'It's gotta change': 160 Seattle businesses call for public safety focus
Dozens of Seattle business owners and residents are demanding that the City Council invest in tougher crime-stopping measures in next year's budget.
Ben Rainbow is one of the 160 people signing a letter to the council. He said he's used to crime at his doorstep near Pioneer Square.
Just Monday, he said, he found the lock to his business, Back Alley Bike Repair, had been damaged.
"Tried to burn the padlock off and break in with a lighter, a pocket lighter," he said.
Rainbow and the other signers complain about City Attorney Pete Holmes and demand more investment into public safety.
Rainbow said he's called the police at least a dozen times this year on people he said were homeless.
"I'd really like to see a decrease in the petty crimes and the petty offenses of this transient population," Rainbow said.
He said that in his nearly eight years of business, crime has gotten worse each year.
Holmes didn't respond to a request for comment yesterday.
In her budget proposal, Mayor Jenny Durkan has requested nearly $3 million for new initiatives aimed at stopping people cycling through the criminal justice system.
But several council members have said they want more money to expand LEAD, a diversion program that's designed to keep people out of the system.
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Casey Martin
Reporter
Casey Martin is a general assignment reporter who has covered everything from political protests to electric scooters. He is almost always out in the field where the news happens. Casey has reported on extremism, houselessness, politics and Seattle’s nightlife.
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