Frustrated residents build gun violence barricades on Seattle’s Aurora Ave. side streets
The barriers put up by neighbors include this one on N 97th Street, as well as on N 98th and N 102nd streets. (Photo: KOMO News)
by Joel Moreno
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SEATTLE — Frustrated by recurring gunfire tied to Aurora Avenue’s long-running and increasingly deadly crime problems, some North Seattle residents have begun barricading neighborhood streets themselves.
Supporters call it a safety measure, though it is also raising concerns that the makeshift barricades could delay ambulances and fire crews responding to emergencies.
In recent days, neighbors near North 97th, 98th, and 102nd streets hauled in large metal planter boxes, dirt, and gravel to partially block residential roads feeding into Aurora Avenue North, one of Seattle’s busiest corridors.
The barriers are intended to stop gunmen from speeding through side streets during shootings connected to turf disputes among people involved in prostitution and human trafficking activity along Aurora. The rationale is spelled out on a sign posted on one of the barriers on N 97th Street.
Over the weekend, another round of violence erupted near Aurora Avenue N and N 98th Street, where Seattle police said officers recovered roughly 40 shell casings after a shootout. Surveillance footage captured about 15 seconds of sustained gunfire as groups fired from behind vehicles across the street.
Police said bullets struck nearby buildings and vehicles. One round entered the fourth-floor apartment. Another recent shooting sent bullets into a nearby home, stopping near the bassinet of a 6-week-old baby, according to the family living there.
The shootings have intensified frustration among residents who said repeated pleas for stronger city action have gone unanswered for years.
Seattle police said they are increasing late-night emphasis patrols along Aurora Avenue and deploying the department’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit.
“The gun violence experienced by Aurora-area residents is deeply unsettling,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “Every neighborhood should be a place where people feel safe, supported, and able to go about their daily lives without fear.”
However, improvised barricades have created another debate inside the neighborhood.
Critics worry the obstructions could slow emergency responders navigating narrow residential streets during fires or medical emergencies.
Seattle requires permits for structures or closures in public rights-of-way, and unauthorized obstructions can lead to fines or city removal orders.
However, supporters of the barriers argue that enough access points remain open for emergency vehicles and said the greater danger is continued gun violence near homes and children.
Residents said they hope city leaders address the underlying violence along Aurora Avenue so neighbors no longer feel compelled to block off their own streets.
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