DSA/MID Supporters Help Spur Passage of SODA Legislation

On Sept. 17, the Seattle City Council adopted the creation of Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA), legislation designed to address the sale and use of drugs in several neighborhoods, including a large section of the downtown core, Belltown and Pioneer Square. DSA organized a number of members and MID ratepayers to provide public comments to the full Seattle City Council and its Public Safety Committee during the legislative process.

SODA authorizes courts to prohibit a defendant from entering a designated area, including key corridors along Third Avenue, if they commit a drug-related crime in that zone.

“Taking away the customers from the dealers is one way to dry up these markets,” DSA President & CEO Jon Scholes told The Seattle Times.

Jon testified in front of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee in August in support of the legislation, calling it a tool to improve the chronic issues that have plagued Third Avenue. He has also called upon government leaders to provide more drug treatment downtown.

While the fentanyl crisis is a complex one with no easy solution, we believe a downtown SODA zone is an important tool to help reduce the open drug activity that has taken root downtown. SODA is not designed to displace communities or restrict access to employment and social services; rather, it is designed to disrupt the ongoing cycle of drug use and sales and provide relief for communities impacted by rampant drug activity, including those suffering from substance abuse disorder.

The new law will go into effect 30 days after Mayor Bruce Harrell signs the legislation.