Amazon Relocates Workers Due to Out-of-Control Violence in Downtown Seattle

Amazon announced on Friday that it has decided to relocate office staff in downtown Seattle due to a sustained uptick in violent crime, with other businesses in the area opting to stick with remote work for the same reason.

The location that office workers are being moved from employs around 1,800 people, the company confirmed to KOMO News. {snip}

The spike in the city’s violent crime hit a new peak on March 2, when 15-year-old Michael del Bianco was shot and killed at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Pike Street, which is where Amazon‘s office building is located. In order to address the issues plaguing the area, the Seattle Police Department set up a mobile precinct at the intersection and increased its number of patrolling bike cops.

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Numerous other businesses have closed due to the recent spike in crime, including Qumulo, a cloud technology firm, and Piroshky Piroshky, a popular Russian bakery, according to a local NBC affiliate. McDonald’s also confirmed the closure of its downtown Seattle locations, citing an inability to keep its workers safe.

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