SEATTLE — A new ambassador program is coming to Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Amazon, and the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) announced a combined $1 million investment to launch the program Wednesday. It will officially begin on June 1.
The program will train neighborhood ambassadors to work with individuals who need assistance, help small businesses, and help create safer environments.
The ambassadors will walk and watch over blocks in the neighborhood to ensure they are safe and clean, provide a visible safety presence, assist visitors, deter disruptive behavior outside businesses, and offer de-escalation services to individuals, while also connecting them with helpful services.
The program is the latest effort to improve safety in the district, which has struggled with crime.
In November, a stabbing spree left five people injured.
For months, community leaders have called for action to end violence and drug use in the blocks by 12th Avenue, South Jackson Street, King Street, and Weller Street.
Some of the issues have been concentrated near Hoa Mai Park. Seattle Police have noted that since the park opened, “it has become a location where subjects sell and use illegal narcotics, among various other illegal activities.”
Mayor Harrell issued an Executive Order in November establishing a Downtown Activation Team (DAT). The team focuses on neighborhood activations across Downtown, cleaning and safety operations.
KIRO 7 asked Harrell why this new program will be the one that works to address crime.
Harrell said the method has already been tried in other neighborhoods, pointing to other city ambassador programs, including DAT and the Ballard Alliance Ambassadors program.
“I think our administration has demonstrated that we will arrest people for criminal activity, but the connection to service is a critical piece,” he said.
The coalition working on the ambassador program will also bolster economic development programs in the area.
Amazon has committed $250,000 to Friends of Little Sài Gòn. The money will support economic development work and public safety efforts. The company has also committed $250,000 to bring the C-ID Night Market back for three years.
C-ID resident Wayne Chen is hopeful the program works. He loves his neighborhood, but is tired of safety concerns.
“Not long ago, somebody asked me to give him money,” Chen said. “I gave him money. As soon as he got my money, he hit me.”
Chen said he’s changed his walking route to get to his bus. He walks further now to avoid areas that have been struggling with crime.
“I don’t feel safe to go to Jackson to take the bus,” he said.
The City and its partners will monitor the progress of the new ambassador program by surveying residents, businesses, and visitors about their feelings of safety. The coalition will lead a pre-program survey and continue to survey results once the program is implemented.
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