On a Tuesday in late May, Officer Jim Ritter spent most of his day stooped slightly, carefully applying decals with a much-more-colorful-than-usual version of a police badge to business windows throughout Capitol Hill.
The decals are part of the Safe Place program, announced by Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Kathleen O’Toole on May 21 to address anti-lgbtq hate crime.
The concept is simple: Businesses, schools and organizations become “Safe Places” that offer victims a secure place to wait for police by placing signage in their windows, training staff and encouraging victims to call 911. Business owners and supporters say the benefits include the visibility of an LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood and community solidarity.
“When you come into town from outside, diversity and acceptance may not be the first thing on your mind,” said Aten, of Gothic Pride Seattle. “But then you see all of these businesses united and suddenly your ignorance and hate is not accepted. It’s the visual presence of unity in the neighborhood.”
The program is a response to increasing concern over lgbtq hate crime on the Hill. spd reported a rise in bias crime between 2013 and 2014; much of the feedback comes directly from community members who say they have witnessed increasing crime directed at lgbtq individuals, especially during peak nightlife hours. In March, Murray created a Capitol Hill lgbtq Task Force to strategize.
On May 26, spd lgbtq liaison Ritter, spd Nightlife Coordinator Chris Herrera and a small entourage of supporters walked the streets of the Hill, recruiting businesses. By the end of the day, they had marked at least 50 additional safe places for a total of about 80.
“No business has declined to participate in this,” Ritter said. “And I think it’s because businesses have the opportunity to be part of the solution to the crime problem in Capitol Hill.”
The group’s first stop was the organic juice bar on 12th Avenue, Juicebox, where co-owner Brandin Myett quickly signed up.
“For me, this is a no brainer,” he said. “It’s about being a human being. It’s not just our customers who are affected by this. It’s us. It’s our friends, it’s our neighbors.”
Lori Pomeranz of Retrofit Home mentioned that the program reminds her of stickers she used to see in the ’70s, blue hands on windows that were meant to guide kids in danger to safe places. It should — that’s where Ritter got the idea.
Eric Todd, chef at Cafe Pettirosso, said he has been “gay-bashed” several times, and that at minimum, most of his friends have had slurs hurled at them from the street. He said he thinks the program is a good idea, recalling an incident in the ’90s when he was assaulted and ran into a 7-11 where staff members didn’t know what to do or how to respond.
“It’s visibility, and we need that,” he said. “Now we aren’t anonymous, we are supporters.”
Ritter, who is on Murray’s task force, said the issue of visibility has come up at nearly every meeting, and business owners said they want to see large gay pride flags throughout the area.
Some business owners, though encouraged by the program, questioned whether the decals would make much of a difference, and said they wanted the city to do more. Miki Sodos, also of Pettirosso, said she wants to see faster response times from police officers and more foot patrols in the area.
“I’m glad the conversation is getting started,” she said. “But it’s not enough.”
At a community forum in March, lgbtq community members expressed distrust of law enforcement. Ritter said a large part of his job is trying to alleviate those fears and enhance trust by including people in designing solutions. To him, the very imagery of the program — a rainbow police badge — is significant.
“It’s an indicator of how much the department supports the lgbtq community, and how much we are reaching out to make sure the community feels safe,” he said.
After consulting community members and analyzing statistics, Ritter said he believes many hate crimes go unreported. The program website includes a community input form where people can anonymously submit feedback, and though not intended to replace a 911 call, Ritter said he personally reviews the form and hopes victims who might not otherwise report crimes will use it.
To sign up to participate in the Safe Place program or to report concerns, go to spdsafeplace.com.