Downtown Seattle businesses sick of ‘crack dealers’
Oct 11, 2012, 2:35 PM | Updated: 4:06 pm
Business owners complain Seattle Police are not doing enough to fight crime downtown. (MyNorthwest.com Photo/File)
(MyNorthwest.com Photo/File)
Downtown business owners say they have had enough of criminal activity near their storefronts, and are urging the Seattle City Council to take action.
More than 150 businesses and residents sent a letter to the council Tuesday, asking members to take steps to
“reduce the open buying and selling of drugs, aggressive solicitation and other prevalent illegal behaviors.”
The letter encouraged new efforts to “make Downtown Seattle safer, cleaner and more welcoming for everyone.”
“I refuse to let my business and our city be taken over by a bunch of crack dealers,” said Jill Donnelly, owner of Baby & Company on First Avenue and Virginia Street. “Stand on my corner for four hours on any given day … and tell me this is acceptable to you.”
Donnelly told KIRO Radio’s Ross and Burbank Thursday that she believes the growth of the city has overwhelmed the police department and officials in government. She called Mayor Mike McGinn “clueless,” and said Police Chief John Diaz was “absent” from the office.
The letter urges the city council to consider the priorities of the community as they review the 2013 city budget proposal.
