It's getting worse

Matt Humphrey owns Steele Barber and Steele Salons in Seattle. He told Fox News Digital that conditions around his shops are deteriorating, whatever the city's numbers say.

“It's not getting better, it's getting worse despite the statistics”

A 911 call with no answer

Days before the interview he called 911 about open drug use near one of his shops. People had scattered a restaurant's hijacked produce shipment across the ground and were shooting up. Police never showed.

“I called 911 and never saw the police”

Staff and customers exposed

Humphrey says the encounters happen every day or every week. He frames it as a workplace safety problem, and says relocating the businesses is not an option he will take.

“it's dangerous for our staff, and it's not great for our customers”

Thirty-eight executives sign on

An open letter to Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council carried signatures from leaders at Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, the Mariners and Alaska Airlines.

What the letter asks for

A 100-day public safety action plan, more surveillance cameras, more police staffing and faster response times. It also asks the city to fund treatment and shelter, then arrest and prosecute people who repeatedly refuse help.

Small shop, big backup

Humphrey welcomed the letter and said it matters that large employers spoke up. His read is that businesses of every size are asking for the same accountability so they can keep providing jobs.

“I'm just a small company, but it's encouraging to see big companies step forward”

The statistics gap

After the July shooting at the Bite of Seattle that killed three people, Wilson pointed to police data showing shootings and homicides at a decade low. Humphrey says that is not what he sees driving around.

“when people throw around statistics, that's not what I see”

Bounced between dispatchers

He called 911 about a man who looked dead 20 feet from his house. Operators and EMS passed him back and forth, then asked if he would approach the man himself to check. He said no, the man could be armed.

“Are you comfortable talking to this guy to see if he's OK?”

Talk to her like a parent

Humphrey's message to Wilson is to picture her own kids walking past needles, or a customer getting harassed mid-haircut. He has been saying this for six years and wants action instead of process.

“We just have to make the change now... or we're just going to lose the city.”