Dozens of businesses, locals call for immediate action on public safety in downtown Seattle

Drug use in the open air is worse than ever. Trash, needles, and charred foil were used to smoke a variety of drugs that were strewn on the sidewalks. Feces and urine in alleys and other public spaces. Constant shoplifting with no consequences. Corporations constantly faced with broken windows and spending thousands of dollars on private security because there aren’t enough cops and employees are scared of even getting downtown.

All of this and more are threats to downtown Seattle’s recovery unless the city and county council takes immediate action to improve public safety and the unmet needs of the street population, according to the Downtown Seattle Association and dozens of local people Businesses and residents who signed a letter sent to councilors on Thursday.

Despite the mayor’s promises, the downtown Seattle restaurant owner says the area is still unsafe

“The concentration of economic activity in the inner city generates millions of dollars in annual tax revenues from cities, counties and states that are vital to maintaining services and developing infrastructure in our region,” the letter said.

“The pandemic had an oversized impact on the 12 neighborhoods of downtown Seattle, resulting in more than 500 permanent small business closures, the cancellation of 90 conventions and a 65% decline in earned income for arts and cultural organizations in 2020-21.” , she went on, pointing to severe economic losses that the hospitality, arts and services sectors also suffered.

“While progress has been made over the summer, it will not be enough and will not last without taking specific measures to combat public safety, homelessness and drugs,” the letter said.

“The current realities on the streets of downtown Seattle – and the lack of a clear and well-resourced strategy to address the mental health and drug use crisis and keep all safe – is a key threat to recovery and life needy people. If not properly addressed, this crisis will harm job creation, hiring and retention, further delay reopenings, devastating our arts and cultural sectors and, ultimately, seriously jeopardizing the future of Seattle, ”the letter said continues and urges the councils to take specific action to act immediately to address the issues with compassion.

The DSA and the business owners ask the city and district managers to take five specific measures:

1. That the city council accept the entirety of the mayor’s public safety and housing investments in the proposed 2022 budget to increase police staff, build new housing and housing, expand the Health One program and increase the number of community service providers.
2. That the city council and county county fully fund the implementation of the 2019 High Barrier Work Group recommendations, which was jointly convened to target individuals with significant and repeated interactions with the criminal justice and emergency response systems.
3. That the city council set up a security grant program to compensate for the significant additional security expenses that small businesses, retailers, and art and cultural venues are incurring due to the reduced SPD staff and increased response times.
4. That the city council and county council jointly fund and establish an initiative to significantly reduce organized retail crime in downtown Seattle and eliminate incumbent fencing businesses by investing in additional investigative, prosecutorial and reporting resources. In developing such an initiative, local leaders should review the program recently announced in San Francisco.
5. That the city council and the district council jointly support the development and financing of a strategy led by the Regional Homelessness Authority (RHA) to respond to homelessness in the city center, in order to provide the unprotected population in the city center with the necessary emergency shelter and permanent housing, contact, treatment and continuous care provide.

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