Georgetown Apartments Housing 20 Sex Offenders

A Georgetown neighborhood is trying to come to grips with the fact that 20 convicted sex offenders are living in a single apartment building in the middle of their community.

"I don't think it makes any sense at all. I can't believe something like this happening," said Tim O'Brien, co-chairman of the Georgetown Community Council.

"I'm afraid it will become a halfway house for sex offenders," said O'Brien, who lives two blocks from the Stevenson Apartments in the 6600 block of Corson Avenue South.

State Rep. Velma Veloria, whose 11th District includes Georgetown, sympathizes with the community, which she says already is fragile because of its continuing fight with drugs and prostitution.

Concentrating that many sex offenders in one location is unfair, Veloria says, and "not healthy for the community." She remains unsure of what can be done about it.

Veltry Johnson, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections, said the 20 sex offenders in the South Seattle apartment building are under "post-release" conditions, meaning they are required to register their addresses with the Seattle police and adhere to other restrictions.

Of particular concern are four Level 3 sex offenders, the ones deemed most likely to re-offend, who are living in the apartment.

Seattle police say they took the proper steps to notify the community. Notices went out to schools, libraries, news-media, neighborhood centers and block watch groups when the four Level 3

offenders moved into the community, a spokeswoman said.

But a lot of people, it seems, did not realize that so many offenders were collecting in one location during the past year.

O'Brien says he learned of the situation two weeks ago, and now he thinks only about half of the local community knows.

"When the others learn, they are going to be pretty upset," he said.

O'Brien believes the concentration of offenders has created a threat to public safety that city officials must respond to.

Carter Hoffman, who has been part owner of the Stevenson for 20 years, says he's caught in the middle. He said the community's concern about the offenders is legitimate, but he points out that because the offenders are concentrated in one area, they are easier to supervise.

Hoffman said he has offered Seattle police and the Department of Corrections the use of one unit in the apartment building for an office so police could more closely monitor the offenders.

Victoria Roberts, director of the Corrections Department's community-protection program, does not advocate concentrating released sex offenders, but acknowledges that supervision is easier if they are in one locality.

There are 32 homeless sex offenders who claim to live in Seattle, Roberts said. "They are almost impossible to supervise," she said.