Press Event on Crime and Public Safety in Little Saigon

Little Saigon has become the most crime-ridden area in all of King County, with ongoing issues such as criminal activities, open-air drug use, drug trafficking, overdoses, and illegal street vending occurring around the clock. In response to these concerns, the International District Rotary, LIHI, former Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo and others have collaborated to create a 15-Point Plan aimed at addressing crime and enhancing public safety in Little Saigon, Chinatown International District.

The group released the plan at a press conference on Tuesday, September 16th at 10:00am at Hoa Mai Park.

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The plan includes the following recommendations:

• Establish a Community Safety and Service Office at 12 and Jackson.

• Increase police patrols, including in alleys and side streets.

• Increase the enforcement of laws against illegal weapons, drug activities and the vending of stolen goods.

• Add eight more tiny house villages and shelters throughout Seattle.

• Increase funding for affordable housing in CID.

• Provide financial aid for small businesses impacted by crime.

The event featured speakers, including King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, other public officials, including CARE Department Chief Amy Barden, Fire Chief Scoggins, and candidates for office: Erika Evans, Adonis Ducksworth, and Rachael Savage. Former City Councilmember Tanya Woo, ID Rotary President Dave Della, and LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee spoke to the 15-Point Plan.

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Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director, speaks about 15-Point Plan to save Little Saigon

“We need a Save Little Saigon movement! We are seeing crime, open-air drug use, and safety conditions getting worse. LIHI is based in Little Saigon and we have over 150 residents and staff that live and work here. We call on Mayor Harrell, County Executive Braddock, Governor Ferguson and elected city, county and state officials to implement the 15 Point Plan and Save Little Saigon,” states Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director. 

“This plan is thoughtful and comprehensive and, most important, recognizes the need for immediate action. The problems plaguing the Chinatown International District (CID) and its Little Saigon neighborhood are devastating, and if they are permitted to continue will destroy a vital part of Seattle and its cultural heritage. The city needs a strong, healthy, vibrant and thriving CID and Little Saigon. It is time to take the collective steps necessary to bring this about,” states Lisa Nitze, Nitze-Stagen Principal and property owner. 

“I fully support the work that is happening in Little Saigon right now to help make their neighborhood safer for everyone. As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, I know it’s important for the city to work with local community members in these efforts because while our committee is working on public safety challenges, Little Saigon residents know what is happening in their own neighborhood. I support them in creating a safer community and will work with them regarding their 15-point plan and alternatives, such as the Downtown Activation Team. All these pieces are part of a comprehensive strategy that we on the public safety committee believe in. The final piece is partnering - with communities, the Mayor’s office, the City Attorney, and Council President Nelson to uphold public safety and ensure all communities feel safe," states City Councilmember Bob Kettle. 

The 15 Point Plan

These 15 recommendations are presented to Seattle Mayor Harrell, King County Executive Braddock, Seattle City Council, King County Council, Governor Ferguson, Speaker Jinkins, Majority Leader Fitzgibbon, and Senate Majority Leader Pedersen to address the urgent need to stop the harm that is decimating Little Saigon, a treasured community in Chinatown International District (CID).

Residents, workers, small business owners, diners, and tourists are all eager for Little Saigon to be a place where one can live, work, and play in a crime-free environment. Instead, Little Saigon has become the worst area in all of King County with 24/7 criminal activities, open-air drug use, drug trafficking, overdoses, and illegal street vendoring activities taking place. Nowhere else does the City of Seattle, King County, and the State allow a community to be subjected to such devastation. 

Here is a set of recommendations to once and for all eliminate the harmful and illegal activities impacting Little Saigon. We must not only stop criminal activities but also support the transformation of Little Saigon into a healthy, culturally rich, thriving, and welcoming residential and commercial neighborhood. Crucial resources are needed to support Asian-owned and other small businesses.

1.     Establish a Community Safety and Service Office. This should be located in a storefront at 12th and S. Jackson St. This would operate much like an SPD substation but would also include a home base for staff and outreach workers from REACH, CARE Responders, CID-BIA Safety Ambassadors, We Deliver Care, Parks, Public Health, Metro, SFD, and other agencies. Implementation: Fall 2025 for setting up the storefront office. The City of Seattle budget is to provide and increase staffing in 2026. 

