Tacoma, Seattle businesses embrace ‘Safe Place Initiative’

It started with the Seattle Police Department. Then Tacoma Police joined in. Now, local businesses and schools are embracing the Safe Place Initiative.

The movement is part of ongoing efforts to respond to and investigate hate crimes, with a rainbow sticker that identifies a business as a “Safe Place.”

Seattle to experience first 5 p.m. sunset of 2023

“Tacoma is a compassionate and welcoming city, and the Safe Place initiative will help demonstrate to our LGBTQIA and BIPOC residents and visitors that we stand with them and will address instances of hate swiftly and with respect,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards.

The initiative encourages local businesses, schools, and community organizations to:

• Call 911 immediately, if a victim of any crime (especially a hate crime) enters their premises
• Allow the victim to remain on their premises until police arrival
• Call back 911 and provide a physical description of the victim and/or suspect(s), direction of travel and any injuries observed if the victim leaves prior to police arrival

Blake Mara, the owner of Heritage Coffee and Plant House in Tacoma, has some LGBTQ+ resources in her neighborhood. She said being part of Safe Place is a logical extension.

“What we would do is somebody who is a victim of harassment or bullying or does not feel safe can come in,” she explained. “We can lock the doors to ensure that they continue to stay safe, call 911, and wait for law enforcement to arrive. Our business has agreed to host or to allow somebody who feels or a victim of crime who feels unsafe to come into our environment, and we will protect them until law enforcement can arrive.”

The Safe Place initiative does not cost businesses anything, but there is the argument that if a person is fleeing the threat of a crime, it could draw criminals close to the business.

“We have an alarm system. We have a panic button. We have locks on the door,” Mara said. “So it just made sense.”

The Safe Place program page on the Seattle government website says there are two reasons businesses should be part of the initiative:

First, it lets your patrons know where you stand on bias and hate crimes because hate has no place in our communities. But more importantly, it says to any victim: That no matter your background or status you will be heard, you will be treated with care, dignity, and respect from the business you enter, as well as from the Police Officers who respond out to investigate. It starts the long process of empowering the victim to report their incident to the Police so we can properly investigate the crime. Suspects depend on putting and keeping the victims and the community in fear, allowing them to further victimize others. Standing up to these suspects gets them off the street and strengthens your community!

If your business wants to become a “Safe Place” you can fill out an application in Seattle or Tacoma.