Visit Seattle President Tom Norwalk said that last year was the city's best year for tourism, but that may not be the case for long if outdoor drug use and crime near the convention center persists.
"We've had meeting planners that have said unless Seattle gets its act together relative to the street scene, they may not come back," said Norwalk.
On Sunday, officers responded to 9th and Pike streets next to the convention center for complaints of people using intravenousdrugs at a nearby encampment.
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"There are people who they sit [it] out on the table. They'll cook, you know, some things and that can be pretty sketchy," Anthony Philips, who works at a nearby restaurant, added. "We see people shoot up or just shot up or a lot of people nodding off."
Seattle police said that there's no specific plan to target drug users and the criminal activity specific to the Washington State Convention Center.
"Without those statistics, without the calls in the area, it's hard for us to develop personnel strategies to determine if we have the right resources in the right places," said Drew Fowler, SPD spokesperson.
Witnesses complained that they are discouraged to call 911 for drug users in the area because SPD won't respond.
SPD said that while that's not true, responding to drug calls is a lower priority than others.
"We have to prioritize the time we have. High call loads and immediate life-threatening issues first," said Fowler.
Norwalk said that Convention Center staff is working with city leaders and SPD to come up with a plan to combat the outdoor drug-use problem.
He hopes a plan will be announced in the next few weeks.
The Downtown Seattle Association said it is also working with the homeless to connect them with services to get them off the streets.
The Metropolitan Improvement District's outreach program employs a personal approach to connecting Downtown's homeless population with case management, housing, employment, mental health services or substance abuse assistance.In a little less than 12 months, the outreach program connected more than 700 people with services, helping to get these people on the path to recovery and a brighter future.
"The MID is working with Downtown stakeholders in the Center City Initiative, a coordinated effort aimed at addressing issues related to Downtown street disorder. There's more work to be done, but to date this collaboration has resulted in more than 3,000 outreach visits or welfare check-ins," said James Sido, Downtown Seattle Association.
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