Governance

Displaced Another massive encampment sweep under Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. More than 20 people were displaced Tuesday afternoon around the Ballard Bevmo liquor store. But biz owners are worried it might come roaring back. Homeless Say “No” to Shelter Instead of taking shelter and services offered by the city, most of the men and women just moved their tents down the road. Once again, the so called “service resistant” are the ones causing the most harm to themselves and the community. Wilson has no solutions for this group. Unintended Consequences The attitude of entitlement is also out of control. The drug addicts told me they would only move into a tiny house or fully furnished apartment. No sharing rooms with Read More ›

Eating Their Own Stop The Sweeps Seattle is finally speaking out against Mayor Katie Wilson’s drug encampment sweeps. Members of this far-left activist group wrote a demand letter in Real Change News and slammed Wilson for essentially doing the exact same thing as her predecessor Bruce Harrell. But for now, there is no doubt they are going easier on her. Crashing Press Conferences I wonder when Stop The Sweeps will crash one of Mayor Katie Wilson’s press conferences. They did it to Harrell all the time. Protests Harrell had so many encounters with Stop the Sweeps. Putting Pressure on the Governor So many memories under the Harrell administration. Where Are They? So when will these violent Antifa aligned activists protest Read More ›

Nothing Has Changed Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is now dealing with a credibility problem. She said homeless outreach and sweeps would be done differently. But in reality, nothing has changed from the prior administration. On Friday, the MLK Jr. Way drug encampment was cleared for the second time in less than a month. The addicts returned immediately and set up tents in the very same spot or simply moved across the street. The so-called “service resistant” people do not believe cops will arrest them for illegal camping. Men and women out here also know for a fact City Attorney Erika Evans won’t prosecute for open-air drug use. That’s why Seattle keeps losing this game of Whack-A-Mole. BTW, anyone see District Read More ›

Drug-Fueled Chaos Lake City neighbors are blasting socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson after her first State of the City address. They say she failed to offer solutions to combat the fentanyl epidemic destroying lives on the streets. People living on 33rd Ave NE say their hood is an absolute disaster zone and looks like a scene out of a zombie movie. Addicts are laid out on the road, kids play in a needle infested park, and drug encampments are spreading on to sidewalks. One brave resident shot this video today from his car to prove how bad it is right now. He’s challenging Mayor Wilson to show up and see the drug-fueled chaos and human suffering for herself. This community Read More ›

Making the Problem Worse The homeless drug crisis is out of control in Seattle. And it’s now evident Mayor Katie Wilson is going to make the problem worse. During her first State of the City address, she talked about building more housing and shelter. But no solutions to deal with mental illness or drug addiction ravaging the city. Sweep, Sweep, Sweep Aside from changing some policy language, she is pretty much doing the same thing as the last mayor of Seattle. Sweep, sweep, sweep. And the game of Whack-A-Mole continues. Same Old Same Old Wilson’s spokesperson recently told the Seattle Times that, “the mayor isn’t pursuing a significant shift in encampment clearing strategies from the previous administration.” Ignoring the Service Read More ›

Playing Whack-A-Mole Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s homelessness strategy is turning into a game of Whack-A-Mole. The MLK Way encampment cleared last month has already come roaring back. There are at least 20 people living here. Open-air drug use is rampant. During her State of the City address on Tuesday, Wilson will say she’s building more shelters in the city. But anyone in the outreach world will tell you the mayor has ZERO plan for the “service resistant.” In other words, Wilson can build all the shelters she wants. But unless there is a mechanism to force people indoors, the crisis will get worse and the sweeps will continue. So far, we are seeing a repeat of the Bruce Harrell administration. 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 ›

In a recent ruling that defies both logic and compassion, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s effort to reform the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care program — the federal government’s primary funding mechanism for homelessness assistance.

The lawsuit — filed by a coalition of 20 mostly Democratic-led states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations and spearheaded by groups such as Democracy Forward — warns of “funding gaps,” winter instability, and the potential displacement of people currently housed. These alarms are sounded even though HUD includes a nearly 12% increase over last year’s funding allocation.

At the core of the complaint is a revealing claim: that reform would “upend longstanding projects that have been thoughtfully developed to comport with evidence-based, best-practices services delivery.”

But HUD’s own data make clear that the evidence on which they have long relied is catastrophically wrong.

City Plays Whack-A-Mole Homeless outreach workers say encampment sweeps are rapidly picking up across Seattle under Mayor Katie Wilson. The latest one happened Wednesday morning near 6th Ave & Yesler Way in downtown. It’s unclear how many people chose to take services or shelter options. But by all accounts, it’s turning into another game of Whack-A-Mole as Wilson remains under enormous pressure to clear everyone out before the FIFA World Cup later this year. Meanwhile, notice how far-left activist group Stop The Sweeps Seattle is nowhere to be found. They were a constant thorn in the side of former Mayor Bruce Harrell and criticized him for using the same encampment removal methods as Wilson. But when it comes to comrade Read More ›

I interviewed Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on the streets of Portland about the state of the city and its response to homelessness. I asked whether his administration requires measurable outcomes from the homeless service providers it funds. In response, Mayor Wilson pointed to his new policy of ending the distribution of tents, arguing that tents do not help people exit homelessness and are not life-saving care. He cited the heightened danger faced by vulnerable women living outside, noting that women experiencing homelessness face roughly a 40% chance of being assaulted. I followed up by asking whether there are consequences for providers who fail to meet expectations or move people off the streets. Mayor Wilson said the providers are aligned with Read More ›