Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.

The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.

The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”

Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.

RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures

Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.

“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”

A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.

RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver

Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.

“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.

According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.

Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.

That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.

At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.

Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.

Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.

Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.

“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”