Downtown public safety will cross a threshold next week when a small group of commercial property owners and residents begin paying out-of-pocket for weekday off-duty police protection.

Stores have previously hired private security but scheduling foot patrols from late morning till early evening is different. Downtown has entered the era of do-it-yourself public safety.

It raises uncomfortable questions including, ‘isn’t this why we pay taxes?’  to ‘what about people who can’t afford to pay?’ and ‘won’t this just push problems elsewhere?’ 

Not surprisingly this experiment will take place on Third Avenue near Pike and Pine Streets, a nexus of bus and light rail hubs, the gateway to the Pike Place Market and home to businesses and residents trying to hang on.

Just over a year ago the area was rocked by a rush hour mass shooting that left one dead.  A period of intense police focus followed but disintegrated with the pandemic, social justice protests and finally, major cuts to SPD that reduced staffing and caused additional resignations leaving the department understaffed.

Much has been written on the state of downtown and how it might be revived. Those plans must start with safety. But so far, City Hall has failed to recognize an eminent threat to life and property exists here.

Residents and business owners describe being caught up in sidewalk drug deals and fights, calling 911 for people overdosed, or being unable to enter their home or business because someone is shooting up in their entry.

City Hall is focused on public safety through the prism of social justice, community policing, increased social services and police reform. These efforts are necessary and thankfully underway. But they haven’t decreased the daily threats people experience in this neighborhood.

The need for Third Avenue safety is visceral and isn’t responding to the promise of future reforms. Physical harm and property damage should not be viewed as collateral damage when building a more enlightened system.

The Third Avenue group realizes the costs make this private security effort unsustainable but hopes it will at least temporarily improve the situation and show City Hall it needs to bridge the safety gap between current reality and their future vision.