Community members, public safety officials and local organizations gathered on April 21 in Seattle’s Chinatown International District (CID) for the first in-person public safety forum of 2026, highlighting ongoing concerns about neighborhood safety and how to address them.
The forum, held at the Chong Wa Benevolent Association and organized by the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA), brought together representatives from city departments, service organizations and the Seattle Police Department to share updates and hear directly from residents.
The forum comes as the city prepares for an influx of visitors during the FIFA World Cup, raising renewed concerns among residents and business owners about crime, homelessness and how public safety will be managed in the neighborhood. For some, those concerns are not new.
“I don’t hear nothing new here,” said Carlos Ganz, a CID resident and business owner.
A major focus of the meeting was preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which officials said could bring 400,000 additional visitors to Seattle, with the CID expected to see heavy foot traffic due to its proximity to stadiums.
Christopher Yip, community safety manager with the CIDBIA, said the city and its partners are expanding safety efforts ahead of the event, including deploying additional safety and maintenance staff trained in de-escalation, medical response and nonviolent diversion. These staff members will be present during game days and evenings to provide support.
Capt. Marc Garth-Green of the Seattle Police Department said the department is coordinating with city agencies to expand services, including public transit. There will be 136 additional officers stationed at stadiums and an increased presence at fan events and watch parties.
At the same time, Garth-Green acknowledged concerns about disruptions to daily life, including the possibility of restricted transit access for residents and increased congestion in the neighborhood.
Questions about how the city plans to address homelessness during the World Cup surfaced repeatedly throughout the forum.
“We are not sweeping people,” Garth-Green said, explaining that the approach focuses on outreach and engagement with unhoused individuals rather than clearing encampments.
Still, the issue prompted debate among attendees, particularly around the balance between offering services and clearing encampments. Some community members expressed concern about the impact of encampments and drug activity on local businesses, while others raised questions about whether increased policing would meaningfully improve safety.
Garth-Green said officers are already rotating shifts in areas with a high concentration of encampments and are working with specialized units, including narcotics teams. They also addressed concerns about federal immigration enforcement, stating that the department does not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is not notified of federal operations in advance.
Economic concerns were also a key part of the discussion. Officials from the Office of Economic Development highlighted resources available to small businesses, including consulting services and grant programs such as a storefront repair fund, which reimburses business owners for damage-related expenses.
Other initiatives include support for security upgrades and education campaigns aimed at addressing issues like EBT fraud, which some attendees identified as a growing concern in the neighborhood. EBT fraud involves the misuse of public assistance benefits, such as the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, through actions like falsifying eligibility, exchanging benefits for cash, or stealing funds electronically through methods such as card skimming.
EBT fraud can divert resources away from those who rely on assistance while also affecting local businesses that accept the benefits.
Several community-based programs at the forum emphasized alternatives to traditional homelessness enforcement approaches. Karen Salinas, director of outreach from the REACH division, described efforts to connect individuals to temporary housing and case management. At the same time, she highlighted ongoing challenges in securing sufficient housing resources.
She noted that larger units for families, such as two- and three-bedroom housing, are more difficult to secure than studio apartments. “We are not getting more investments in housing,” Salinas said, underscoring the limitations of existing programs.
Despite the range of initiatives discussed, Ganz said he was frustrated by what he saw as a lack of new solutions, noting that many of the issues raised at the forum have been discussed repeatedly without meaningful change.
Ganz, a CID–based personal trainer who is establishing The Movement Fitness Corps, said he believes current approaches to public safety often prioritize property and economic concerns over community well-being, particularly for unhoused residents.
“It’s not a safe neighborhood, but it’s still a community,” he said. “It’s not being treated as a community, it’s treated as a commodity.”
He also questioned the reliance on policing and enforcement-based strategies, arguing that more investment in community-driven solutions is needed.
“At the end of the day, they’re worried about property,” Ganz said. “But what about responsibility to your neighbor?”
Ganz pointed to mutual aid and community organizing as potential paths forward, suggesting that stronger relationships among residents could reduce reliance on external systems.
Organizers said the next public safety forum is scheduled for May 19 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at 619 S. Jackson St. in Seattle.
