Repeated shootings and human trafficking are the two biggest issues that people living and working near North Aurora Avenue in Seattle say they deal with on a daily basis, and many of them say they have had enough. That frustration spilled into the streets as the community decided to make its voice heard.
Hundreds of neighbors who live and work along North Aurora came together for a march against sex trafficking and gun violence. The turnout reflected how widely the problems are felt across the area, with residents joining to call for change in their own neighborhood.
Organizers stressed that the World Cup is just days away, and they are demanding that the city and the state take emergency action. For them, the timing adds urgency to problems they say have gone unaddressed for too long.
According to the residents, open prostitution and shootings that have been happening for weeks have spilled over into their neighborhood. They say the situation is putting their properties, and even their children, at risk, turning everyday life into a source of worry.
One resident said he pays over 2,500 dollars in taxes twice a year to be protected in his home, and argued that if authorities are not providing that protection, then there is a problem. He recalled that a newborn baby had nearly been shot about three weeks earlier, adding that police have said they cannot find anything despite the bullets left behind.
The group met at Oak Tree Village, under the footbridge near 102nd Street. Holding signs, the participants marched several blocks north to 109th with a police escort, before turning around and marching south toward North 100th Street.
Several officials took part in the event, including Councilmember Bob Kettle, who addressed the group ahead of the march. The presence of local officials underscored the pressure on authorities to respond to the residents' demands for safer streets.