Seattle Expands Policing, Services in Little Saigon and North Beacon Hill

LITTLE SAIGON — On June 17, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced her plan to "disrupt the drug dealing, public disorder, and other illegal activity" in Little Saigon and North Beacon Hill. According to a press release, there are two parts to the plan: a "tough on crime" approach, which involves expanding police personnel in the areas, and a "community-oriented" approach, which gives a one-time $1.1 million to fund community-led services.

On her "tough on crime" approach, Wilson says the city "will no longer tolerate open-air drug sale and use and vending stolen goods." Seattle police will "explain that the behavior is no longer tolerated," and if "individuals persist in these behaviors, they will either be booked into jail or enrolled in the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program."

LEAD referrals are currently high in the West Precinct, which includes Little Saigon, but virtually zero in the South Precinct, which includes North Beacon Hill.

In a statement to the Emerald, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said it would "review each case individually, and we can file charges when prosecutors believe there is sufficient admissible evidence to bring the case to court." The office also said Wilson had shared her concerns about Little Saigon and North Beacon Hill, but that "it's not typical for prosecutors (here or statewide) to hear from a mayor's office about a specific emphasis announcement."

The Seattle City Attorney's Office said in a statement to the Emerald that "when there's evidence that someone is engaged in the kinds of persistent, chronic or defiant public disorder patterns that Mayor Wilson's announcement targets, traditional prosecution is the approach." The office also said that the city attorney and the mayor are "close collaborators on public safety issues all across Seattle," including this plan with Little Saigon, though it did not specifically reference North Beacon Hill.

In her statement, Wilson also notes that "we can't arrest our way out of these problems," which is why she is also "deploying $1.1 million of one-time funding to immediately support additional services." This funding would include neighborhood outreach staff, mobile overdose treatment and prevention teams, and community activations to support the neighborhood. The Emerald reached out to Wilson's office to ask where the $1.1 million in funding is coming from and the timeline for hiring the outreach staff but didn't hear back in time for publication.

Community members in Little Saigon and North Beacon Hill are both hopeful and cautious about Wilson's plan.

Valerie Tran, interim executive director of the Friends of Little Sàigòn, said in the mayor's press release that the organization "is appreciative of Mayor Wilson's nuanced understanding of the complex issues facing our community and her administration's vision for improving the conditions in Little Saigon."

In North Beacon Hill, community organizer Genevieve Courtney told the Emerald that she is "encouraged to finally see the mayor responding to concerns that I and many others in the community have been raising for years." But Courtney is cautious and looking for "measurable outcomes, accountability, and a willingness to change course if the current approach is not delivering results."

Although Wilson says this is a "new approach to 12th and Jackson," the plan is similar to her predecessor Bruce Harrell's efforts to address crime in the area. At the beginning of his term in 2022, Harrell launched "Operation New Day," which coordinated law enforcement agencies "to address crime, drug trafficking, and gun violence" in the area.

After the daily patrols ended a few months later, reported crime rose in the neighborhood, including a stabbing incident that injured 10 people. Harrell then released another plan "with increased law enforcement patrols, enhanced cleanings, and graffiti abatement." But the area has remained the focus of city intervention and neighborhood-led cleanup efforts.