Dear Council, please listen to downtown’s 24/7 stakeholders before you leap

A recent online forum of downtown business associations revealed that many cities are struggling under the weight of the pandemic, social unrest and economic free fall.

As participants described the exodus of office workers and tourists, the head of Vancouver BC’s business improvement area said the city’s downtown residents were keeping its urban core alive.

Seattle civic leader Kate Joncas agreed that urban residents provide an anchor in shifting times.  She said downtown Seattle is in the process of redefining itself and residents should help lead that reform: “We’ve worked hard for people to live downtown and sometimes we take them for granted. We need to ask, ‘how is it the neighborhood can serve them?’ We need to get them involved.”

We couldn’t agree more.  Yet downtown resident voices are being lost in the rush to reduce the City’s budget and defund the police.  The majority of the council, including District #7’s Andrew Lewis, support cutting SPD’s budget by 50% but have trouble explaining how the public safety void will be filled while new civilian-led programs are built to scale.

Take substance abuse and mental health, issues that prompt many downtown calls to 911. There’s a strong case that police are not best suited to this work but there’s also a dire shortage of facilities and professionals to respond to and treat people suffering from these conditions--not only in Seattle but across King County and Washington State. As all levels of government reprioritize to build up these essential resources, how will calls be handled in the interim if SPD’s budget is arbitrarily slashed?

What’s the plan to deal with the ongoing drug and crime problem? Six months ago, Third Ave between Pike and Pine Streets was the scene of a rush hour mass shooting.  It wasn’t the first gun violence on this heavily used transit corridor surrounded by residential towers. Now post-quarantine, the daily chaos and open drug dealing has returned. But now without office workers and tourists, these activities occur openly on sidewalks throughout the day often threatening pedestrians.

The trio of crises facing Seattle presents an historic opportunity for progressive change. Shifts like moving 911 dispatch and parking enforcement from SPD to civilian control are a good start.

As Seattle works to reimagine and rebuild its approach to safety and social justice, we need a clear plan for transition.

Instead of worrying about meeting a number, show downtown residents a plan that meets the need.  We must find a way to reform without further risking downtown public safety.