Blog | Page 27

Olympia’s Crisis in the Woods Outsiders think Washington state’s capital would be pristine and well maintained. But for the locals, the homeless and drug crisis has exploded over the past few years. And it’s become more visible and evident than ever, especially along Wheeler Ave. There are dozens of tents still on WSDOT (@wsdot) property. Unfortunately, tons of trash and drug paraphernalia’s starting to pile up as well. This is also turning into an environmental disaster. Look at all the rubbish in waterways. Some of the homeless are also chopping down fresh trees to make shelters. I’m sure there are some campers in this part of Olympia who would go into the new Lacey homeless hotel. But bottom line, most Read More ›

The city of Burien, Washington altered the parade route for its 100th Annual Independence Day Celebration to avoid a massive homeless encampment. The encampment on SW 152nd St near the entrance of a Grocery Outlet and Dollar Tree is now close to 20 tents deep. “It’s best just to err on caution,” Debra George, who leads Discover Burien, a coalition of business owners responsible for making the last-minute decision, said. “We’re going to take a left on 4th and just head into town square park,” George added. Families, children, and tourists usually line downtown streets to get a glimpse of the floats and marching bands, but George says they have no choice but to alter the route since the city is refusing to remove the Read More ›

New Developments King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) is removing the bus shelter at 12th Ave and Jackson St in #Chinatown-ID in the coming weeks. Neighbors say the signs were posted a few days ago. REASON: “Ongoing safety issues and unsanitary conditions.” In other words, city and county leaders are now desperately trying to find solutions to address one of the most notorious hot spots for drug dealing, sales of stolen merchandise, and other crimes. These bus shelters are ideal since it gives cover for all the illicit activity. Problem is, when it rains or snows, Asian American seniors and other riders will have to deal with the elements. As usual, I spent the weekend scoping out all the action. Whenever there’s Read More ›

Another OD Save People ask me how I capture footage of so many fentanyl overdoses in #Seattle. It’s not a real secret. All I do is follow the ambulances and sirens. Friday afternoon, all the commotion led me to the corner of 4th Ave & Spring St, right in the alley of The Executive Hotel Pacific. Once again, Seattle Fire (@SeattleFire) bailed out another addict passed out on the ground. The city continues to average around 2-3 drug overdoses a day and this is an undercount. Even though more people are being saved because of NARCAN, look at the amount of resources it took to revive this fella. In other words, those little tiny NARCAN sprays don’t always work. This Read More ›

This year is the 500th anniversary of the death of Hermann Zierenberg. The wealthy man’s will in 1523 revealed he had set aside money so that each year on the anniversary of his death homeless people would pray for his salvation and purportedly save him years in purgatory. As Zierenberg was dying, though, the tradition of buying prayers to reduce purgatory time was dying out in much of Europe. One agent of change was Martin Luther, who said purgatory does not exist, so prayers for beloved ones to escape it are a waste of effort. Another was the enormous cost of grand cathedrals. I visited several years back the Seville Cathedral, known as the third-largest church in the world. It Read More ›

What About Chinatown/international District? Some of the fundamental pillars of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s (@MayorofSeattle) “One Seattle” approach is unity and ethnic diversity. You could clearly see it behind him during Wednesday’s press conference as he laid out more details driving his Downtown Activation Plan. But afterwards, I asked why there wasn’t a single mention of the #CID in his game plan. Timelines for measurable change also remain unclear. Watch interview below. Other advocates noticed this omission as well since this predominantly Asian American neighborhood faces enormous and unique challenges related to fentanyl and the homeless crisis exploding on it’s streets. Dozens of small mom and pop immigrant owned businesses have also left in the past couple years due to unchecked Read More ›

No Regrets Wednesday’s press conference focused on revitalizing downtown #Seattle happened in West Lake Park, just a block away from one of the most notorious drug dens in the city along 3rd Ave & Pike St. As Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) was speaking, addicts were tweaking or passed out on the sidewalk. Arrests for open air drug use and possession are not happening right now because Councilmember’s Lisa Herbold (@Lisa_Herbold,) Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama,) Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales,) Teresa Mosqueda (@CMTMosqueda,) and Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) voted NO on giving City Attorney Ann Davison (@_Ann_Davison_) the power to prosecute these gross misdemeanors. And there’s still no interim solution. Lewis is doubling down saying he has no regrets and says they’re working on something Read More ›

“The homeless are just like you and me.” That’s a politically correct assertion that doesn’t quite recognize the reality on the ground, such as the link between self-destructive behavior — most notably, substance abuse — and living on the street with no place to call home. California is home to 12% of America’s population, but 30% of the number “experiencing homelessness” and half the population of unsheltered homeless. Why? A new study on homelessness, the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness by UC San Francisco, lays out how a set of painful events can bring adults to the sad moment when they lose a roof over their heads. They lose low-paying jobs and then apartments; they bunk in spare Read More ›

No Words Sometimes you see a piece of video and are just left shaking your head. Tuesday evening, a witness says a fight broke out at Ballard Commons Park between a well known homeless guy and a dude with dreads. At the same time, a little kid just scampers through the outdoor fountain play area, totally oblivious to what’s going on. Thankfully it ended without anyone being seriously injured. Adults, let’s try to set a better example for the children. This all went down as the Seattle Parks (@SeattleParks) concierge was packing up the large chess set and signs. No park rangers or police nearby. Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) district remains problematic. But so far, crews have been able to Read More ›

Disruptive Day So many dynamics Wednesday morning as #Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) unveiled the next phase of his Downtown Activation Plan. Numerous city leaders, law enforcement officials, and entrepreneurs gathered at West Lake Park to show a united front. The Mayor says he’s playing the long game and is doubling down on his strategy to reclaim downtown from the scourge of hardcore drugs, crime, and rampant homelessness. But Stop The Sweeps Seattle disrupted speakers with angry chants and demanded housing for all homeless people. They’ve been a thorn in Mayor Harrell’s side since he took office. These FAR-LEFT activists continue to make FALSE claims saying “sweeps kill.” The reality is, most homeless people on the streets do not want Read More ›