News

Keep Aurora Neighborhoods Safe Meeting - Tuesday, August 13

D5 City Councilmember Cathy Moore announced new legislation on Aug. 1, 2024 aimed at cracking down on commercial sexual exploitation and rampant and escalating gun violence associated with it. The proposal is in response the escalating gun violence and sex trade on Aurora Avenue and in adjoining neighborhoods.

The legislation is scheduled to be heard in the Public Safety Committee on Aug. 13, at the regular 9:30 a.m. meeting. The agenda will be available at the City Clerks’ meeting calendar website.  

Council Member Moore is asking for support:

• Sign up for public comment – As with all legislation before the council, it is very important for councilmembers to hear from the public.

• You can testify in person at City Hall on Aug. 13 at 9:30 a.m. or

• You can provide testimony over the phone by signing up on the webpage. Phone sign ups begin at 8:30 AM on August 13.  

• Email your councilmembers – Let your district representatives know that you support this legislation. Use the email address council@seattle.gov to reach every office at once.  

For more information about providing public comments, please contact the District 5 Office at Cathy.Moore@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8805. 

How the legislation would work 

The legislation would give police new tools to address the crime by: 

• Creating a new loitering law targeting the buyers of commercial sex. Unlike Seattle’s old prostitution loitering law that was repealed in 2020, this legislation provides multiple grounds for arresting buyers whose actions are generating a highly lucrative sex trade; a trade so profitable that it is fueling regular gun battles over turf. As for sellers, the legislation makes clear that diversion, not prosecution, is the preferred approach for people engaging in prostitution. 

• The legislation includes an entirely new offense of promoting loitering for purposes of prostitution, to target sex traffickers. This offense is a gross misdemeanor. 

• Establishing a Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP) around Aurora Avenue north of North 85th Street to North 145th Street. This means anyone arrested or convicted of a prostitution related crime could be prohibited by a judge from being in that area with limited exceptions. 

Prior to drafting the legislation, Councilmember Moore met with many groups: survivors of the sex trade, SPD’s human trafficking unit, service providers, the City Attorney’s office and residents.  Their feedback, particularly of the survivors, was invaluable and informed each provision of the bill. 

More information is available at the official Seattle City Council News blog.

July 2024

Bitter Lake Resevoir & Park Project - Share Your Input on Public Art

Over the last year, community engagement artist Kate Clark has been meeting with Bitter Lake neighbors to learn what themes and values are important for the future public art to uphold. Through surveys and conversations, over 100 Bitter Lake residents shared the desire to have public art that brings more community engagement to the site and celebrates the diversity of the neighborhood. These themes helped the team identify a range of potential public art opportunities for the site that we would like your feedback on. There are seven wide-ranging proposed public art opportunities – sculpture, sidewalk art, live community programming, and more!  

Join us at Bitter Lake Reservoir Park (near the play area) on Sunday, July 14 from 10 am to 12 pm and let us know which public art opportunities you want to see in the neighborhood! We’d love to hear your input. 

Learn more at the Bitter Lake Reservoir Improvement Project website.

June 2024