The Wilson administration is responding to increased concerns about a Seattle crime hot spot with an increased presence from the Seattle Police Department and $1.1 million in funding to support services trying to address ongoing drug and disorder problems around Little Saigon.
Mayor Katie Wilson says she is trying a new approach at12th and Jackson, saying the city “will no longer tolerate open-air drug sale and use and vending stolen goods.”
Under the plan, the Seattle Police Department is expanding its personnel in the area to “engage directly with individuals” and “help ensure that the sidewalk and transit stops are safe and accessible for all.”
The mayor said repeat offenders will either be jailed or enrolled in the LEAD diversion program.
The city is also deploying $1.1 million of one-time funding to fund services including outreach staff to support service navigation, mobile overdose treatment and prevention teams, and community activations to support neighbors and businesses.
Neighborhood groups, including Friends of Little Sài Gòn and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority are partnering with the city on the plan.
While Wilson is billing the effort as a new approach, the South Seattle Emerald reports that the framework is similar to previous Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “Operation New Day,” which coordinated law enforcement agencies to address the persistent disorder around the corner, and another Harrell plan that added clean-up and graffiti abatement efforts that also failed to quell the public safety challenges.
On Capitol Hill at Pike and Broadway, another area identified by Seattle Police as one of its most troubled public safety hot spots has somewhat cooled — SPD’s stats show a small decrease in assaults and theft — over the past year despite many elements of a plan from District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth not having come to fruition.
The strongest element of Hollingsworth’s plan has been waiting for improved staffing at the East Precinct and the long-term gains from the CARE Department crisis responders despite the restrictions still placed on the department by SPD.
Other longer-term investments around improving and activating Cal Anderson Park also haven’t hurt. The Harvard Market shopping center’s new ownership has also shifted the way security, maintenance, and beautification takes places around the Pike at Broadway property.
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