In the Chinatown-International district, violent crimes occur every two days

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) experienced two violent crimes in just five days.

The latest incident occurred just before 6 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of 5th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. According to police, a man was stabbed multiple times in the chest and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The suspect is still at large.

More local crime: Seattle police arrest an adult and three teenagers in connection with nearly 80 violent crimes

There was also a shooting in the same area on Sunday.

Some people in the area said crime, violence and feelings of insecurity had become the norm.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t feel safe leaving during the day or at night, honestly,” Criminal Investigation Department resident Sierra Malone told KIRO Newsradio on Friday. “All the crime that’s going on and all the drug addicts and everything that’s going on.”

CID officer Shane Deering said her stick could make her a target.

“I have a stick and I feel like I stick out a little bit and I feel like if I’m out there I could get picked,” Deering said.

The Seattle City Council recently passed a law requiring the installation of outdoor surveillance cameras at three so-called crime hotspots in Seattle – the Third Avenue corridor in downtown, the area along Aurora Avenue in North Seattle and the CID. The hope is that the cameras will prevent crime, violence and drug abuse in the three areas.

More details: Seattle City Council passes plan to install cameras in high-crime areas

During the council meeting before the law was passed, there was significant opposition to the plan. But there is a feeling locally in the CID that something needs to be done to curb crime and ensure public safety.

“If you sit here and look around, you see things that aren’t right happening, all day, every day,” Deering said. “So at some point this will go wrong. You can see it and I think that’s what frustrates people so much. It’s right there and then people are shocked.”

Business owners said they are confident surveillance cameras will make a difference in the culturally rich part of the city.

James Lynch is a reporter at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more stories from James here. Keep following James Xor send him an email here.

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