Tomorrow, January 20th, will be Inauguration Day where Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the United States. With the recent insurrection attempt at the Capitol, the City is monitoring local demonstrations – there are events scheduled in Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill. Protest or coordinated action emerging from these events is low.
The Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) has produced this guide to help you and our small business community navigate safety and security issues. This guide is available in Amharic, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Important highlights include:
- Please make sure your security system is working and turned on before leaving your property.
- Lock all doors and windows before you leave your property.
- Secure dumpsters and recycling bins as much as possible and remove all combustibles that cannot be secured. Regardless of the situation, it’s best practice to check your dumpster daily, note unexpected debris or illegal dumping, and report it to Seattle Public Utilities or your contracted hauler immediately.
- Lock and move solid waste and recycle containers inside.
- Remove outside signage from the sidewalks and secure them inside your business.
- Secure any outdoor dining and merchandise equipment your business may be utilizing.
- Businesses that have taken preparations by boarding up their storefront windows are asked to ensure that addresses and standpipe connections (for fire hoses) are visible so first responders can quickly respond to the location should an emergency occur.
As always, please call 911 immediately if you witness a crime, even if Seattle Police Department officers are already in the area.
If you haven’t already, please sign up for Alert Seattle, which is an important way to get emergency alerts and notifications from the City. Additionally, we encourage you to follow local media such as The Seattle Times, KIRO 7, King 5, KOMO and Q13 Fox for real time updates.