A Community Intervention

Drug Market Initiative

Dan Satterberg, along with Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr, Interim Seattle Police Chief John Diaz, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and scores of community leaders and concerned Central District residents, confronted more than a dozen known Central District drug dealers and presented them an ultimatum:  "stop selling drugs or go to prison."

This intervention program, known as the "Drug Market Initiative" or "DMI," is based on a model developed and implemented by criminologist David Kennedy and police in High Point, North Carolina in 2004.  The effort was undertaken to combat open air drug markets and to reclaim neighborhoods.  Kennedy's model is being replicated in cities throughout the country.

Seattle's DMI intervention was an invitation-only event, where small-time street-level drug dealers were confronted with photos, video clips, and binders full of evidence that had already been collected against them.  The dealers were promised that they would not be arrested or prosecuted if they stopped selling drugs and took advantage of the job training, educational opportunities, housing and other social services that would be offered to them.  The dealers were also promised that if they continued to sell drugs, the photos, video clips, and binders full of evidence would be used against them, they would be charged with drug crimes, and they would go to prison.

For the neighborhood, it was a chance to reclaim their community.  For the drug dealers, it was a chance to avoid prison and reclaim their lives.   As Dan Satterberg told the group, "For whatever reason you started selling drugs, now you get a chance to rewind your life, and we will help you.  You get to decide how your life turns out, with redemption, or with prison."

Central District neighbors report that the DMI program had a positive impact on the neighborhood.  While six of the 16 dealers have been re-arrested since August 6th, organizers see that as a good sign that their illegal conduct is no longer tolerated by the residents of the community.

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