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Drug Dens Empty During Seattle Pride Parade

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Fentanyl Free…Sort of

On Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Pride Parade (@OurSeattlePride) flowed through downtown #Seattle and brought in a ton of people. There was also a heavy police (@SeattlePD) presence at many street corners along the parade route. For the first time in nearly a year, I saw the potential of 3rd and Pike St, free and clear of drugs and the black market of stolen goods.

In reality, a few addicts were still lingering around the Ross Store vestibules and bus stops. But the insane hoards of people congregating in the drug dens were gone this past weekend. Will it remain this way at least until Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game (@mlb) in less than two weeks? Highly unlikely. However it shows if city leaders really wanted to put resources into constant patrols and clean up, it can be done. The video don’t lie. Watch.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.