Night after night, peaceful protests are co-opted by people destroying businesses and homes, setting fires, assaulting officers, throwing explosives, and blocking first responders. Peaceful protests and legitimate calls for social justice reforms are being drowned out by relentless violence, mayhem, and illegal behavior. Had enough? We have. It is frustrating to see Seattle’s reputation suffer as...
As this summer’s protests against police brutality continue into the fall months, more information is coming to light about where the public stands on the central issues of the protests. According to a new Crosscut/ Elway poll, the majority of voters support the broad goals of the protests, but remain against cutting the police by...
In what is being described as “mayhem”, the uptick in violent crime is forcing more and more people to pack up and flee Seattle, costing even more jobs that our community needs right now. Brian Nordwall, who owns Seattle E-bike, told KOMO News that the downtown area has become like open season for crime, and...
In a press conference, interfaith leaders from Seattle’s communities of color demanded that the City Council work to repair the damage it inflicted through its mistreatment of SPD Chief Carmen Best, the first African American woman to serve in that role. According to a report in the Post Millennial, Rev. Leslie Blackwell urged Chief Best...
Seattle Times reporters David Gutman and Mike Carter wrote about the mounting backlash the City Council is facing over its actions to defund the police, with no plan in place to maintain public safety. According to Gutman and Carter’s report, former SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole says the city is headed for trouble and urged council...
Seattle continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. A recent New York Times story showcased the chaos that played out in our city and how the “lack of a robust public safety presence” has left a lasting impact on citizens and businesses alike. It is a frustrating and all too familiar story for...
In a recent KOMO News special “town hall” hosted by KOMO journalist Eric Johnson, police, business leaders, and residents highlighted the many challenges and forces behind downtown Seattle’s seeming surge in violence in the last several months. One overriding factor that business leaders pointed to was what they described as an “open air drug market”...
Pierce County law enforcement authorities have taken an innovative approach to handling repeat criminal offenders. These “high priority offenders” are only a portion of criminals, but account for a large percentage of the overall crime in Pierce County. As KOMO reports, Pierce County police have mined data in reports and case filings to zero in...
In a new Seattle Times editorial, the paper criticizes the city government’s response to ongoing public safety problems affecting downtown Seattle and other areas of the city. Crimes of many types have been increasing in Seattle in recent years. These include violent crimes, a few notable examples being the mass shooting on Third Avenue last...
One year after a report commissioned by Seattle business leaders profiling ‘prolific’ criminal offenders who commit a “substantial portion” of the crime in the city, it appears that little has changed. According to the Downtown Seattle Association, 93 of the original 100 offenders profiled in last year’s report have cycled back in to jail. Collectively,...
According to a new report by the Seattle city auditor, the city could be doing more to deal with the mounting problem of trash around homeless encampments. The auditor’s report emphasizes and recommends dealing with the problem in a proactive way. So far, the report argues, the city has been acting in a reactive way...
Organizers with the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council (SSCPC) met to discuss the rising problem of shoplifting in Seattle and the perception that the crime often goes unpunished, making it harder to run a business and enabling more criminal activity. SSCPC invited Mindy Longanecker with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office to field questions at the...
VIDEO: Businesses Demand Seattle Do Something About Rampant Crime Over 200 business owners and residents of downtown Seattle signed a letter to Seattle and King County leadership Tuesday expressing grave concerns over the safety of the downtown Seattle area. Petitioners cited specifically the area on Third Avenue, which they say has gotten out of control,...