Capitol Hill Safety Update: What We Built Together in 2025
By Jen Carl (she/her), Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Coordinator, GSBA
2025 was a challenging year for many small businesses and community members on Capitol Hill. Through safety forums, community meetings, and direct visits to storefronts, we consistently heard concerns about property crime, substance use, traffic and roadway safety, vandalism, and break-ins. At the same time, federal anti-LGBTQ+ policy has fueled increased fear, bias, and harm toward Trans, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities — leaving many people feeling anxious, exhausted, and on edge.
And yet, even in the midst of these challenges, something important has remained true: our community shows up for one another.
Despite everything, the LGBTQ+ community is still here. We continue to organize, collaborate, and build safer, more equitable neighborhoods together. History reminds us that resilience is not abstract — it’s created through relationships, shared responsibility, and action.
Building the Foundation: 2025 Accomplishments
In 2025, my role as GSBA’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Coordinator focused first and foremost on relationship-building — laying the groundwork for collaboration with public safety officials, elected leaders, community-based organizations, property owners, and small businesses across the Hill.
Highlights from the year
- Conducted 100+ Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments, offering evidence-backed recommendations to improve storefront security and reduce future crime.
- Distributed $75,000 in storefront safety grants to nine Capitol Hill small businesses with support from the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development. Those businesses are:
MassiveAll Seasons Dry Cleaners
- Engaged in stakeholder consultation on the City–SPD Collective Bargaining Agreement, supporting the expansion of the CARE Team as a community-centered alternative safety response.
- Supported updated accountability processes following the lifting of the federal Consent Decree.
- Partnered with Lime to implement additional no-ride zones in high-pedestrian areas of Capitol Hill.
- Began work on a proposed Seattle nondiscrimination ordinance based on family structure alongside the Human Rights Commission and LGBTQ+ Commission.
Throughout the year, I also worked directly with businesses navigating immediate concerns related to property crime, hate and bias incidents, substance use impacts, traffic safety, crisis response, and event safety — connecting folks to resources, education, and city services.
What We Learned
One of the most important lessons from this year is the power of facts and context. Property crime remains a serious issue in Washington State, yet increased crime does not always mean increased danger. Substance use does not automatically equate to violence.
Helping communities distinguish between what feels unsafe and what is unsafe allows us to respond with clarity rather than fear — and ensures our public safety strategies are rooted in reality, not misinformation.
“Most fundamentally, our vision of public safety will be rooted in community partnership. We will build long-term relationships in neighborhoods and work intentionally with service providers, outreach teams, diversion case managers, business improvement areas, small businesses, and community organizations and adopt a problem-solving approach that addresses root causes instead of relying solely on enforcement.”
— Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson
Looking Ahead: Goals for 2026
- Leverage relationships built in 2025 to deepen collaboration.
- Hold public safety leaders accountable to community-identified concerns.
- Advance proactive, prevention-focused approaches to safety.
- Expand webinars, trainings, and safety-focused community events.
- Communicate accurate data to counter harmful narratives about Capitol Hill.
Stay connected
Watch for upcoming safety webinars, forums, and trainings — and details on the new GSBA Capitol Hill Safety Advisory Committee launching in January 2026. See the calendar.
Also be sure to attend our monthly Capitol Hill Safety Call
Public safety is strongest when it is rooted in community partnership, trust, and shared responsibility. Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke honestly, and worked alongside us this year.
Jen Carl (she/her)
Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Coordinator
Jenc@theGSBA.org