2.     Close Hoa Mai Park temporarily for 6 months to make improvements. Located at 1224 S. King St. with through access to S. Jackson St., this park has become a haven for drug sales, public consumption of drugs, assaults, uncivil behavior, public urination, and a threat to community residents and workers, who do not feel welcomed in the park. Opened for just one year, the park is now in disrepair with major damage to the children’s play area and green space. Implementation: Provide 2 weeks' notice and close the park temporarily with plans for cleaning, repairs, and improvements prior to re-opening. 

3.     Fence off portions of sidewalks along 12th Ave., King St., and Jackson St. on a temporary basis. Install temporary fencing to stop the use of sidewalks for drug activities and the sale of stolen goods. Have SPD and safety ambassadors maintain passage for pedestrians. This approach was effective in Pioneer Square (fencing off the fountain at 3rd and Yesler to stop drug sales and loitering). Implementation: Provide 2 weeks' notice. 

4.     Move Metro bus stops temporarily away from 12th and Jackson, and King and Rainier. This strategy was attempted before by Metro and was effective in reducing the number of people using the bus stops for drug use, hanging out, and intimidating transit riders. Implementation: Provide 2 weeks’ notice. 

5.     Stop fraud and the sale of EBT cards for drugs. Stop the sale of EBT (food stamps) cards for cash to buy drugs. State DSHS and County to investigate and prosecute businesses and individuals for fraudulent EBT activities. Implementation: Meet with merchants on preventing fraudulent EBT transactions. DSHS to assign staff to prevent and take action against fraud, including criminal charges and fines. Educate the community that it is a crime to sell EBT cards. 

6.     Stop the selling of stolen goods. Deter and fine illegal vendors. People are shoplifting and bringing goods to Little Saigon to sell for cash to buy drugs. Street vendors are supposed to have a business license and a permit to vend on the public right-of-way from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). There is no enforcement. On a voluntary basis, the city can help business owners install cameras and/or routinely photograph individuals selling stolen goods. These can be matched with videos from stores to identify shoplifters. Educate and deter customers, in particular CID residents and others, from purchasing stolen goods. Implementation: SPD, CARE, SDOT, FLS, and CID-BIA to devise a plan to stop the sale of stolen items. Outreach workers and community organizations to educate consumers. 

7.     Add 6 to 8 new tiny house villages or shelters for homeless people city-wide. Homeless outreach workers in Little Saigon and CID have no place to refer people who have no choice but to sleep outdoors. Use the “By Name List” of 80 homeless people in Little Saigon and shelter them in tiny house villages and other shelters located outside the CID. Ensure that mental health and SUD services are available. Once built, six villages could shelter 400 people immediately and more than 1,000 people over the course of 12 months. Utilize Seattle JumpStart, King County’s Health Through Housing, and State Commerce funds to set up and operate villages and shelters. There are four tiny house village operators in Seattle (LIHI, CCS, Chief Seattle Club, Nickelsville), and more agencies are interested. Implementation: The City, King County, and state should treat the lack of shelter as a humanitarian crisis and identify $10 million in the 2026 Budget and $10 million in the 2027 budget for a total of $20 million. This effort can be funded from Seattle JumpStart, the County’s Health Through Housing program, general funds, and state Commerce funds. The City of Seattle could redirect a portion of the city’s 0.1% sales tax (currently allocated to King County) to add villages and shelters. Additional philanthropic sources can be requested. 

8.     Seek $20 million from Governor Ferguson and the Legislature to pass House Bill 1408. In 2020, the State helped to shut down The Jungle homeless encampment (by I-5 in Beacon Hill) and currently funds the successful Encampment Resolution Program (ERP). HB 1408 redirects 30% of the state sales tax from large venues and sports events to community preservation and development, including south downtown, CID, Pioneer Square, and the Central Area. Implementation: The Governor to include funding in his FY2026 budget for encampment resolutions to add more villages and shelters throughout Seattle to address homelessness in Little Saigon, downtown, and other parts of Seattle. Passage of HB 1408 and companion SB 5460 in the next legislative session.

