Photo by Assunta Ng
It was an almost unfamiliar but welcome scene, in stark contrast to what a Seattle Times editorial once described as “overflowing trash cans, rubbish, dirty sidewalks and an open-air drug trade.”
It’s a whole new world at South 12th Avenue and South Jackson Street in Little Saigon, Chinatown International District (CID), thanks in large part to Operation New Day – Seattle Police Department (SPD), U.S. Attorney The Office of Co-Op, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the King County Attorney’s Office, and the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
Since January 21, 16 people have been arrested for felonies, mostly related to crimes in Little Saigon. Dealers of fentanyl and other drugs, including those carrying illegal firearms, were detained. Dozens of felonies and more than 100 charges have been filed.
“From my first day in office, we’ve made it clear that this is a new day for Seattle,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
Adding to the new sense of security are the additional patrols and deployments of the SPD moving areas over the past month. Police Chief Adrian Diaz assured Northwest Asia Weekly that “SPD is committed to continuing to work with city partners to help keep the area safe.”
As City Attorney Ann Davidson said, it was a team effort.
“Too many small business owners, commuters and visitors to downtown feel unsafe in our downtown…As I did with my 12th and Jackson recommendations, I will continue to prioritize SPDs from high crime areas Recommend…. to break this cycle of addiction, theft, drug sales and human suffering.”
Mayor, thank you for your attention to this community that has been neglected for too long. We thank you for keeping this campaign promise.
We also ask that you seriously consider dismantling the homeless camp near the I-5 highway in CID. Incident reports of fires, shootings, assaults and even rapes are common in and around the camp.
Two camps near City Hall and West Lake Park were demolished earlier this month.
Now, turn your attention to the CID. So far, you’ve come a long way in improving our community. We know this is already a work in progress… We ask you to speed up!
Let’s keep the momentum going and move towards making CID a better place to live, work, eat, shop and visit.
