Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

Sections of Aurora Avenue North have long been a subject of concern for neighbors, business owners, policy makers and law enforcement officials in our City. Some areas of Aurora have become a haven for prostitution, drugs and crime. This cuts against some of the tremendous progress made on Aurora relative to business growth, transportation improvements and economic development. I agree that prostitution, drug dealing and other criminal misconduct on some parts of Aurora and other parts of our city need to be addressed immediately. Therefore, I am supportive of legislation designed to assist our police department and City Attorney’s office address these problem areas and supported the passage of Council Bill 116667. This Bill modified the City’s nuisance laws and gave clarity to the definition of a nuisance by focusing on the criminal misconduct elements. It also modified the laws to impose greater liability to the property owner in the event of a chronic, unresolved criminal problem. I am hopeful that it will be effective in dealing with problematic property owners and geographic areas and I will monitor its implementation to make sure that the ordinance is enforced fairly and lawfully. At the end of the day, I want clean and safe areas in all parts of our city.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS