Thousands of Needles Removed from North Seattle Freeway Encampment

Bailing Out Government Again

At this point, most of us know about the incredible exploits of We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle.) This homeless outreach group is consistently one of the most impactful in the region because of the dynamic leadership of Andrea Suarez. She continues to mobilize volunteers and also empowers the men and women living on the streets to help clean up encampments.

This weekend, Suarez and her crew focused on one of the most problematic corridors in North Seattle, removing around one million pounds of trash. But they barely scratched the surface. The WSDOT (@wsdot) right of ways in this part of Seattle are now overwhelmed with tents and structures. From Northgate to University District, it’s almost like the government has given up. Just drive by and see for yourself. The highways are a train wreck and more homeless tell me they are moving there.

They know Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) pretty much admitted last month that the state has run out of money to remove and house people. It’s only going to get worse. The problems are already spilling into the city. “Housing first” is failing. By the way, look the needles littered everywhere. This is what happens when you give out meth pipes, heroine needles, and fentanyl foil like candy. This form of “harm reduction” is “harm enablement.” It’s gotta be about recovery first.

Gov is Going to Ask for More Money

But look at the results so far. Where is the accountability? What are the metrics for success?

More Boots on the Ground

One volunteer says the state should be using prison inmates on WSDOT right of ways to help clean the trash at homeless encampments. Just to be clear, We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle) cleared thousands of pounds of trash over the weekend. More than one million pounds so far this year.