Seattle business owners are grappling with a persistent surge in break-ins, voicing their frustration and calling for increased help as serial burglaries continue to plague the city. At Fishermen’s Terminal, businesses reported several break-ins over a recent weekend, including a truck and storage unit owned by UnCruise Adventures, as well as Wild Fish Market and Green Market, the latter having suffered the destructive attempted theft of a cash machine. According to KIRO 7, affected businesses are now requesting more security from the Port of Seattle in response to the uptick in criminal activity.
Elsewhere in the city, on Ballard Ave, business owner Matt Humphrey described the frequent burglaries as relentless, recounting four break-ins over the past two years. After another recent incident captured by surveillance footage, Humphrey expressed his exasperation with the situation. "They broke into our side window, and literally within minutes, they brought their trash bag and were filling it with beauty products and jackets," Humphrey told ABC 7 Amarillo. Not only has the crime impacted his means to cover rent and contribute to Seattle's tax base, but it has also affected his insurance, with Humphrey revealing it has taken a hit and was even dropped from his theft insurance at one point.
The impact of the serial burglaries extends beyond financial strain. MK Byrne, the owner of 'Begin', a jewelry store also situated on Ballard Ave, has faced seven break-ins in just two and a half years. Byrne detailed an attempt in October as particularly devastating, telling WPDE that it "nearly killed my business." The situation got so dire that in 2022, Byrne took the drastic step of sleeping inside her store as a last-ditch effort to protect it from further attacks.
