Seattle Forward

Final Roosevelt Decision Upholds Neighborhood Values

The City Council voted 7-2 (Harrell and Godden in opposition) this afternoon to approve the Roosevelt rezone proposal.  The final legislation mandates landscaped setbacks at the ground level to achieve wider sidewalks and wider view corridors to the high school, further setbacks between 35 and 45 feet to create building modulation and an even wider view corridor, incentives for workforce housing, a requirement that any off-street parking that may be offered go underground, residential units only on Northeast 66th Street facing the high school except at the corners of the buildings and preservation of appropriate scaling to the east across 15th Avenue Northeast which has an existing 40 foot height limit.

Human Trafficking: The Evidence is Clear

I'm going to Olympia this afternoon to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on a package of bills related to the growing problem of human trafficking.

Nicholas Kristof wrote an illuminating article yesterday in The New York Times that described how the Internet has become the primary marketing tool of those who "sell" young women for profit.  It's not a topic we will likely raise at dinner tonight, that's for sure.  But, the commercial sexual exploitation of our children demands moral clarity and a keen focus.

So what are the facts of sex trafficking in our region?

Yesterday, my office completed a compilation and review of criminal prosecutions in Seattle-King County over a 42-month period ending in August 2011.  We found that 67 offenders had been charged and prosecuted over the 42 months.  These 67 individuals had victimized more than 78 girls and women in King County.

We have gathered together key documents from these cases in one place so the public can gain a sense of the psychological abuse and violence committed against these women. As a warning, the documents contain graphic and disturbing information. Details on the cases and links to the case stories are available in this table.

The remarks I will be sharing with our legislators this afternoon follow the jump. 

Potpourri: Seattle Police Doing Good, New York's Almost Crime Free Central Park

Two important factoids this morning.

First, Judy Lightfoot, writing over at Crosscut.com, makes the case for SPD's Crisis Intervention Team and the hundreds of officers with advanced training for dealing with people with mental health challenges.  It's a good piece that showcases the exemplary work done every day by Seattle police officers.

Second, when you think of Central Park in New York City do you shudder and think of runaway crime and disorder?  Would you walk your dog or jog in Central Park after dark?

You may be surprised by what's happened in Central Park in recent years.  A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times reported on a nearly crime-free Central Park.  Smart policing can produce amazing results; it proves that urban crime is not something we must shrug our shoulders over and accept.

And here's another believe it or not factoid out of New York City.  The High Line, an elevated park extending over a mile and designed by James Corner—the same urban designer working on our central waterfront—has been crime free since it opened two-and-a-half years ago.  Crime free!  There hasn't been one reported major crime on the High Line. (Seattle will begin work later this year on our ground-level version of the High Line on Bell Street between Fifth Avenue and First Avenue in Belltown.)

Criminologist Franklin Zimring argues in his new book, The City That Became Safe, that the long-held belief that large urban cities will always have a minimum threshold level of crime is false. He says New York City's experience since 1991—they have eliminated 80% of major crime—proves that smart policing can produce amazing results, even in areas where crime has flourished for years. It will be difficult and require intense focus, but we can do the same here in Seattle.

Traffic and Snow Watchers

Check out road clearing/deicing in your neighborhood or citywide. Watch live traffic cameras.

A New Philosophy of Policing for Seattle

My tenure as chair of the Council's public safety committee will end this afternoon when the Council reorganizes, something we do every two years. 

I've learned a lot over the last four years.  We've accomplished a lot, too.  But one important area where I don't believe we've made as much progress as we should have is in reforming the culture of our Police Department.  I've written about this before here and here.  We also have not effectively wrestled with and abated the persistent and extremely corrosive street crime and disorder that plagues some of our neighborhood business districts. 

As a summation of my work on the public safety committee, I've compiled my thoughts on these two major challenges in a policy essay.  My hope is this paper will spark needed discussions among and between policymakers, law enforcement officers and concerned citizens about the best way we can work together to make our city safer. Please take some time to read it and let me know how you react to these ideas.