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- Amazon announced Friday it would temporarily move employees from its downtown Seattle office.
- The decision comes amid an increase in violent crime in the area.
- An Amazon spokesperson told Insider they plan to bring workers back when “it is safe to do so.”
Amazon is temporarily relocating employees from its downtown Seattle office amid an increase in violent crime in the area.
An Amazon spokesperson told Insider via email: “Given recent incidents near 3rd and Pine, we’re providing employees currently at that location with alternative office space elsewhere.” The building is not closed, however.
The spokesperson added: “We are hopeful that conditions will improve and that we will be able to bring employees back to this location when it is safe to do so.”
The office is at 300 Pine Street, about a half-mile from its main headquarters on Seventh Avenue.
As reported by KOMO News, shootings, stabbings, and other crimes are increasing in the area.
Michael del Bianco, a 15-year-old boy, was shot and killed at the intersection where Amazon’s office is located on March 2, per Newsweek.
About 1,800 Amazon employees are assigned to the office, according to the spokesperson, but many of them had been working remotely due to the pandemic.
According to information from the Seattle Police Department’s Twitter account, there have been at least three shootings, two stabbings, and one carjacking in the area since February 21.
A spokesperson for Mayor Bruce Harrell told KOMO News in a statement: “Mayor Harrell will continue to develop a comprehensive approach to public safety in collaboration with police and safety advocates, community members, service providers, and businesses, including Amazon, to activate, revitalize, and restore downtown for all.”
Insider’s Katherine Long recently reported that the Amazon workers behind the first union push have sent a list of demands, including higher wages and a more flexible attendance policy.