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Lurking in the Woods The SWIMMING POOL is what really brought attention to this West Seattle homeless encampment along Myers Way. But for weeks now, I’ve been exploring the constellation of mini encampments in the deep woods nearby. Most of this is still on Washington State Dept of Transportation (@wsdot) property. I counted at least 40 suspected situations. Lots of drug use, trash, and no doubt there is run off going into the waterways. It’s an environmental disaster in the making. I also met one guy who is extremely talented and should be working. He built one of the craziest encampments I have ever seen with an underground tunnel system in the works. But the state might want to get Read More ›

Jonathan Choe joins reporters on Newsmax to discuss the illegal takeover of Washington state property in Seattle where homeless occupants are felling trees, building driveways, and setting up pools. Watch the full clip here:

Breaking Trespass notices are now up at a notorious West Seattle homeless encampment with the infamous SWIMMING POOL. It appears The Washington State Dept. of Transportation (@wsdot) is finally getting ready to take action. But some of the homeless say they’ve read the fine print and are not worried…at least for now. Meanwhile, neighbors at the Arrowhead Gardens Senior Living Apartments are putting elected officials on BLAST before tonight’s community meeting. They’re demanding a timeline on removal. And look at the disaster in the deep woods behind the pool! What a mess. On Notice The homeless pointing out there is ZERO language about tents and structures being removed this round. It’s Going National Diane Radischat is the president of the Read More ›

Breaking City of Burien one step closer to a NO camping ban on public property. Monday evening, the motion passed to have City Manager Adolfo Bailon craft the language of this ordinance, then present it to city council for vote at next meeting. That’s if he can get it done by then. Passionate testimony on both sides. YES VOTES: CM Jimmy Matta, CM Stephanie Mora, Mayor Sofia Aragon, Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling NO VOTES: CM Cydney Moore, CM Sarah Moore, CM Hugo Garcia Currently, the city only has a no camping ordinance in public parks. Disaster in the Making Burien’s latest out of control homeless encampment is located at the corner of Ambaum Blvd SW & SW 120th St. It’s Read More ›

In 1993 Native American writer Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. published a short story collection titled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In 2003 he publisherd in The New Yorker an Alexie short story, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” that was one of the top three stories of the year, according to the prestigious O.Henry Awards. It has been anthologized and assigned to thousands of high school students. Although all the action is within one small area of Seattle, it’s a culturally important meld of the Noble Savage and Happy Hobo traditions I wrote about last week.   The story begins, “One day you have a home and the next you don’t,” and then quickly identifies the narrator/hero Read More ›

Will it Make a Difference? First weekend in #Chinatown-ID without the 12th Ave & Jackson St bus shelter. King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) dismantled it because addicts were using it as a drug den and trash dump. Just to be clear, it is still a functional stop. But on rainy or snowy days, there will be no place to take cover. Meanwhile, it’s good to see Seattle Police patrolling this area. But all the action continues to scatter onto side streets whenever officers show up. I recently spoke to SPD Captain Steve Strand who is one of the main points of contact for the #CID. He says many customers fueling the black market of stolen goods are the Chinese and Vietnamese Read More ›

That’s a Wrap On Tuesday, FAR-LEFT activists threatened to disrupt the Major League Baseball All Star Game (@mlb) with an RV protest in SODO. Instead, Stop The Sweeps Seattle just displayed some banners before the game outside T-Mobile (@TMobilePark) and left pamphlets on car windshields. They also scrawled chalk messages on the sidewalks and plastered “Harrell Horror Show” stickers (@MayorofSeattle) on nearby signs. For whatever it’s worth, they’re also targeting the Seattle City Council. Always interesting conversations and debates with these folks when they take the time to explain their position. The question now, how long until the RV’s and tents return to this part of SODO? What’s the Next Play? Stop The Sweeps Seattle volunteers have been a major Read More ›

Total Chaos Now that the MLB Baseball All-Star Game is over, could we please refocus on the rest of Seattle that is falling apart? The Downtown Activation Plan is virtually non-existent at the corner of 12th Ave & Jackson St in #Chinatown-ID. I have literally documented this part of the city deteriorate for many months. Thursday night was no different. Virtually zero police officers in this area. Trash everywhere. And the mayhem is evident with open air drug use and the black market of stolen goods thriving. Indian American business owner Gurinderjit Purewal just moved in three months ago to start a restaurant called Amritsar Tadkas. But he’s already having buyer’s remorse after he says a deranged individual recently went Read More ›

Update on Tammy Town Private security is now guarding the site of the former homeless encampment off Rainier Ave S. in Seattle, aptly named for Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) who was not there to help her constituents for many months. This is private property slated for development. But will remain looking like a WAR ZONE and Third World Country for the next few days. It will take time to remove the trash and remaining vehicles. There needs to be a plan to get in front of these encampments before spiraling out of control. But that remains elusive. On Wednesday, outreach workers with the city, REACH, Salvation Army, and Urban League were on hand trying to track people and get them Read More ›