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Residents, business owners clash over proposed 'stay out of drug areas' ordinance at Kent council meeting
Summary
Dozens of residents, business owners and service providers testified for and against a proposed Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA) ordinance during public comment at the Kent City Council meeting on April 1, 2025; no council vote was taken that evening and councilmembers signaled continuing discussion.
Dozens of residents, business owners and service providers spoke during the public-comment period at the Kent City Council meeting on April 1, 2025, delivering sharply divided testimony over a proposed Stay Out of Drug Areas (SODA) ordinance that would create geographically defined exclusion zones for public drug use.
Supporters including property and business owners said visible drug use and related disorder on First Avenue and Meeker Street are driving customers away and harming downtown commerce. Pat Crockett, a property owner who said she travels to Kent regularly, urged the council to “please do have a vote yes on the stay out of drug area, please.” Business owners who testified described repeated break-ins, stolen merchandise and regular encounters with people using drugs outside their doors.
Opponents — including legal professionals, service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness — said SODA zones would criminalize people in…
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