Opinion: We aren't giving up on Pioneer Square -- and neither should you
Dear Seattle, we have been here before.
It was a year marked with an increase of serious crimes in Seattle, with violent and property crimes nearing historic levels. Businesses and residents were demanding a response from city leaders, which led to the mayor promising swift action, including more police patrols and a plan to go after repeat offenders. It was 2006, Mayor Greg Nickels was in office, and he had the unenviable task of making things right.
That year, serious and property crimes reached 75.5 per 1,000 people, and people said that Seattle was dying. However, because of the rapid response to those challenges, the years following were marked with a renewed optimism as serious and property crimes throughout the city sharply declined.
Today, we’re facing similar realities of safety and security challenges and the question once again “is Seattle dying?”
For us in the Pioneer Square community, we confidently point to the city and our neighborhood’s history of resilience and reinvention for renewed hope.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/03/15/opinion-don-t-give-up-on-pioneer-square.html