Seattle City Council unanimously approves plan to block Aurora Avenue streets tied to shootings, sex trade

Seattle City Council members unanimously approved an emergency plan on Tuesday that would block through traffic on several residential streets near Aurora Avenue N., part of an effort to reduce shootings and other crime tied to the illegal sex trade.

The city has already installed barriers and signs on the west side of Aurora at N. 96th, 98th, 100th, and 102nd streets. The closures are temporary for now and are set to remain in place through the end of summer while the city monitors their effectiveness.

The 9-0 vote to approve comes after weeks of pressure from north Seattle residents who have called for action along the Aurora corridor, where neighbors claim shootings, prostitution, and other crime have spilled into surrounding neighborhoods.

Councilmember Debora Jaurez sponsored the bill and offered these words to the people in the neighborhood:

“I want to apologize to the folks on Aurora, east and west, that it took us so long to have a legislative response when you were experiencing gun violence,” she said.

Seattle leaders began outlining next steps after residents marched along Aurora Avenue demanding change. City officials said they were responding to ongoing violence in the area, including concerns about gunfire on nearby streets.

The issue in Aurora has become a daily worry

Residents have described hearing gunfire at night and watching open sex trafficking play out near their homes, and many said they felt the city had been slow to respond. That frustration prompted calls for immediate intervention along one of the city’s most troubled corridors.

Mayor Katie Wilson has said the city is trying to coordinate a response across multiple agencies. Wilson directed the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to close specific streets in the area and add traffic-calming measures to make it harder for drivers to circle through the neighborhood.

The closures are designed to disrupt the circulation patterns that the city stated are used by buyers, pimps, and others who loop repeatedly through residential streets off Aurora. By cutting off those routes, officials hope to make it harder to solicit women and girls and to flee quickly after a crime.

The city also directed Seattle police to increase focused enforcement in the area. Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Shon Barnes said the neighborhoods would have two dedicated officers patrolling the corridor at night, along with bicycle officers at other times.

City Attorney Erica Evans has also warned that people who buy sex or allow criminal activity at their businesses could face arrests or shutdowns. Her office has signaled it intends to pursue both criminal charges against buyers and civil action against properties that repeatedly host illegal activity.

City crews have also removed some resident-installed barriers in the area and replaced them with temporary traffic-calming measures. Some neighbors had built their own makeshift barricades to slow cars, and the city’s response is intended to provide a safer, coordinated alternative.

The council vote determined that the city will move ahead with the emergency plan as officials continue tracking whether the temporary closures reduce crime and cut-through traffic.

City leaders have framed the closures as an urgent first step rather than a permanent fix. During the trial period, the city plans to gather feedback from residents and businesses and adjust the approach based on what is and isn’t working along the corridor.

Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

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