9.     Patrol and clean alleys, not just on major streets. When SPD and SPU focus their activities on Jackson, King, and 12th, people quickly move to Main St., Weller St., Rainier Ave., alleys, vacant land, parking lots, and the back of buildings to sell and use drugs. They rifle through trash and recycling containers, light fires in trash cans, vandalize cars, break windows, spray graffiti, and defecate in the alleys and doorways. When residents enter their apartment buildings, go out for smoke breaks, or wish to enjoy the outdoors, they are scared off. Many residents have been assaulted or threatened. They see people with guns, knives, and drugs. Neighborhood families with children, seniors, and employees constantly encounter the smell of fentanyl and urine in the doorways, alleyways, and on the sidewalks, and must walk around or step over drug users to get into their homes and businesses. Implementation: Immediately, increase SPU and Public Health cleaning and disinfecting in the surrounding areas. SPD and outreach workers to expand patrols and engagement to surrounding areas, alleys, and vacant lots. Add fencing to deter crime and drug use in alleyways. 

10. A community’s response to public safety can only go so far, as police and law enforcement must disrupt and stop drug trafficking and confiscate guns and weapons. Unfortunately, community members are told that when arrests are made, the police officers are taken off the street for four hours, and those arrested are released and returned to the street in a few days. This appears futile and must be solved. Only the police can make arrests and should do so, and not hold back. The community is not safe otherwise. The selling of Illegal drugs and weapons, and open public consumption of drugs, should not be allowed. People will stop their activities if arrested and re-arrested. Law enforcement must stop drug dealers from coming to Little Saigon. This will stop people from coming to buy and use drugs. We know that the majority of people who engage in these activities are not homeless, as they travel from their homes to Little Saigon. The offer of diversion and treatment can only go so far. People are literally dying on the streets of Little Saigon! Young people and first-timers hang out and get addicted there. Implementation: SPD to significantly increase staffing and emphasize arrests to discourage people from coming to Little Saigon to traffic drugs and weapons. Multiple SPD vans should be strategically placed in the neighborhood to deter crime. 

11.  Provide financial support to the small businesses who are struggling to survive. Similar support was provided during the pandemic. The City‘s Office of Economic Development can work with CID-BIA, SCIDpda, and FLS to set up a sustainable small business fund. State resources to be deployed. Implementation: The City and County to support a $3 million Little Saigon Small Business Fund to fill store vacancies, provide capital, and support technical assistance. State Commerce to provide funds through multiple sources, including Community Reinvestment Program, OMWBE, and other small business resiliency sources. 

12. Provide funds to nonprofit agencies to purchase the long vacant buildings and vacant lot near the corner of 12th and King. These derelict properties are key locations for illegal activities. Seattle should address chronic nuisance properties. Implementation: The City Office of Housing to support bridge loans to acquire these sites. The Mayor’s Office and City Council to proceed with eminent domain if owners are unwilling to sell or develop their properties. The city is to abate vacant or unsafe properties.

13.  Request that residential landlords move out or evict drug dealers in their buildings. Some drug dealers are living in the CID and are known to apartment owners and tenants. Owners need help from SPD to evict drug dealers. Implementation: SPD to assist building managers to exit drug dealers. 

14. Dedicated Housing Funds are needed to build Little Saigon into a thriving mixed residential and commercial neighborhood. Implementation: The Office of Housing to prioritize housing development in Little Saigon and other parts of the CID. Implementation: The Mayor to set aside no less than $40 million that can include a portion of JumpStart, MHA funds, and Housing Levy funds to target new housing in CID. OH to release acquisition bridge loans and pre-development funds to speed up development activities. 

15.  The former Viet Wah Store site on S. Jackson St. should be redeveloped by the owner or quickly transformed for an interim use for the community. The vacant Asian Plaza area is the only place in Seattle that looks like a bombed-out war zone! This is unacceptable. If the property owner does not have an immediate plan to redevelop, here are some ideas for interim uses. Use part of the site as a community P-Patch or garden for residents, much like the Danny Woo Garden. Use another part of the site to create a Little Saigon Outdoor Market that can include a variety of food trucks, hand carts, and stands with fresh vegetables, food, and art. Implementation: The Mayor’s Office to meet with the property owner regarding his plans for the property or to develop a temporary plan to use the site for public benefit. If no redevelopment is imminent, ask Friends of Little Saigon to convene the community to develop an interim plan. The Mayor and City Council to include $3 million in the 2026 budget for FLS to transform the site into a community garden, food truck/outdoor market or other uses.