In Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, public safety is not an abstract political issue. It is something residents and business owners say they see — and worry about — every day.
That frustration is at the center of a petition filed with King County Elections on Aug. 11 that accuses Seattle Mayor of being “derelict” in her public safety duties and calls for action on crime and neighborhood conditions across the city.
The petition, signed by Melinda E. Jacobson and Dale L. Osterud, raises concerns about several Seattle neighborhoods, including the Chinatown-International District (CID).
Katie Wilson
The petition says residents and business owners have repeatedly asked the mayor to address open-air drug use and what it describes as an open-air drug market around 12th Avenue and Jackson Street.
The petition says those concerns have continued from January through the present, despite pleas from people who live and work in the neighborhood. It also points to recent shootings and stabbings in the CID as evidence of continuing public safety fears.
Another major point of contention is the Seattle Police Department.
The petition argues that the mayor’s decision to force the resignation of Police Chief Shon Barnes following the Bite of Seattle shooting created instability within the department and undermined public confidence.
The petition also takes aim at the city’s use of surveillance cameras.
It says cameras at Seattle’s stadiums were activated during the World Cup because of what officials described as a credible threat, then turned off after the games. Petitioners argue that cameras in other areas—including the CID, Third Avenue, the Garfield High School area and Capitol Hill—could help investigators identify suspects and address crime.
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