Seattle Municipal Court staff and Presiding Judge Anita Crawford-Willis (center) at the court's 2025 Community Resource Day. Last Friday, about 100 people in need of Seattle or King County services stopped by Seattle Municipal Court (SMC)’s Community Resource Day at the Rainier Community Center in Columbia City. SMC staff were on hand to help attendees set up payment plans for Seattle traffic tickets, as well as address outstanding warrants.
This year, 45 service providers were also present offering supportive services in the areas of employment training, housing, behavioral health and medical services, legal resources, veterinary care and more. Veterinary care was new to this year’s event—and proved to be a huge hit with the participants. “This is something I looked into adding based on feedback from previous years,” said SMC Director of Equity and Engagement Victoria Moreland.
Tukwila Municipal Court also participated in the event for the first time, helping through the Unified Payment Program, which helps individuals reinstate their driver’s license by consolidating outstanding tickets into a single payment plan. Staff provided guidance on eligibility, navigating the program, and providing information on issues related to license suspensions listed on their Washington State Licensing (DOL)’s Abstract of Driving Record, commonly known as an ADR.
For both Moreland and her co-worker Linh Le, equity and engagement program specialist at SMC, putting together this yearly event is a labor of love.
“It’s exciting to see people from the community walk in and find the support, resources and information they need,” Moreland said. “I’m proud of how so many providers came together with the court to offer services to our community. This event was all about people helping people, and that’s what makes today so special.”
Linh Le echoed Moreland’s sentiments, adding that it’s also “rewarding to see how we have improved from last year both in terms of coordinating the event space and for reaching the community that needs the resources the most.” She also said that she is proud of the SMC staff volunteers who stepped out of their regular work routines to help.
About two dozen SMC staff members were on hand to help provide information, resources, or to quash eligible warrants or set hearings for clients.
Jennifer Miller, a records administrative specialist, was one of the court’s staff volunteers. “A lot of what I helped people with today was case look-ups – seeing if people had any active cases with our court or referring them over to King County District Court or other courts in our region,” she said.
Ada Canales, a court cashier, was also on hand at the event, mostly providing general information. Court cashiers are typically the “middlemen” between the court and jail, and they routinely review peoples’ court records and check for warrants, so helping at Community Resource Day was like her normal work at the court. “Since cashiers are client-facing and the first person many see when they enter the court, it’s important we are trained to provide information on all kinds of government resources—court-related or not,” she said.
SMC has been boosting its presence in the community for several years, with Community Resource Day now nearly a decade old (with breaks during the pandemic). To learn more about future events, please visit: https://www.seattle.gov/courts/about/community-engagement/outreach-events.