Invest in downtown safety

I am heartsick that a beautiful young girl, who moved to Seattle to fulfill her dreams, was shot to death in Pioneer Square. [“Many share pain of random killing,” page one, May 1.]

How many people have to die or be victimized before Mayor Mike McGinn shows any interest in public safety? The beautiful and historic downtown neighborhoods that could be, and should be, vibrant centers of shopping, nightlife and civic activity are in crisis.

If McGinn had put as much time, energy and resources into cracking down and preventing crime as he did obstructing the tunnel and painting white bicycles on the pavement, perhaps a beautiful 21-year-old girl named Nicole Westbrook, who came to this city with hope for a bright future, might still be alive.

— Celeste Garcia Ramberg, Seattle