Increased Concern over Frequent Prostitution in Seattle’s Aurora Avenue, Following a Series of Traumatic Events

When a group of church volunteers set out to distribute food and blankets to Seattle’s homeless population one evening last month, they were surprised to not find any. However, they were startled to encounter several scantily clad women offering their services along the road.

This disturbing sight had a profound effect on one of the volunteers, Stuart Jenner, who described the scene as a repetitive pattern of women on the streets. “As we journeyed southward, we offered prayers for each one of them,” he recollected.

A few hours later, a woman from the same area was kidnapped by a man posing as an undercover officer, the FBI reported. According to charges, the man lured her with the promise of prostitution, shackled her, and transported her to his home in southern Oregon. The woman managed to escape from her confining cell, a crudely made structure of cinder blocks, by punching the door until it broke.

The FBI is currently seeking additional potential victims as they have associated the suspect, Negasi Zuberi, with violent sexual crimes in at least four other states. His appointed public defender, Devin Huseby, declined to comment on the issue.

The abduction on July 15 is the latest in a series of at least three incidents in the past year where women working as prostitutes along Aurora Avenue had to flee from their captors or required rescue after being forcibly detained. These incidents have raised serious questions about the impact of permitting an overt sex trade on this bustling thoroughfare.

Jamie Housen, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, acknowledged the issue, describing the Aurora Avenue North corridor as a persistent public safety concern, notorious for human trafficking, street prostitution, drug dealing, and gun violence.

In response, the city of Seattle has been implementing stricter enforcement measures, conducting regular arrests, and issuing nuisance warnings to two motels on Aurora identified as hubs of prostitution and other criminal activities.

Aurora, or State Route 99, is one of the primary thoroughfares in the city. It’s notorious for a 2-mile stretch near the city’s northern border, known for prostitution, which is lined with budget stores, one-story establishments, strip malls, and low-cost motels.

Residents reported a significant escalation in these activities after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. This corresponds with the Seattle Police Department’s struggle with an acute lack of officers.

In 2020, the City Council abolished loitering offenses related to drug trafficking and prostitution, citing the racist history of such laws that were first introduced during the Jim Crow era to target former slaves.

Over the past year, there have been multiple instances of women forced into prostitution attempting to escape, often leading to violent confrontations. Charges have been filed against individuals involved in these cases, and the city has declared several motels as chronic nuisances, demanding they take action to prevent criminal activities on their properties.

Commenting on the situation, Housen said, “Human trafficking imposes a devastating, significant, and unacceptable burden on victims and the community at large.” He added that Mayor Harrell understands that addressing this issue requires more than just law enforcement. It also calls for special emphasis on victim services, support, and advocacy.

Cory Cocktail, the co-founder of the Seattle sex worker outreach organization Green Light Project, emphasized the inherent risks of sex work, particularly outdoor work due to the difficulty in vetting clients. He also warned that the closure of motels could worsen the situation as sex workers might resort to entering clients’ vehicles.

Moreover, the absence of a consolidated community around the motels could make it difficult for sex workers to look out for one another, Cocktail added.

Jenner, one of the church volunteers, was struck by the similarities between the recent events and the crimes committed by Gary Ridgway, the Green River serial killer, who preyed on sex workers along the same stretch of Aurora in the 1980s. One of Ridgway’s victims was a classmate of Jenner.

Expressing his hopes in an email to elected officials, Jenner wrote, “My fervent hope is that this story can help someone to do something about all the prostitution that is on northern Aurora Avenue in Seattle.”

The report was contributed by Manuel Valdes in Seattle.

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More about Aurora Avenue Prostitution

• Seattle’s fight against prostitution
• The Green River Killer
• The Green Light Project
• Addressing Human Trafficking
• Understanding the Risks of Sex Work