EVERETT, Wash. — Diedrich Coffee on Highway 99 in Everett is one of the newest businesses on the block – and its welcome to the neighborhood has been a rough one.
“At about 4:15 right here on Holly Drive there were people shooting. So I, of course, hit the ground and crawled behind the fridge and called police,” said manager Jordan Willard.
Willard said pepper spray and a Taser are always at an arm’s reach. She said she's worried for her fellow baristas and wants the city to do more.
It's a concern KING 5's Sebastian Robinson took to Everett's Mayor, Cassie Franklin.
“I empathize with her I hear her and I hear many people in the community expressing the same concerns,” Franklin said.
The mayor of Everett isn’t shying away from the reality her city is facing. She said citizens regularly tell her they feel unsafe.
Tuesday Franklin stood alongside several Snohomish County mayors and police chiefs to launch a new interagency coalition intended to bring the crime rate down. The so-called Mayors and Business Leaders for Safer Communities, a 503c4 – is intended to bring together resources from across the region.
“All of us are dealing with this issue and I think by banding together and amplifying our voices we can make a more powerful impact of how do we fix this,” Franklin said.
It's an issue that was recently highlighted in a PR offensive, led by law enforcement, calling for a change to newly passed state laws that limit when police can pursue a suspect in a vehicle. The law's original sponsor called the video a "fear-mongering campaign ad."
Back at the coffee shop and Willard says for now she has no plans to let her guard down.
“There’s only so much you can do just make sure that you’re keeping things locked up and that you’re staying vigilant,” she said.
It's a shop that’s already reduced hours due to crime – one they hope will outlast this rise in crime.