Seattle business owners warn of the escalating violent crime: 'This is insanity'

Seattle residents and business owners are expressing their worries about the hourly occurrence of crime and how perpetrators reappear after their arrests to continue causing harm.

Downtown Seattle community members shared their "horror stories" about crime and urged the city to act quickly.

The increased drug activity and other crime in the downtown area of the city are the source of their concerns, they stated.

In 2023, the number of violent crimes in downtown Seattle decreased by 10% from the previous year, reaching its lowest point since 2018.

Urban Renaissance Group CEO Pat Callahan stated that despite some progress, the crime issue remains unsolved. He revealed that several tenants at his downtown property are considering relocating.

"The fentanyl use is consistently causing crime in the area and it's getting worse," he stated.

Recently, a garbage truck fire occurred near the company's Joshua Green Building, and Executive Vice President Shawn Jackson stated that the situation has become "somewhat extreme."

"Frequent property damage events occur," he stated. "We must not allow the challenges of multiple concentrated blocks in our downtown to define our identity."

Tom Graff, a commercial real estate broker, stated that the current approach to crime is not effective and is "not sustainable."

The Five Spot Café's pet policy resulted in a man with a dog repeatedly yelling at customers and pounding on counters, which led to his removal by police.

In one instance, patrons at the café alleged that the man possessed a gun and made threats to shoot them.

"This is madness," Graff added.

Some of the problems may be related to the city's jail capacity or its ability to process offenders, as reported by the Business Journal.

Ann Davison, the City Attorney, pointed out that restrictions hinder officers from booking individuals for half of misdemeanor offenses, including theft, harassment, animal cruelty, and property destruction, while they can still book people for assault, drunken driving, sex crimes, domestic violence, and firearm offenses.

"We need to regain that misdemeanor jail capacity," Davison said.

Despite hiring efforts, the Interim Police Chief Sue Rahr stated that the department has lost 400 officers and anticipates staffing will be "below what is needed" for the next two or three years.

"The 2020 defund the police movement may have caused us to stray from our focus on fighting crime," she stated.

Neither the Seattle Police Department nor the Seattle Mayor's Office responded to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiry for comment.