Drug Epidemic

Long Journey Home The last time we saw 32 year old Kaylee Gordon, she was high on drugs, covered in dirt, and being put on a stretcher in downtown Seattle. Today she is safely back home in Wyoming and is on the road to recovery. Gordon met her niece and nephew for the first time. She also knows her entire family loves her and there is no more reason to run. They just sent me these photos and wanted me to thank everyone involved in this incredible search and intervention that saved her life. Especially, Seattle Police (@SeattlePD,) street preacher Matthew Meneicke, and homeless outreach workers Kristine Mooreland (@kmmoreland) and Andrea Suarez (@weheartseattle.) Gordon also had a chance to review Read More ›

A California rescue mission rehabilitates people through love of God and fellowship. I spent four days and nights last month at the Orange County Rescue Mission, a Christian outfit serving the local homeless. I left with stories from 40 men and women about years of cycling through drug deals, arrests, jail, probation, parole violations, homelessness and prison. Andrew, 36, dropped out of high school and once had a job, but studying and working shifts at Jiffy Lube was boring. Meth was exciting. He enjoyed planning robberies and didn’t mind a few months every couple of years in jail: “Better drugs there than on the street.” He married and had children but wasn’t sober at their births. He came to the Read More ›

In Case There Was Any Doubt It’s no longer a secret. Every reasonable Seattle resident should assume drug dealers are taking advantage of homeless encampments with these so called “trap tents” embedded across the city. We Heart Seattle’s (@weheartseattle) Andrea Suarez (@weheartfounder) just exposed another one at the corner of 6th Ave & Yesler Way in downtown Seattle. There is literally a walk up window where you can buy fentanyl pills for a buck. I have been watching this camp expand for more than two years but never got a look inside until now. This open air drug market is being brazenly operated on Washington State Department of Transportation (@WSDOT) property and is just a block away from the notorious Read More ›

This column is the second in a series. To read part one, click here. I’ll come back to the sights and sounds of the Orange County Rescue Mission, but after four days there I flew to San Francisco and walked around that city. The old song notwithstanding, few Americans these days leave their hearts there. Tourists still visit Fisherman’s Wharf and ride the cable cars, but books with titles like San Fransicko hit hard, and videos of addicts in SF’s Tenderloin neighborhood are stomach-churning. What’s happening in San Francisco is both better and worse than those dramatic presentations. The Noe Valley neighborhood, for instance, features Victorian houses, small markets, and cafes. Nearby Bernal Heights (sometimes referred to as “maternal heights”) Read More ›

Join the Club King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) just removed another problematic bus shelter in downtown Seattle. This time at the corner of 3rd Ave & Pike St in front of the Ross store. Drug addicts were using it as an open air fentanyl den. Otherwise, no more cover from the elements. It’s a bummer for senior citizens who have to wait in the scorching sun or pouring rain. Unclear if it’s a temporary move. Otherwise, this stretch of downtown looked good Tuesday compared to other days. Multiple law enforcement officers up and down the block. But dudes were still passing out on the street. Just another routine day in #Seattle. Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@cmandrewjlewis) should be out here every single 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 ›

Human Tragedy The fentanyl crisis continues to play out on multiple streets in Seattle, especially in places like #Chinatown-ID. This evening, a young man in his 20’s showed me the early stages of “TRANQ FENTANYL” eating away at his skin. Pills laced with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, are starting to show up more often on the streets. It’s also leaving addicts walking around in a zombie like stupor. Another man nearby using fentanyl said, “I can see the silhouette of a demon” in his friend’s flesh eating wound. @CampSiteSeattle and others have documented the aftermath of “tranq” across the city. There is no denying the zombie drug is here. Nothing has changed in Councilmember Tammy Morales'( @CMTammyMorales) district. Where is 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 ›

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 ›

It’s a Zoo The Seattle Pride Parade (@OurSeattlePride) shine has already worn off in downtown #Seattle. The drug market has come roaring back on 3rd Ave & Pike St. Tuesday evening, it was good to see volunteers with Union Gospel Mission (@SeattlesUGM) right in the thick of things, trying to help the homeless and addicts out here. Why isn’t the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) deploying more workers out here? I wonder if Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@cmandrewjlewis) regrets his NO vote on the drug bill that would have given City Attorney Ann Davison(@_ann_davison) the power to prosecute this type of open air drug use and bring back some accountability to the city. Major League Baseball All-Star Game (@mlb) is Read More ›