Depends on your definition of sex offender.

I work very close to those locations. Washington State has a problem with sex offenders. And the jails are full with other criminals. There may be no excuse for that, however that is the reality.

As far as the sorority houses, I think they are securing them, it may be pricey for some houses though. The U District is seen as a high crime area so there is a police precinct located closely and there are the UW police crimes unit. It is hard to get resolution because there is a problem with transiency and drug use. Bus service is free to all who desire it in the U district and downtown.

There are alot of indigents that live in the bushes and trees around here until it is cold, then maybe they go to the shelters and they compound the charity hospitals. Most of it is due to drug use and petty theft. Some of these folks have HIV/AIDS. Occasionally, I see small children before Foster Care snaps them up. The older one's I rarely see or do not know they are under 18 years old because they look older than 30...

Community based policing has not worked well here. And many homeless are swept under the rug.

So the level sex offenders living close to the stereotype of "wild college girls" is quite upsetting, it does not surprise me, here...

I guess I'm the minority here, but IMO better to place them near houses where many people who know each other live, than near buildings with individual apartments. If one of those guys breaks into a sorority house full of girls they'll kick his ass. If he breaks into an apartment of a single woman who doesn't know her neighbors, that's a much worse situation.

That is a very good point 33girl. I recently moved out of the U-district. I lived there for 4 years and never had a problem, I never came into any contact with the sex offenders and I don't know anyone who has. I am surprised that these women don't know about the halfway houses located within the Greek system. At my house we knew all about them.

It is a very unsafe area however you need to take the right precautions- always walking with a buddy, carry some mace with you if you need it, familiarize yourself with the area, know what they look like. We also had a self defense program so our members could learn the proper techniques for defending themselves.

Basically you just need to remember that you live in one of the most dangerous parts of the city, stay smart and don’t let your guard down.

The sorority houses are only as safe as the members keep them. That means no propping open doors, leaving windows open in the summer, etc. A few years ago a man DID get into the ZTA house at UW and attacked a woman inside. I don't think they ever found the guy, but I remember the fraternity guys from the house next door stood watch for the next few nights.