U-District asking City of Seattle for more help to fight drugs, crime
Mar 17, 2025, 9:26 AM
The U-District is located next to the University of Washington campus in Seattle. (Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)
(Photo: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest)
An exploding drug trade is making the University District (U-District) a more dangerous place, according to locals and businesses. Now, residents and business owners want the City of Seattle to get more involved.
“With a drug market like this, violence tends to spill over,” Don Blakeney, executive director of U District Partnership, told KOMO News.
According to AreaVibes, the crime rate in the U-District is a staggering 188% above the national average.
With city assistance, the U District Partnership has expanded its ambassador program. The members patrol the neighborhood, assisting visitors and supporting the homeless population. They also work with businesses to address crime. Blakeney wants the city to allocate even more resources to the neighborhood to address the crisis.
Drug dealers and addicts frequently gather in the U-District to buy, sell, or use fentanyl and other drugs openly. This led to a two-block area designated as a Stay Out of Drug Area (SODA) zone, allowing police to trespass individuals involved in narcotics activities.
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Blakeney said the situation around N 47th St and University Way has rapidly deteriorated. He told KOMO that people are avoiding the area because of crime.
“We’re trying to help with our outreach team, but there’s a significant market for drug dealers preying on this population,” Blakeney said. He emphasized that the city needs to invest more time and resources to address drugs and crime.
Blakeney said the SODA zone has had little impact.
“We can do a lot of human services work, but it doesn’t resolve the drug market, which is fundamentally a law enforcement issue,” Blakeney said. “We need central command to focus community resources on reducing drug dealing in this neighborhood.”
According to its website, the Partnership “took on the role previously held by the U District Chamber of Commerce, which operated from 1914-2014.” It also collaborates with the University of Washington and the CARE team to transition people off the streets and into treatment and housing. Over the past four years, these efforts have housed 60 people and sheltered more than 140 others.
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