Community Impact

Update 3/5: The State Senate passed HB 2266, with amendments. The bill will now go back to the House to be reconsidered. A vote is expected the week of 3/9. Please call your local Representative today! Update 3/9: The House passed HB 2266. The bill will go to the Governor’s desk for signature. More than 20,000 people are living on the streets in Washington state, most of them suffering from an untreated mental illness and/or drug addiction. HB 2266 is currently moving through the Washington State legislature to make it easier to develop subsidized housing and emergency shelters in the style of the failed Housing First policy. This bill would override local ordinances and zoning laws, put residents in real Read More ›

Taking Matters into Their Own Hands Seattle leaders have failed Belltown business owners, allowing drug addicts to take over sidewalks for years. Councilmember Bob Kettle is MIA, Mayor Katie Wilson has no immediate solutions, and City Attorney Erika Evans says she won’t prosecute open-air drug use. So now the owner of Club Dogfish on 3rd Ave is taking matters into his own hands, setting up plants and trees in his vestibule to keep out the fentanyl users. But this move could be a violation of a city ordinance to keep public spaces clear. So now the showdown begins. Will the city give small business owners a break or will they selectively enforce the law? I wonder if this will be Read More ›

Of all the things a citizen should reasonably expect from her city, the “quiet enjoyment and protection of her civil rights and liberties” (so phrased by the great English jurist William Blackstone) is certainly foremost. Linda Biel, a citizen and business owner in the city of Spokane, is being denied that. Like most citizens of Spokane, when Linda pursues her dreams life in the city gets better. She pays taxes, creates jobs, provides desirable services, improves and expands her business in response to the community, and engages helpfully with her neighbors. Linda’s dream is good: She loves beauty and wellness, and long-imagined building and operating her own sophisticated downtown spa. She worked hard over many years, studying business and mathematics Read More ›

Shooting Up Beneath the Space Needle Look at this debacle near the Seattle Space Needle, Gates Foundation, and The Museum of Pop Culture. One of the cities busiest tourist hot spots is under siege by tents and a rapidly growing drug encampment. Outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell’s legacy on this massive street crisis is utter failure. Will Mayor-elect Katie Wilson make the same mistake and allow the city to descend into more chaos? Harrell’s Office Unresponsive I reached out to Harrell’s top PR guy Jamie Housen about these pop-up drug encampments wrecking the city. Still no response. Housen’s Previous PR Efforts Housen is also the same guy who called a peaceful Christian concert earlier this year at Cal Anderson Park an Read More ›

When Mount Baker neighbors in Seattle recently documented 49 tent encampments and 5 vehicle encampments within just a few blocks of schools, transit stations, grocery stores, parks and daycare centers, they weren’t conducting an academic exercise. They were mapping a crisis that has made their neighborhood unlivable. Their experience reveals everything wrong with Seattle’s approach to homelessness and public safety. I’ve spent years cleaning camps through We Heart Seattle, and I can tell you that what’s happening in Mount Baker isn’t unique. It’s the result of policies prioritizing the appearance of compassion over actual results. The question isn’t whether clearing downtown encampments and pushing problems to neighborhoods like Mount Baker is racist—though it absolutely impacts communities of color disproportionately. The Read More ›

Downtown Chaos Hurts Business Owners The owner of a limousine service says he might be exiting Seattle after a homeless drug addict went on a rampage and trashed one of his vehicles. This happened right after clients were dropped off at the Post Malone and Jelly Roll concert in T-Mobile Park. Even though the suspect was arrested, the limo owner is now blasting Mayor Bruce Harrell for enabling chaos on the streets which continues to hurt small business owners. Lake Tapps Limousine The trashed limo will be out of commission for several weeks, which also takes away work from several drivers. Otherwise, Lake Tapps still serves the Seattle area and has high ratings. To support them during this time, hire Read More ›

Seattle has lost one of its most high-profile tech events due to mounting concerns over public safety and deteriorating conditions in the city’s downtown core. Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer host its annual Build conference in Seattle starting in 2026, citing issues related to rampant homelessness, visible drug use, and urban decay. According to an internal email obtained by journalist Jonathan Choe of the Discovery Institute, Visit Seattle—the city’s official tourism and marketing organization—was informed that Microsoft will cancel its 2026 event and release all future holds for the conference in Seattle. The email, titled “DEFINITE BOOKING CANCELLATION NOTICE,” said the decision was heavily influenced by the experience of company leadership and attendees walking the downtown core Read More ›

Breaking I have obtained the internal memo outlining reasons behind Microsoft Build’s exit from Seattle. This is an absolute indictment on Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration and shows his failure to get the homeless drug crisis under control. Seeking Next Location Microsoft Build says it has “struggled to find its footing and identity post-Covid.” It appears Las Vegas and San Francisco are two locations already being floated around for its next developers conference. Urban Decay “was a contributing factor to their final decision” But here’s the real kicker. Redmond, WA-based Microsoft is done walking around tents, urban filth, and open-air drug use in Seattle’s downtown core. Mayor Harrell had nearly four years in office to handle this problem but has failed Read More ›

Breaking Seattle restauranteur David Meinert says the massive Microsoft Build developer conference won’t be returning to Seattle next year after attendees complained about urban decay, open-air drug use, and numerous tents lining the streets. Mayor Bruce Harrell Meinert is also torching Mayor Bruce Harrell for allowing these conditions to prosper in the downtown core and claims the Downtown Activation plan is bloated with bureaucracy and is lacking leadership. Disruptions Pro-Hamas protesters also disrupted Microsoft Build 2025 in Seattle, harassing attendees with insane glitter bombs. Lone Tent Downtown residents say this is the lone tent the city has failed to remove near the Seattle Convention Center. It has been reported to the Find It Fix it app numerous times. More Complaints Read More ›

Chinatown-ID Residents Skeptical Wednesday morning, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will announce new investments and partnerships with The Asian American Foundation and Amazon to help improve public safety and help revitalize business in Chinatown-ID. But a community coalition led by Tanya Woo is only cautiously optimistic since this community has become the city’s human dumping ground and remains ravaged by crime, chaos, and death. Each day, Asian American grandmas have to walk through this gauntlet of drug addicts and maneuver around the black market of stolen goods on King Street. “The police here just kind of chase them away, and like, two hours later, they come back,” says one resident. Right across the street is Ho Mai Park. Instead of laughter Read More ›