Popular bakery calling for action to address violence and crime in downtown Seattle

Seattle companies are calling on the city and police to take action against rising crime

Piroshky Piroshky opened for the first time in months, only to face multiple criminal instances right outside the door.

SEATTLE – Downtown Seattle business owners are fed up with months of crime and violence. The ongoing drama in the heart of the city has forced several stores to close, and lost employees and customers because people don’t feel safe.

Piroshky Piroshky on 3rd Avenue and Pike Street opened its doors at dawn after it had been closed for months. Staff said they saw a drug deal, indecent exposure and police stalemate with someone waving a knife within three hours of opening.

“Police presence everywhere. We look out the window and there is a man brandishing a knife. They pull out their guns and tell this man to drop the gun,” said Brian Amaya, head of operations at Piroshky Piroshky. “There are drug users here, people who try to steal food from our display case – they reach in and try to grab it.”

Olgoa Sagan, the owner of Piroshky Piroshky, said their location on 3rd Ave and Pike St closed in March after PPP funds ran out. She also said the shutdown helped the team take a break from the ongoing violence in the downtown area. However, the drama they wanted to avoid showed up on their doorstep on opening day.

“I think that’s what’s scary about us getting so used to this kind of crime and lawlessness in this area,” Sagan said.

“Unfortunately it was more like what we expected,” said Amaya.

Seattle police said the man with the knife had a mental crisis and had been rushed to a hospital for evaluation.

In a tweet on Monday, Piroshky Piroshky called on the city of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department to hold a conversation about what could be done to combat crime in the downtown area.

“Downtown is still in trouble, we still have problems, there are still security concerns, we still need a police presence here, we still need help here,” said Sagan. “It’s scary that the building in King County – they were all sent home. I mean, government officials keep running out of town.

The Downtown Business Association said helping the community is vital to recovering, especially after several businesses that have “suffered closings, financial losses, fear and uncertainty.” The group wrote in a statement:

Our elected city and county leaders need a plan to address problems that only seem to get worse. City-level decisions have in part resulted in staff shortages in the Seattle Police Department. Will the city council mitigate or exacerbate the situation?

“We have a lot of people pointing their fingers everywhere here – in government, in companies, and we want to do our part. We want to be here, be open, serve our customers, ”said Sagan.

Earlier this summer, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the downtown road restoration plan, investing millions of dollars to bring small businesses, workers and visitors back to the area. Sagan said if the plan was put into action she wondered if it would help bring customers back. Or is the damage done?

“We get a lot of messages that people don’t want to be here, people are afraid to be here. They want to walk downtown as quickly as possible,” said Sagan.

The mayor’s office said there is also a comprehensive budget in place to hire more police officers and reduce gun violence in the city.

Sagan said Piroshky Piroshky does not care about crime and violence at their Pike Place Market location as tourists mainly visit this store. Both Sagan and Amaya said they were grateful for the customers who turned up on 3rd Ave and Pike Street for their first day of reopening despite the problems downtown.

“Really warm welcome from the community – people who stop by don’t necessarily buy anything but say we’re so glad to see you again,” said Amaya.

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