Here is the link from the City of Seattle containing the information
released about the new jail siting process
New Jail Information


The Mayor's Office needs to know how YOU feel about locating a jail in the proposed sites. You may respond online in the short comment form provided in the links above or, you can send a letter directly to the Mayor's office:

Mayor Greg Nickels PO Box 94749 Seattle, WA 98124-4749

It is important to let our officials know your thoughts and opinions about this project. Please take the time to send in your written comments about the site best suited for a new jail facility. If you need help forming your thoughts please feel free to modify this sample letter to the Mayors office to express your opinion about putting a jail in our community:

Dear Mayor Greg Nickels and City Councilmembers,

I am writing in opposition to the siting of a jail at Aurora Avenue N and N 117th Street. 

I live near Aurora in an area supported by Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors (GAIN). Our neighborhood has been working hard to reduce crime.

Aurora is at a turning point. Until recently the area north of 85th Street was always on the top 10 list for 911 drug calls. The police reported to us in November 2006 that we dropped off that list completely, and have remained off for most of this time. We believe this turnaround happened through community involvement and support of the police and City. Aurora needs continued support, not additional risks.

The Mayor’s office has been working very closely with us to help tackle Aurora’s problems through its support of the Aurora Avenue Task Force (72nd to 90th Streets). For this we are grateful. We believe, however, that any work we have done and plan to do will be severely damaged by the addition of a jail near our area.

With an expected average stay of only 10 days, the jail will regularly release inmates. Approximately 20-40 inmates could be released out the backdoor everyday. Where would they go? On Aurora we have a thin commercial district that hides nearby residential areas. It is our experience that criminal activity that starts in the commercial area leaks into the surrounding neighborhoods (e.g., prostitution, drug dealing on residential corners and property crime).

I recognize the need for the city to find a site for a municipal jail. I do not, however, agree that this site meets reasonable criteria for a safe and efficient jail location. Of the four sites mentioned:

- It is the only one with immediately adjacent residences - single family homes, senior housing, condos and multi-family housing - including the low-income housing of Aki Kurose. These homes would have no buffer between themselves and a jail.

- It is the furthest site from the downtown courthouse.

- It is the site with the greatest number of K-12 schools within one mile. The 7 schools are: Ingraham High School (0.6 miles), Broadview Thompson K-8 (0.6 miles), Northgate Elementary (0.6 miles), Christ the King Elementary (0.6 miles), Haller Lake Children’s Center (0.6 miles), Living Wisdom School (0.9 miles), Northgate Christian Academy (1 mile).

- The parcel is located within the boundaries of the Bitterlake Hub Urban Village.

- There are three Seattle Parks facilities within one mile: Madison Pool (0.7 miles), Bitterlake Playfield (0.5 miles) and Broadview Park (0.6 miles).

- Aurora has been vulnerable to high levels of crime. Although some areas of Aurora have seen a reduction in crime, locating a jail with the potential flow of 20-40 inmates daily on our vulnerable streets threatens the gains we have made as a community.

- The 358 bus-line carries nearly 10,000 riders a day and is expected to increase when Bus Rapid Transit comes to Aurora in a few years. The 358 is already known as one of the higher crime routes. Adding additional risks of released inmates will only contribute to its already risky status.

Please choose a site that is further from residential areas and schools, closer to the downtown courthouse and less vulnerable to crime.

Sincerely,

[your name and address]