SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced plans this week to address the infamous open-air drug market at 12th and Jackson. The intersection has been an issue for years, and locals are questioning whether this will finally clean it up for good.
According to Wilson’s office, a law enforcement crackdown has been underway for more than a week.
12th and Jackson is Little Saigon’s big problem. Most days, dozens of people are standing, sitting or slumping nearby. Open drug use, drug dealing and stolen goods for sale are common.
“We just had a stabbing here a couple days ago,” Tanya Woo, a community advocate and business owner in the Chinatown International District, said. “You can still see the blood in Hoa Mai Park.”
Thursday morning, a KIRO 7 crew saw the usual crowd of people near the corner. An officer drove up with his lights on and stayed for a few minutes. Many of the people loitering left.
Neighbors told KIRO 7 they worry the people will come back because they’ve seen it happen before.
According to Wilson, an increased police presence is part of the plan to reduce crime in Little Saigon and North Beacon Hill.
“We will no longer tolerate open-air drug sale and use and vending stolen goods,” Wilson wrote, in part. “If individuals persist in these behaviors, they will either be booked into jail or enrolled in the LEAD diversion program.”
The LEAD diversion program is when low-level offenders are given treatment or social services instead of being prosecuted.
“It’s going to be an all hands on deck approach,” Eddie Lin of the Seattle City Council told KIRO 7.
Lin represents the CID and North Beacon Hill.
He said the plan is a start, and he is hopeful it will see more success than previous efforts to clean up the area.
“We are going to have to make a sustained effort,” Lin said. “That is going to be the issue. But I think if we make some progress, we can build on that.”
Lin said on top of the policing, $1.1 million will be used for community outreach, including business relief and overdose prevention.
“We are not abandoning these communities,” he said.
Woo, who has been tracking the situation for years, told KIRO 7 actions speak louder than press releases.
“There are a lot of systemic issues that need to be addressed in order for there to be sustainable change for the area,” she said.
Last year, Woo and other CID advocates came up with a 15-point plan for Little Saigon to address the crime, homelessness and addiction in the area.
1. Establish a Community Safety and Service Office.
2. Close Hoa Mai Park temporarily for 6 months to make improvements.
3. Fence off portions of sidewalks along 12th Ave., King St., and Jackson St. on a temporary basis.
4. Move Metro bus stops temporarily away from 12th and Jackson, and King and Rainier.
5. Stop fraud and the sale of EBT cards for drugs.
6. Stop the selling of stolen goods.
7. Add 6 to 8 new tiny house villages or shelters for homeless people city-wide.
8. Seek $20 million from Governor Ferguson and the Legislature to pass House Bill 1408.
9. Patrol and clean alleys, not just on major streets.
10. A community’s response to public safety can only go so far, as police and law enforcement must disrupt and stop drug trafficking and confiscate guns and weapons.
11. Provide financial support to the small businesses who are struggling to survive.
12. Provide funds to nonprofit agencies to purchase the long vacant buildings and vacant lot near the corner of 12th and King.
13. Request that residential landlords move out or evict drug dealers in their buildings.
14. Dedicated Housing Funds are needed to build Little Saigon into a thriving mixed residential and commercial neighborhood.
15. The former Viet Wah Store site on S. Jackson St. should be redeveloped by the owner or quickly transformed for an interim use for the community.
You can read Wilson’s full statement here.
©2026 Cox Media Group
