Downtown is much worse than it was just 10-20 years ago, there are significantly more crimes, homeless, junkies, dealers and criminals here than there was, not saying it was perfect before either but this can't be denied, everyone knows Seattle was one of the most heavily segregated modern cities in the past, while segregation has gotten better, the divide has has only become more blurred with the proliferation of inequality, there are heavier crime areas in every big city. It's just all of a sudden you're shook because the violence is starting to spill over into the places you yuppies sometimes walk past. Go back to the Midwest if you can't deal with all the crazies or homeless we refuse to help.