Seattle City Council proposal would use street closures to curb gun violence

Next month the Seattle City Council could take up legislation to make street closures an official tool to prevent gun violence. This comes after residents near Aurora Avenue North created barriers to block vehicle access to their streets last week, in an attempt to keep drive-by shootings from flowing into their neighborhoods.

Councilmember Debora Juarez represents North Seattle’s District 5 and has championed the proposal, which she said was submitted to the Council during Bruce Harrell’s mayoral administration but then stalled.

Juarez said city agencies including the transportation department close streets for various reasons already, and should add criteria around public safety.

“If we have the wherewithal and common sense to protect pedestrians and bike riders and safe crossing for kids at school, we sure as hell can protect communities from stray bullets and gun violence and shootings in their neighborhoods,” she said.

A resident of the Aurora neighborhood whose first name is Jake, he asked that his last name not be shared, told the City Council Tuesday that a bullet recently struck his house, outside his 6-week-old infant’s bedroom. He said the Seattle Police Department characterized the recent gun shots on Aurora as mostly related to prostitution and gang violence.

“The city is allowing unchecked prostitution, human trafficking, and related violence” on Aurora, he said.

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Juarez said she is working with Councilmember Eddie Lin, who chairs the Land Use Committee, as well as Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, to introduce emergency legislation that could take effect upon passage by the council and approval by the mayor.

Where city code allows road closures for construction or to protect the public from various hazards, the new language would allow the police chief to recommend closure of a street or alley to prevent criminal activity. Juarez said the closure could be temporary.

“If the chief of police tells you there’s criminal activity, there’s a serious uptick in gun violence — let’s put up these barriers for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days,” Juarez said.

But she noted that officials will have to be careful not to simply push the violence onto other streets nearby.

“If you pull a string here it’s going to show up over there,” she said. “Those are the policy questions that have to be hashed out.”

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In a joint statement with Juarez on Friday, Mayor Katie Wilson called the violence along Aurora “alarming and unacceptable.”

But she said the barriers installed by residents needed to be replaced with “temporary traffic calming treatments to reduce cut-through traffic and address the access needs of those living in the area” as well as access for emergency responders and trash pick-up. According to KOMO, city crews replaced the metal planters with staggered, concrete barriers on Friday.

Juarez said she wants the city to act with urgency to address the residents’ concerns. She said the legislation could be heard in the Public Safety Committee on June 23.