This sort of thing ebbs and flows in Seattle. They will have a bad spell, mostly downtown or in certain parts of the south end, like Rainier, then things will be better for a year or several. I’ve lived out here for 22 years and seen several cycles.
One thing that doesn’t serve the people in these areas is the attitude a lot of them have toward the police. I know SPD has gotten a bad reputation lately, but I really think its largely undeserved.
Also they don’t believe in curfews for youths because they think they discriminate against minorities. Even impounding cars for accumulated tickets is discriminatory, a cording to some. I’m a believer in the Rudy Guiliani broken windows thing, but Seattle people make no connection between little stuff and the general attitude of lawlessness. In Everett they seem to understand it better. That doesn’t mean they have a better handle on it, but they at least understand.
I think it may be a long, hot summer in Seattle. I hope I don’t have to move back there.
We visited for the first/only time 5-6 years ago. Stayed near Pike Place Market at a Marriott on the water. We had a great time, but the number of street people / urban outdoorsmen was off-putting. They had just completely taken over a nice little pocket park very close to PPM. We were told not to walk the relatively short distance between a nice restaurant in Belltown and our hotel after dark, which we heeded given all the above.
Hope they didn’t shoot up Duke’s Clam Chowder Emporium...