On August 26, the Chinatown-International District will be hosting a Public Safety Rally and Open House to discuss the growing concerns about safety in Downtown Seattle. Businesses and residents will have a chance to weigh-in on how they hope to make their community safer. New Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole will be in attendance.
Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) said in a statement about the event: “In recent months, employees and visitors in South Downtown have been assaulted and harassed, and with encampments growing along Interstate-5 and the recent uptick in violent attacks, people want to know what’s being done. The Seattle Police Department is in the process of drafting safety plans for each of Seattle’s neighborhoods, and community members from the Chinatown-ID see this as an opportunity to make sure their priorities are being addressed.”
The community is invited to the Open House to offer feedback and suggestions on how to make the Chinatown-International District safer. Participants will be able to offer feedback in multiple languages, and apply dots to maps, identifying crime hot-spots. Community organizers expect over 200 people at tomorrow’s rally.
“We have been working hard for the last few years to improve this community,” said president of Seniors in Action Foundation (SIAF) Nora Chan in a statement. “We can’t do this on our own. We need the help of city government and the Mayor’s Office to make public safety a priority in Chinatown.”
SIAF raised over $100,000 in private money from stakeholders in Chinatown to support public safety efforts in 2012. SIAF has partnered with the CIDBIA and the Seattle Chinatown-ID Preservation & Development Authority (SCIDpda) to host this event.
The Chinatown-International District Public Safety Open House will take place on August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Hing Hay Park. The Community Rally will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a short program at 11:00 a.m. in Hing Hay Park.