(Headline USA) Amazon is temporarily relocating the employees at its downtown Seattle office location due to an uptick of violent crime in the area.
“Given recent incidents near 3rd (Ave) and Pine (St), we’re providing employees currently at that location with alternative office space elsewhere,” an Amazon spokesman said, according to KOMO News.
“We are hopeful that conditions will improve and that we will be able to bring employees back to this location when it is safe to do so.”
About 1,800 Amazon employees worked at the Pine Street location, according to Amazon.
Violent crime in Seattle has skyrocketed over the past few months. On March 2, a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot. His shooter is still at large.
Just two days later, a homeless man was stabbed in his sleep right around the corner from the Amazon office. That same week, police shot and killed an armed suspect who had rammed his car into a federal building and fired a rifle downtown.
The increase in crime forced the Seattle Police Department to set up a mobile precinct along Third Avenue so that officers on bikes can routinely patrol the area.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell acknowledged the city’s crime problem but said it could take time for things to get better.
“While it will take time to reverse longstanding safety issues, Mayor Harrell’s early efforts are critical first steps to address crime and improve safety through dedicated SPD officers, a mobile SPD precinct, and additional environmental changes,” his office said in a statement.
“Mayor Harrell will continue to develop a comprehensive approach to public safety in collaboration with police and safety advocates, community members, service providers, and businesses, including Amazon, to activate, revitalize, and restore downtown for all.”
