Jonathan Choe

New It’s that time of year again where we look at the performance and salaries at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. With the street crisis worse than ever in the Seattle area, is any of this compensation justified? Hey @elonmusk, take a look. Join Us If you believe our journalism and research made a difference this year, please consider a donation and join our team. Donate | Fix Homelessness Last Year’s KCRHA Salary Report Here is our KCRHA salary report from last year. Caitlyn McKenney’s Report on KCRHA’s “Partnership for Zero” My colleague @CaitlynMcKenney also authored this report on KCRHA’s failed “Partnership for Zero” initiative that aimed to dramatically reduce street homelessness. Instead, the agency blew through $10M. Report: Read More ›

Epic Failure Neighbors and biz owners in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID say Mayor Harrell is ignoring their pleas for help as crime and open-air drug use surge in this predominantly Asian-American community. So they’re mobilizing for a potential class action lawsuit against the city. After I put the city on blast, the Mayor’s office is also ignoring my requests for comment on this unending disaster.

Disastrous Commute Due to crime and open air drug use, King County Metro abruptly shut down two critical bus stops near 12th Ave & Jackson in Seattle’s Little Saigon. Instead of enforcing the law and making arrests, it appears officials are just going for the temporary band-aid approach and inconveniencing Asian American seniors. BTW, the drug dealing and black market of stolen goods just moved down a block.

Drive By The current plan to address the mayhem and crime in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood appears to be regular hose downs of the streets. But it’s not a permanent solution. One neighbor sent me video showing the hoard of drug users who come back after sunset. Mayor Bruce Harrell, what’s the plan for the evening hours?

Breaking Multiple sources say Summit Sierra High School is trying to leave Seattle’s Chinatown-ID neighborhood due to high crime and open-air drug use. Enrollment has plummeted. I first reported on this last year. Nothing has changed.

Tipping Point Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is losing Chinatown-ID. Numerous business owners say Harrell has prioritized the downtown shopping core over this predominantly Asian American neighborhood. Despite warnings from community advocates, most of the open-air drug use, crime, and chaos from 3rd Ave & Pike St has been allowed to move into Little Saigon. Numerous CID biz owners are planning to leave the neighborhood by the end of the year or possibly file a class action lawsuit against the city.

Crime is down in Seattle? Try telling that to these SMALL biz owners who just went off on Mayor Bruce Harrell. Read the horror stories on this thread that are barely being reported by local media. How do entrepreneurs make a living in this city? A lot of these small biz owners are dealing with repeat offenders and drug addicts. Everyone is now acknowledging the downtown shopping core has fewer hoards of drug addicts and crime due to intentional enforcement of laws. But when will the rest of the city like Chinatown-ID get attention? Bottom line, you get what you vote for.

Sad State of Affairs Sad state of affairs in Seattle’s Little Saigon. Puzzi Salon owner Zazl Wu is trying to open his business next month at the corner of 12th Ave & Jackson St. But he’s constantly fending off drug addicts who disrespect the neighborhood. Wu says he’s planning to sue the city.

Nothing Has Changed Monday afternoon, first responders raced to Seattle’s Chinatown-ID for another drug induced mental health freak out. Last week, I warned city leaders about this encampment across the street from Summit Sierra High. It’s littered with drug supplies, feces, and abandoned tents. Nothing has changed.

Seattle Times Finally Picks Up Story For months now I’ve been reporting on the movement of drug addicts from downtown Seattle to Chinatown-ID. The Seattle Times is finally jumping on this story. The squeeze is now on Mayor Bruce Harrell to do something about it. Councilmember Morales Quits Former Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales left her district a mess. But she quit her post this month. So now sources say this Asian American community is getting ready to mobilize against Mayor Harrell if the crime and urban decay are not addressed.