“Until the politicians feel it in their pocketbook, nothing’s ever gonna change”

Hot Spots Remain Hot

#Seattle‘s City Hall Park has re-opened. Amazon workers are back a few days in the office. Tourists are passing through the city. But even with the on going efforts to reactivate downtown, the fentanyl crisis is still raging out of control.

The ecosystem of open-air drug use remains centered at the corner of 3rd Ave and Pike St, especially around the Ross store (@ross_stores.) Every vestibule is packed with addicts and dealers. It’s also spilling into the side streets and alleys. If you go back and look at all my coverage since April, nothing has changed out here. Major League Baseball All Star Weekend (@mlb) is about two weeks away. Will all this illegal activity be cleared by then?

Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) was the deciding NO vote on a bill earlier this month that would have given City Attorney Ann Davison (@_Ann_Davison_) the ability to prosecute illegal drug use in public. The addicts know it’s now a free for all and have zero incentive to seek help. And the dealers are operating with impunity. Lewis remains MIA in his lawless downtown district.

Otherwise, I just learned some thugs out here were trying to target me, thinking I was an undercover cop. But thankfully, one of the regulars out here vouched for me. She’s an amazing person who is also trying to get clean. Watch.