SODA and SOAP — Seattle City Council Approves Return of Exclusion Zones, Including New Capitol Hill ‘Stay Out of the Drug District’

Harvard Market shopping center, which has faced mounting drug crime challenges at the corner of Broadway and Pike, is located within the new boundaries of Capitol Hill SODA

Capitol Hill is getting a new “Stay Away from Drugs” zone that covers the neighborhoods surrounding Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill Station And Cal Anderson Park and Seattle will reintroduce exclusion laws in hopes of reducing drug- and prostitution-related crime in new areas of the city.

In a five-hour session on Tuesday, which consisted largely of public testimony against the laws, Seattle City Council voted to approve two bills that would re-establish the city’s SODA and “Stay Out of Prostitution” zones. These regulations were repealed by the council just four years ago after years of criticism over their ineffectiveness and dangerous implications for the victims of sex work-related crime they were intended to help.

The new zones will be located on Capitol Hill, and in the International District, Belltown, the University District and Pioneer Square, with the new SOAP zone covering Aurora. More could be added.

Bob KetelChairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, Kettle said Tuesday night after the successful vote that this new push for SODA and SOAP will be different than the city’s previous attempts to create exclusion zones. “This legislation uses a data-driven approach to achieve the goals outlined in our Strategic Framework Plan,” Kettle said. “I’m grateful for the support our legislation has received from the community and my colleagues, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help make Seattle safer.”

Under legislation passed Tuesday, a judge could ban drug or prostitution offenders arrested in a zone from reentering the area for up to two years. A SODA or SOAP order could also be imposed as a condition of release from jail. Violating an order would become a new serious offense, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The new SODAs

Seattle’s previous SODAs covered much of the city until 2010

As part of shaping the boundaries of the new exclusion zones, Kettle said these new areas have been drawn in a way that does not restrict access to needed treatment and services. The council has also promised an increase in services to support sex workers and addiction issues, but has not included specific funding in the new bills.

A press release from the council about the new SOAP restrictions states that the legislation will limit the orders to “purchasers and promoters (by removing sellers), require the development of training for police officers on trauma-informed best practices for working with survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in consultation with survivor groups, and create arrest policies that explicitly state that diversion and referral to services, treatment, and safe housing is the preferred approach to prostitution loitering for sellers.” Amendments regarding performance measurements and reporting requirements were also added.

District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth led to the effort to add a Capitol Hill SODA zone. The restrictions are “defined as the area of the Capitol Hill neighborhood bounded on the north by East Thomas Street, on the south by East Union Street, on the east by 11th Avenue, and on the west by Harvard Avenue.”

It will include Cal Anderson, Capitol Hill Station’s busy light rail and transit facility, and the areas surrounding the Harvard Market shopping center and the heart of the Pike/Pine nightlife. How the presence of a major public transportation hub in the middle of one of the city’s exclusion zones will play out remains to be seen.

The Capitol Hill SODA comes amid what Hollingsworth has said will be multiple efforts to address crime, drug use and homelessness around the core of Broadway and Pike/Pine, including investments to “revitalize” Cal Anderson Park.

Hollingsworth also said her office is initiating discussions about expanding a similar program to the $15 million-a-year program Downtown Seattle Association ambassador program up to Pike/Pine that would put workers on the streets to keep sidewalks and alleys clean and deal with low-level public safety issues. That program would be paid for by fees levied on nearby businesses and properties.

Hollingsworth told CHS that one of the many lessons from her recent personal trip to Amsterdam was what she saw as an emphasis on public safety and cleanliness in densely populated urban areas. Hollingsworth said that Capitol Hill, like Amsterdam, is “a jewel” that needs to be protected.

The street violence problem on Broadway at Pike is rampant. This summer, the city identified the area as one of Seattle’s top areas for crime and overdose concentrations, twice, according to the Seattle Police.

Meanwhile, SODA use is being emphasized in areas where concerns center on street disorder and drug use, but not in areas where crimes such as gun violence or gang activity have been high to date.

The frequency of zone orders being issued and the impact the new laws have on policing and prosecution of minor offences in the city will be closely monitored. Seattle Attorney Ann Davison has strongly advocated the return of SODA and SOAP.

“Over the past two years, I have heard loud and clear from law enforcement that they need new legal tools to disrupt the open-air criminal drug market in many parts of our city, and the tragedy of human trafficking on Aurora Avenue North,” Davison said in a statement released to the council Tuesday night. “I have worked on and advocated for these two new ordinances to answer that call. I look forward to working with the Seattle Police Department on strategic enforcement to help impacted neighborhoods and protect vulnerable victims. Thank you to the Seattle City Council for seizing the moment.”

Councilmember Tammy Morales from South Seattle District 2 was the only one to vote against both bills.

“The City of Seattle had both SODA and SOAP zones for over 20 years, and research has shown that these measures have not reduced drug use or human trafficking,” Morales said after the vote. He said the city should instead follow recommendations from this summer’s auditor’s report (PDF) “which provides a roadmap for how we can take an evidence-based approach to addressing overdoses and crime.”

“Instead, this legislation will intentionally make it harder for people to access critical services across the city,” Morales said.

Mayor Bruce Harrell was not included in the council’s statement on the votes. Harrell’s office is focused this week on announcements surrounding planned public health investments in the upcoming city budget that are expected to support law and order and enforcement initiatives like SODA and SOAP with prioritized spending on needed services.

Meanwhile, the new zones could be here soon. The bills would go into effect 30 days after they are signed by the mayor.

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