Did you read this first line of The Seattle Times’ coverage of increased attention to public safety downtown?
“Amir Yousuf, the owner of International Cigar and Tobacco on Third Avenue between Pike and Pine streets, breathed a sigh of relief Thursday when he saw a couple of Seattle police bicycle officers stationed outside his downtown store.”
Amir also shared that safety has been a top concern for his employees – and a challenge for retention.
I couldn’t agree more – as I wrote in my op-ed last year on public safety, to improve our economy, people must be confident that they will be safe and feel safe returning to work, whether it’s on the commute to and from the workplace or while on shift. People working in our city must be assured that if their safety is at risk, police will respond. They must also be assured that leaders will enact critical police reforms, like determining that some situations are better served by someone other than a sworn officer responding. But 911 calls need responses, and city leaders must work with community members, businesses and police as partners in recovery.
Last year, we launched The Index to show policymakers what voters want. The results highlighted the importance of restoring safety downtown, and we reiterated that message throughout the policy debate. Now we are seeing Seattle’s mayor engage emphatically and decisively on public safety downtown, and the city’s paper of record is covering the impact to Seattle’s small businesses.
Friday’s announcement from regional law enforcement leaders, sharing early results about their coordinated, collaborative work to stabilize public safety in Little Saigon is another step in the right direction.
This is what it looks like when we apply the right guardrails to conversations that focus on our region’s biggest needs. The conversation is not “defund the police” or “lock people up” – it is reforms, alternatives, and the needed number of officers to respond to crime and keep people safe.
By showing up to offer proactive guidance on what matters most to businesses and voters across the region, we can begin to see results that match our values. And hopefully, breathe more sighs of relief.
