Crime, Law, and Order

This is “Housing First” Another crazy incident at Plymouth Crossing in Bellevue’s Eastgate neighborhood Tuesday morning. 911 dispatchers say a call came in about a 65 year old woman in a wheelchair going on a bender. She was suspected of using meth or fentanyl. Just in the past couple weeks, the FactoriaLLS team has documented more than a dozen cases of fights, drug use, and other disturbances. There were likely more incidents that were missed. This Plymouth Housing/PorchLight campus triggers the most 911 calls in the city. Ladies and gentlemen, this is “Housing First” and “harm reduction” in action. Your taxpayer dollars are funding all this crime and chaos. This is what Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson voted for and what Read More ›

Breaking Bellevue homeless murder suspect Samuel Hitchcock has been arrested. In a joint effort with the United States Marshals Service and the Portland Police Bureau, regional partners arrested Hitchcock near a residential area in Portland. More details will be made available during a 3pm press conference at Bellevue Police HQ. A Massive Black Eye This has been a massive black eye for the Porchlight/Plymouth Housing campus in the Eastgate neighborhood. This property triggers the most 911 calls in the city and is constantly being blamed by neighbors for open-air drug use and other crimes. Holding Plymouth Accountable The city is now requiring Porchlight to do better and come up with better safety measures. Holding Plymouth accountable is another story. Charging Read More ›

They Said It Would Be Safe It’s a daily occurrence at Bellevue’s Plymouth Housing/Porchlight campus. On Monday, witnesses say two people got into an argument at Plymouth and one woman brandished a knife. No one was injured. Tons of cops were called again, draining resources and taxpayer dollars from the community. This is “permanent supportive housing” in action. The crime, chaos, and death continues. City and county politicians lied to the community when they said it would be safe. Now it’s becoming a PR nightmare for them because residents are finally demanding change.

Plymouth Resident Threatens Staff Bellevue’s Plymouth Housing/Porchlight campus continues to be a cancer on the community. On Sunday, a non-verbal Plymouth resident allegedly made terroristic threats. He scribbled on the wall that he would shoot staff with a pistol and held a weapon in his hand. Arrestee Known for Spitting and Kicking People Cops later determined the “weapon” was actually a lighter. They arrested him on the spot. Witnesses say the man is Merrell James Gorham and is wheelchair bound. He is known for spitting and kicking people. He’s also been trespassed at numerous area businesses. Homeless Murder Suspect on the Loose This Bellevue homeless campus in the Eastgate neighborhood has turned into one of the most problematic hotspots in Read More ›

Michele Steeb appeared on NTD News and spoke with host Don Ma about the recent tragic killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Steeb addresses the relationship between homelessness, mental illness, and crime, and explains why housing subsidies do not fix these issues. Steeb speaks from her experience running a Northern California program for homeless women and children.

Conditions Worse Than Ever Seattle media outlets are scared to send in reporters to spotlight ongoing crime and chaos plaguing the Little Saigon neighborhood. I don’t blame them, it’s a major safety risk. So I had to call independent journalist Nick Shirley for another perspective. Shirley agrees the conditions on the ground are now worse than ever. He noted cops rarely stop in this hood or come out of their cars to patrol the streets. It seems like Mayor Bruce Harrell has thrown in the towel on this community even though the November General Election is only two months away. But mayoral candidate Katie Wilson hasn’t shown up either, failing to seize on an opportunity to get Asian American votes. Read More ›

Breaking A shooting in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood sent people running for cover late Friday afternoon. Witnesses say a White male unloaded several shots from a car window, targeting another man near the corner of the problematic 12th Ave & Jackson St intersection. Seattle Ranks Fourth Worst for Crime in Nation The victim was shot in the arm but is expected to survive. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez and I were doing outreach when the commotion broke out. This violence is being fueled by drugs and is another reason why Seattle ranks fourth worst in the nation for total crime, nearly triple the national average. Out-of-Touch Leaders Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has lost control of public safety in this predominantly Read More ›

Seattle’s New Strategy After months of complaints from neighbors, Seattle Parks and Recreation has temporarily shut down Lake City Mini Park. The move was made a few days ago. Unclear when it will re-open. The drug encampments, sex trafficking, shootings, and fights were just too much for this community. The city is clearly acknowledging neighbor concerns. But is this really going to be the strategy moving forward to deal with crime emanating from encampments? This is a horrible sign for public safety in the city.

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 ›

Encampment at the Center of Crime Concerns More insane violence in Seattle’s Lake City neighborhood now being blamed on the homeless drug ecosystem. Neighbors are wondering why Mayor Bruce Harrell is ignoring the problem. Since the double homicide at Virgil Flaim Park earlier this month, there have been more stabbing/slashing incidents. Sources on the ground tell me most of the criminals flow through this encampment at Lake City Mini Park. Elected officials and cops know this as well but are being accused of looking the other way. How come?