directly impacted by police violence. Her brother, Herbert Hightower Jr., was shot and killed by Seattle police in 2004, while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. When Herbert was killed, her family struggled to access resources which impacted their mental health along with their ability to bury and have a funeral for him. They, like so many families, continue to be negatively affected not only by her brother’s passing, but the compounded trauma that came with a lack of support during one of the most traumatic times of their lives.

Saunatina Sanchez has been a teacher, trainer, and coach for over 15 years. She focuses on helping people navigate the communication snags that trip up our understanding of each other.