(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council on Tuesday night approved a bill that attempts to reduce open drug use in hotspots throughout the city.
Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison proposed Council Bill 120835 in an attempt to reduce open drug-related criminal activity in particular areas throughout Seattle.
The bill creates Stay Out of Drug Areas, or SODA zones that authorize the courts to stop a defendant from entering one of the designated areas in the city if they commit a drug-related criminal offense in that zone. Orders could be issued by the court either as a condition of pretrial release, or a condition of sentence if convicted.
The original bill included areas of downtown Seattle and the neighboring Chinatown-International District. However, the bill was amended earlier this month to add areas in the Belltown, Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill and University District neighborhoods.
The bill was approved by the city council on Tuesday by a 8-1 vote. Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales opposed the bill.
“We need real solutions to address the public health and safety crises on our streets,” Morales said in a news release. “Instead, this legislation will intentionally make it more difficult for people to access critical services across the city.”
Morales pointed to recommendations from a recent report from the Seattle City Auditor’s Office in July. The auditor explored ways for the city to address places in Seattle where drug overdoses and crime are concentrated.
The audit recommended the city designate a group to oversee a “place-based problem-solving approach” to eliminating the drug crisis in concentrated areas, including implementing evidence-based strategies.
Seattle City Council Chair Sara Nelson argued that the SODA bill does take a place-based approach by targeting drug hotspots throughout the city with limited law enforcement and human resources.
Morales added that there is substantial evidence that disrupting drug markets actually increases violence and increases overdose deaths. This is because drug users are forced to have to find new suppliers whose product may consist of lethal doses of synthetic drugs.
The bill is now being sent to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell for his signature. It will go into effect 30 days after he signs it.
