By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
King County Metro has announced that it will soon reopen four bus stops near 12 Avenue South and South Jackson Street, following city and county law enforcement efforts to improve community safety in Little Sài Gòn.
King County Metro closed the four stops on Dec. 16, 2024, citing safety concerns. Business owners have specifically pointed to the high rate of drug use and crime in the area. Two days after King County Metro’s closure of the stops, on Dec. 18, 59-year-old King County Metro bus driver Shawn Yim was stabbed to death.
Routes 1, 7, 9, 14, 36, 60, and 106 will resume serving the four bus stops on Monday, March 3. Since the stops’ closure, King County Metro said, the agency has partnered with the King County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Transit Police, and the Seattle Police Department to improve safety and reduce the number of people gathered near the 12th and Jackson bus stops.
Law enforcement and Metro operations, safety, and facilities staff monitored the bus stops’ conditions for several weeks, King County Metro said, and law enforcement “conducted several targeted investigations and made necessary arrests for unlawful conduct to improve the conditions for transit operators, transit facilities employees, and riders waiting for bus service.”
“We will continue to monitor this area and coordinate with police and social service providers to maintain reliable operations that support the safety of our transit employees and riders,” King County Metro continued. “If security conditions at this location or elsewhere in Metro’s service area are concerning to customers, community members, or transit operators, we encourage people to report their concerns either to law enforcement or King County Metro. Metro will continue to use data and input from operators and customers to guide decisions and efforts to improve and address security.”
Alternate stop locations remain in effect through March 2.
The collapse of Little Saigon begins with Metro bus stop renovations that ultimately shut down how goods were delivered at 12th and Jackson. The merchant use of in front of store parking, use of fork lifts and temporary street storage kept the community free of transients. Now bus stops, turn lanes and reduced parking for customers have opened up the gates for nefarious behavior. Metro sees the ID as thier own playground. They must be made accountable and stopped from further missteps!