Business leaders demand public safety action from Mayor Katie Wilson after Bite of Seattle shooting

The September 10 letter, obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, was sent to Wilson, Council President Joy Hollingsworth, Public Safety Committee Chair Robert Kettle, and the rest of the City Council. It was backed by executives representing major Seattle-area employers and organizations, including Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, T-Mobile, Alaska Air Group, Zillow, the Seattle Mariners, Puget Sound Energy, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

“The clearest message from our August 17 joint public-opinion poll of registered Seattle voters is this: residents expect the City to act with urgency, fund the actions needed to improve safety, and provide a clear plan for measuring progress,” the letter states.

According to the letter, only 34 percent of voters said they were confident City Hall has an effective plan to address public safety issues. Conversely, every proposal tested received support from at least three-fourths of voters across the city and demographic groups.

The demands come amid renewed scrutiny of Wilson’s handling of public safety following a series of high-profile shootings. In July, multiple people were shot during the Bite of Seattle. In the aftermath, Wilson's administration avoided describing the incident as gang violence, instead referring to violence involving “groups of people who knew each other.”

Texts subsequently released by the Mayor’s Office showed Wilson’s staff directing her movements and discussing the timing and location of her response to the shooting. One staffer wrote, “Mayors have historically shown up… when they stabilize FYI,” prompting the response, “The stabilization part is the key.” The communications also showed concern about another “absentee mayor story” as officials discussed media coverage.

The letter also comes just days after another bloody weekend in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, where three people were killed and four others injured in shootings. Among the dead was a 17-year-old who was fatally shot near Elliott Avenue and Bell Street. Wilson issued a statement following the violence, but has yet to unveil a comprehensive gang-violence plan following the Bite of Seattle shooting.

The business coalition is demanding that City Hall produce a public safety action plan within 100 days, complete with measurable goals and monthly progress reports. The letter says more than 86 percent of voters support the proposal.

The coalition is also calling for CCTV cameras to be activated in Pioneer Square, the Stadium District, and other high-event areas “to deter crime and help identify and hold offenders accountable.”

The camera demand comes after Seattle activated CCTV cameras as part of its public-safety preparations for the FIFA World Cup, only to turn them off on July 7 following the tournament. The cameras had been deployed in areas including downtown and the Stadium District, making the business leaders' proposal a call to reactivate technology the city has already used rather than establish a system from scratch.

The letter also calls for restoring regular foot and bicycle police patrols in areas with persistent public-safety problems such as Little Saigon, a proposal the coalition says received 90 percent support.

Business leaders want Seattle to recommit to its seven-minute priority 911 response standard. The letter cites data from Nordstrom's downtown flagship store showing that only 29 percent of its 911 calls result in an officer responding to the store, compared with a reported 100 percent response rate at the retailer's Bellevue and Southcenter locations. Ninety percent of voters supported transparent reporting when Seattle fails to meet its response standard and redirecting resources toward meeting it.

The coalition is also calling for a tougher approach to open-air drug use. CARE Department diversion specialists should first offer drug users treatment and shelter, the letter says, but repeat offenders who refuse assistance should be arrested and prosecuted. That proposal received 82 percent support.

Another 81 percent supported directing the Seattle Police Department and City Attorney to develop a prioritized policy for shutting down open-air drug markets. Seventy-nine percent backed prohibiting camping within 250 feet of parks, playgrounds, or schools and requiring encampments in those areas to be cleared within 72 hours.

The letter also highlights Seattle's ongoing police staffing problems. According to the coalition, Seattle had approximately 1.31 sworn officers per 1,000 residents as of mid-2026, about 40 percent fewer than Denver, 43 percent fewer than San Francisco, and 58 percent fewer than Boston.

Seattle has approximately 927 deployable officers, well below the city's stated goal of 1,250, and SPD ended its hiring incentive program at the beginning of September despite the continuing staffing shortage.

Signatories include Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, Costco President and CEO Ron Vachris, Nordstrom CEO and co-president Erik Nordstrom, Seattle Mariners CEO John Stanton, T-Mobile Vice Chairman Mike Sievert, Alaska Air Group CEO and President Ben Minicucci, and Zillow Group CEO Jeremy Wacksman, among numerous other regional business and civic leaders.

Wilson responded to the letter, saying in a statement to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that many of the business leaders’ requests are already underway and acknowledged that Seattle residents “have a right to be frustrated.” She pointed to increased foot and bicycle patrols in Rainier Beach, the Chinatown International District, Little Saigon, North Aurora and Belltown, as well as street-level safety projects in several neighborhoods. Wilson also said the city has more than doubled crisis-care responder hours, has 3,500 police officer applications in the queue and is recruiting a new police chief.

The mayor said her administration will release an update on efforts to accelerate shelter availability next week and, notably, will also roll out a “comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy.” Wilson defended the city's record by saying SPD data shows shootings and homicides are at their lowest levels in a decade, while conceding, “we have far too much crime and public disorder.” She added, “I, like everyone in Seattle, want to see that progress happen faster and steadier.”

The coalition urged Wilson and the council to protect and increase public-safety spending as the city works through its budget process.

“A credible public-safety plan and a budget that protects the investments behind it are inseparable,” the letter states. “Seattle voters have made clear that they expect both. We are ready to be partners.”