Seattle enterprise teams press for enter on public security as mayor and Metropolis Council eye modifications

Some Seattle business groups are seeking more input as Mayor Jenny Durkan and the city council discuss possible changes to policing and public safety.

The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and groups from certain other neighborhoods, such as the Ballard Alliance, the Alliance for Pioneer Square, the Sodo Business Improvement Area, and the University District Partnership, plan to petition the Durkan and Council on Monday Be encouraged to commit to these to keep small businesses safe.

The campaign takes place within the framework of mayor-council negotiations on budget cuts and transfers by the police authorities. The negotiations began in response to an ongoing uprising for the lives of blacks that included mass protests against police killings and advocacy by community coalitions.

The signatories of the petition include a selection of local shops, restaurants, companies and hotels, representatives of some companies such as Amazon, and some individual residents according to a list compiled by the groups of companies. Many other companies have failed, including some supporting a push to reinvest police agency funds in other services.

Lobbying is also happening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has closed some facilities and crippled many more.

Although corporate groups have already handed out petitions, the pledge is a slightly new approach. It is said that the city will ensure safety for employees, customers and owners. Creation of a new office to provide advice to crime victims; and small business representatives on public safety boards.

For example, the promise would oblige the city to “maintain the ability of employees to enter and leave their workplaces without threatening personal safety”. It would also oblige the city to “create a safe working environment that is protected by duly sworn officers, emergency services and / or emergency responders if they are threatened or attacked”.

The promise is not legally binding. “All parties acknowledge that there is no contractual relationship between this promise but agree to work together” to live up to the spirit of the commitments, the document reads.

“Everyone should be able to say,” People should be safe walking into these small businesses, “said Don Blakeney, vice president of the DSA. The point is to make sure business owners are heard when city guides revise Seattle’s public safety system , he said.

This system has disproportionately harmed blacks, indigenous peoples and other people of color and has led many protesters this summer to demand that police dollars be diverted into social programs and unarmed solutions.

Durkan has said it wants to transform public safety in Seattle despite vetoing bills last month to downsize the police force and expand alternative options, claiming the council moved too quickly.

The DSA, which has supported a stronger police presence in the city center in recent years, criticized the council’s draft law, which aims to reduce the armed forces by up to 100 officers.

The interim police chief Adrian Diaz announced this month that he would patrol about 100 additional officers and supervisors from other units.

Chuan Lu, co-owner of Boba Up restaurant on University Way Northeast, signed the small business petition. Lu said the corridor felt more dangerous than it did when he was a college student in the 1980s, and mentioned a recent break-in, drug dealers, and disruptive people.

“The city council and the mayor are clueless,” said Lu, who warned staff not to walk around the area at night. “You want to use social workers [to handle people acting out in businesses]? You are in la la land. “

Blakeney said the petition and pledge were not intended to oppose the changes discussed at town hall. A Monday letter attached to the petition and pledge called for “a revised communal social contract … that protects and repeals us all” without mentioning the police.

“When we increase a particular budget cut or allocation, we lose track of the values ​​we share,” said Blakeney. “We want to support safe and vibrant neighborhoods … while reforming the way we operate the police force.”

Lisa Daugaard, who developed a Seattle program that brings case management to those who would otherwise be arrested for street crimes, sees an opportunity in the direction the corporate groups seem to be taking.

“They say they are agnostic about the means as long as there are certain outcomes,” she said. “That is very welcome and extremely important.”

Petition signer Bianca Szyperski, who recently closed her juice bar in Pioneer Square after a knife threatened employees, said the many people struggling with mental illness and addiction in the area made business difficult. The police did not always show up when they were called, she said.

“We felt left alone by the city,” said the Juju Beet owner. “I don’t like the name ‘defunding’, but I’m all for police restructuring and a lot more money to help mentally ill people.”

The groups behind the petition and pledge don’t speak for all small businesses, noted Luis Rodriguez, who owns The Station cafe on Beacon Hill. Rodriguez keeps his business safe by getting to know all community members and treating them with respect, he said.

“If you treat your community well, your community will treat you well,” he said, arguing that police dollars could be better spent on other uses, including more COVID-19 aid to small businesses. “Nobody’s going to break our windows, and even if they do, that’s why we have insurance.”

The community coalitions urging the city to devalue the police by 50% are decriminalizing Seattle and King County Equity Now has a number of small businesses as supporters, according to a list of Decriminalize Seattle that includes many nonprofits and community organizations .

The postman, a postal company in the central district, was not asked to sign Monday’s petition, said co-owner Keanna Pickett. While every company wants security, “everyone wants and needs different guys,” said Pickett, a supporter for King County Equity Now.

For Pickett, defusing the police means transferring money to companies that can deliver what all companies strive for, she said – better customer service.

“My community members don’t always trust the police,” added Pickett. “We trust our community members because they always show up.”

Employee reporter Paul Roberts contributed to this story.

Daniel Beekman:
206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @dbeekman. Daniel Beekman, Seattle Times staff reporter, covers the Seattle city government and local politics.