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Oh Boy WSDOT (@wsdot) and Gov. Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) are now dealing w/another out of control fire at a homeless encampment entrenched on a state right of way. There have already been multiple infernos at this downtown #Seattle location. @MayorofSeattle (video from Jeremy Harris) WSDOT Was Warned Look at this inferno back in March near the same spot. According state data, there are more than 2000 homeless encampments on state right of ways, many still in #Seattle. At what point does @MayorofSeattle step in. Questionnable Pace These encampment situations are out of control, even after millions of dollars poured into clearings and housing. That’s why I keep asking Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) about the timelines for removals. But right now, Read More ›

Pundits who write about homelessness should recognize that America in this decade does not have 20-20 vision on the subject. My column last week analyzed a celebrated short story in which a homeless Native American and his friends haven’t changed at all, but the city of Seattle celebrates. If you’ve been watching Jonathan Choe’s videos on this Fix Homelessness website, Seattle’s homelessness crisis is not something to cheer. But in a New Yorker short story, the Noble Savage and his alcoholic crew can live happily ever after.  Some writers cheer on homelessness, seeing it as a way to live off the land, hunting for sustenance. There are parallels between the way European Americans dealt with Native Americans two centuries ago Read More ›

Across the street from Arrowhead Gardens senior living community on Myers Way in Seattle sprawls a massive homeless encampment. On Tuesday evening, frustrated seniors at Arrowhead Gardens unloaded their concerns over the encampment and slammed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for mishandling the response. The seniors said they were “ashamed of the state,” and “feel threatened” living in close proximity to the encampment. The encampment has raised concerns about open air drug use, human trafficking, gun violence, and an overall increase in crime. Diane Radischat, president of Arrowhead’s senior living association, says a homeless person from the encampment “defecated in one of our washing machines.” A theme of the comments made Tuesday evening was a sense that the Read More ›

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 ›