City Attorney Election Puts Seattle's Renewed 'War on Drugs' Under Scrutiny
Over the past year, Seattle has begun barring some residents from entering certain neighborhoods of their city.
A new ordinance has given local judges the authority to ban people from entering select zones throughout the city if they are convicted—or even just charged—with a drug-related crime while in one of the zones.
If someone under such an order is caught in a forbidden area—known as a “Stay Out of Drug Area” (SODA) zone—they can be charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable by a $5,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail.
“It sends a message to people in crisis that they are unwelcome in our city—precisely when they most need support,” said Matt Sanders, a public defender and interim director of the King County Department of Public Defense.
https://boltsmag.org/city-attorney-election-puts-seattles-renewed-war-on-drugs-under-scrutiny/