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Seattle residents claim SOAP ordinance not being enforced
Upset residents living near Aurora Avenue claim the SOAP ordinance is not being enforced enough to bring noticeable change in targeted zones.
SEATTLE - Upset residents living near Aurora Avenue claim the SOAP ordinance is not being enforced enough to bring noticeable change in targeted zones.
Seattle City Council passed SOAP also known as "Stay Out of Area of Prostitution" last September with the intention of cracking down on prostitution-related activities in areas such as Aurora Avenue North.
"I would be more happy to not see busted condoms on the ground and I could go down the street with me and my son, and he doesn't have to worry about seeing anything exposed," said one father living near Aurora Avenue.
Seattle City Council passes controversial drug, prostitution buffer zones
The Seattle City Council passed two ordinances aimed at cracking down on local crime and prostitution, following hours of public comment from outraged citizens and fearful neighbors.
What they're saying:
Among those who also say there's been a lack of SOAP enforcement are the creators of IsJonAJohn.com who provided FOX 13 Seattle with this statement:
"In an urgent effort to protect our families, we launched isjonajohn.com to expose the Johns invading our neighborhoods at dinnertime and the pimps waging violent turf wars as we sleep, sending bullets into our homes.
"Since our launch in July, we have published over 10,000 timestamped license plate captures from nearly 7,000 unique plates, leading to a 30% decrease in prostitution activity outside of our homes, and over $12,750 in donations to organizations helping sex trafficking victims as young as 11 years old.
"After advocating for laws to curb the violence—laws Mayor Bruce Harrell signed in September—SPD was consulted to ensure they had the tools needed to mitigate this problem. Yet instead of action, we’ve seen inaction, excuses, and continued violence.
"As prostitution and shootings shift south to evade our cameras, our website is flooded with expansion requests from residents and businesses. We've launched a GoFundMe to help fund additional cameras and signage, ensuring accountability follows the violence."
New website reveals license plates of Aurora Avenue visitors in Seattle
Neighbors fed up with violence, drugs and prostitution along Aurora Avenue have created a website revealing the license plates of late night visitors.
The website creators say they plan to reveal a "John of the month" on its blog, revealing more license plate information and photographic evidence as early as the end of this week.
FOX 13 reached out to Seattle Police for comment but has not heard back as of Monday night.
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX 13 Seattle reporting and a statement from the creators of IsJonAJohn.com.
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