A group of citizens, calling themselves the Committee for Fairness in Public Safety, have organized an initiative in an attempt to stop the city from building a new jail site.

If enacted, Initiative 100 would require the City to publicly negotiate with King County to: explore alternatives to building a city jail--including extending the current City-County jail Contract, analyze ways to decrease incarceration rates while increasing public safety, analyze whether investments in social services will lower crime and arrest rates and develop a strategy to address racial disparity in arrest and incarceration rates.

The measure would also require a public vote to decide whether to build a city jail.

Organizers have 86 days to collect 23,000 signatures from Seattle voters.

Seattle’s contract with the King County Jail to house people arrested for misdemeanor charges ends in 2012 and the city will need a place to put those offenders.

Six possible sites have been identified for consideration, including Highland Park Way Southwest.

But organizers of Initiative 100 point out that 22 percent of people in King County Jail are there for drug-related charges, and argue that alternative programs for such offenses, including Clean Dreams, could leave more beds open.

Supporters also say that the direct connection between under-funded social and human services and incarceration rates has not been addressed.

“It was staggering to hear the City announce the building of a $220 million jail in the same 10 days as the (Seattle Public) School superintendent announced closing five schools," according to a press release in support of the measure. "Where do we want to put our money? Into positive investments like schools that will enrich our community, or into furthering a system of structural race and class discrimination?”