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Greenwood Encampment Spiraling Out of Control

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Getting Worse?

There are so many unresolved homeless encampments in Seattle. But this one in Greenwood behind the Fred Meyer keeps getting worse. I counted close to 30 tents, including one with a door.

Neighbors keep flooding my DM’s saying the city along with Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) are ignoring the problem. Same issues: open air drug use, more crime, yelling at all hours of the day, trash spilling out into the streets, etc. There’s also concern this place is being used as a CHOP SHOP. One guy told me he was sawing off the metal part of a brand new hose line to sell at a local scrap yard. Perfectly legal, as long as it’s not stolen.

On a related note, neighbor Sean Gaston walked by and showed me his receipt for groceries totally unsolicited. That’s because he was implying some of the people out here steal, while he works his butt off to pay for everything he owns. The reasonable people of this city are just getting tired of this cycle. By the way if you’re keeping count, this encampment’s already been cleared several times in the past year. Remind me again why the city allows it to come back?

Last Month

Neighbors have been complaining for weeks. Still no action.

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.