Residents in Magnolia say RVs in neighborhood are root of crime increase

SEATTLE -- Needles, trash and human waste litter parts of Magnolia.

“You and I can walk from here to Ballard and we will find hundreds of hypodermic needles,” Magnolia resident Harley Lever said Tuesday.

You will also see RVs parked for days all over Seattle.

“It’s been sitting there for at least four days,” Magnolia resident Cindy Pierce said, pointing to one of the vehicles.

Neighbors believe the RVs could be the root of the problem.

Some say they’ve seen drug deals and drug use out in the open.

Residents are just fed up with the overall crime in many neighborhoods. Lever said Magnolia has seen a significant increase in crime this year compared to four years ago.

“We are tired of it, we are tired of the crime that’s going on,” Pierce said.

That is why there are a growing number of names on a new petition called Make Seattle Safe Again.

“These are failed policies, the mayor has allowed drug addicts and drug dealers to set up shop here in Seattle,” Lever said.

Lever contends he and many of his neighbors have repeatedly tried to reach out to the mayor but received no response.

“The city is not enforcing the laws,” Pierce said.

Seattle Police say they are aware of the problem with the RVs and they are actively working on the issue.

But current city code requires officers to place citations on RVs, giving owners 72-hour notice before the vehicles can be towed -- and once someone moves the RV, the clock starts all over again.

“They are ticketed and they move 3 feet and they start another 72 hours,” Pierce said.

It’s a cycle they are desperate to break.

“It can’t happen anymore,” Lever said.

Q13 FOX News repeatedly reached out to the Mayor's Office on Tuesday. They released this statement Tuesday evening.

"The mayor takes this issue very seriously. The Mayor's public safety advisor has reached out to several residents who have contacted our office and will sit down at a community meeting to discuss these problems on Jan. 6. Over the past several weeks, Seattle Police have stepped up enforcement patrols in problem areas in response to reports of drug dealing. Human Services Department staffers have also provided outreach services to those living in vehicles. City will continue to prioritize and respond to these public safety and public health issues, including property crime, drug dealing and unsafe, unauthorized encampments."