'I've had enough': Seattle business owners expect real change after public safety forum

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, police Chief Adrian Diaz and other city leaders hosted a public safety forum Thursday night.

People attending told KOMO News ahead of the forum they want the dialogue to make a real difference.

Adam Ulanowski, the operations manager with Bloch Steel Industries in SODO, said he would attend the forum.

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“My No. 1 question is: why are we not arresting?" Ulanowski said. "What is the holdup from us not being able to put people in jail when they’re committing crimes? The book-and-release doesn’t stop anything.”

In the last few years, SODO business owners and employees have talked to KOMO News about the never-ending business break-ins, vehicle break-ins, robberies, shootings, rampant public drug use and the persistent homelessness crisis that lingers despite repeated cleanup efforts.

While troubled areas of SODO like Third Avenue South look improved in 2024 vs. 2022, those who work in the area are still looking for a permanent change.

Ulanowski said he’s going to the event because, “I’d like to hear what they’re going to do. What is any solutions that are on the topic and the biggest thing for me, wasn’t just the mayor being there, it was the chief of police. What are we talking about policing and how we’re policing the city of Seattle, because obviously, this is a real issue here.

“I’ve never really been this active in our community."

So, what changed?

“I got tired of our company incurring all this debt from doors and windows being kicked in," Ulanowski said. "You call the police. We had an incident out here where a homeless guy swerved at two of my employees. I called 911 and we had no response. That was kind of my breaking point.”

Fed up from watching crime affect his business and businesses around him, Ulanowski is now speaking up.

He said others need to do the same and hopes that energy will be present at the forum.

“The SODO Business Improvement Area (BIA) is attending the Mayor’s Public Safety Forum today because, after a long interval, our mayor is acknowledging the substantial public safety issues in Seattle," Erin Goodman with SODO BIA said via statement. "Over the past several years, many people living and working in Seattle have not felt that their public safety concerns have been heard; now is the time for our city leaders to listen to them. We want to show our support for Mayor Harrell in this effort and give SODO community members an opportunity to voice their concerns. We look forward to engaging in this conversation and collaborating to make our neighborhoods and city safer.

"Every day SODO faces escalating, widespread public safety issues including property crime, the impacts of fentanyl abuse, and other mental health crises. We are eager to work with the Mayor and our Public Safety departments to discover and implement solutions; we’re optimistic that when we work together, we can make meaningful, sustained impacts.”

KOMO News also spoke with Ballard business owner Matt Humphrey. Humphrey is one of many in the neighborhood that keeps experiencingrepeated break-ins.

Related: Seattle business owner puts up 'For Sale' signs after recent break-in

“I’m definitely curious to show up tonight and hear what the mayor has to say with the recent reporting that ‘crime is down,’ I’m just not seeing it or believing it,” he said.

It is a belief that Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Adrian Diaz also acknowledged last month that property crime numbers likely haven’t been accurate for years because of a lack of staffing and underreporting from victims

Humphrey said the meeting needs to accomplish a clear path to make sure that crime isn’t a profitable enterprise in Seattle.

He said the city must take a “harder on crime stance.”

“I think people just don’t think there’s a consequence, and that has to change in this city,” Humphrey added.

If Humphrey can ask a question at the safety forum, it would be, “What are you doing to now to make the streets safer for its citizens in Seattle right now? Not global warming. We’re not talking about anything else. But what are you doing right now when it comes to safety to make a difference here now?”

“I’m not seeing less fentanyl. I’m not seeing fewer people show up on the doorsteps of businesses in Ballard. I see a floating island of people with derelict RVs. I see a lot of people struggling on the streets. It’s not for a lack of compassion. I definitely care. I would love to see these people get the help they need. But they’re not forced to, and that’s the problem. They have options. The options are to remain on the street until you hurt somebody, and that can’t be an option anymore. They’re hurting themselves. They’re hurting my business, and I believe strongly that this whole drug trade is continuing to proliferate because of the lack of prosecution.”

Both Humphrey and Ulanowski feel now that a mostly new city council has been voted in, that changes are more attainable. However, they want the results and policy changes to start happening soon.

The forum is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the downtown Seattle Central Library. The mayor’s office said registration to attend the forum in person already reached capacity, but a livestream of the event will be available on the Seattle Channel website.