Who Are They? I went on Brandi Kruse this past weekend to talk about my encounters with FAR-LEFT activists and groups like Stop The Sweeps Seattle. Unclear if these militant activists are behind the protest threat during MLB All-Star Week.
All-Star Weekend Test More fans are expected to pour into Seattle as we get closer to the actual Major League Baseball All-Star Game (@MLB) on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park (@TMobilePark.) Saturday night, I showed you the crazy open air drug scene and thriving black market that’s still happening in the downtown hot spots. So on Sunday, I wanted to see if conditions improved during the day time hours. Not really. LOL. But no doubt there were more officers and clean up crews on the streets. Right now, tourists should continue to avoid parts of Chinatown-ID(12th Ave & Jackson St) and the area around Seattle City Hall near the DESC (@DESCSeattle) facilities(3rd Ave and Cherry St/James St.) But the SODO hood Read More ›
What About Chinatown/international District? Some of the fundamental pillars of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s (@MayorofSeattle) “One Seattle” approach is unity and ethnic diversity. You could clearly see it behind him during Wednesday’s press conference as he laid out more details driving his Downtown Activation Plan. But afterwards, I asked why there wasn’t a single mention of the #CID in his game plan. Timelines for measurable change also remain unclear. Watch interview below. Other advocates noticed this omission as well since this predominantly Asian American neighborhood faces enormous and unique challenges related to fentanyl and the homeless crisis exploding on it’s streets. Dozens of small mom and pop immigrant owned businesses have also left in the past couple years due to unchecked Read More ›
“The homeless are just like you and me.” That’s a politically correct assertion that doesn’t quite recognize the reality on the ground, such as the link between self-destructive behavior — most notably, substance abuse — and living on the street with no place to call home. California is home to 12% of America’s population, but 30% of the number “experiencing homelessness” and half the population of unsheltered homeless. Why? A new study on homelessness, the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness by UC San Francisco, lays out how a set of painful events can bring adults to the sad moment when they lose a roof over their heads. They lose low-paying jobs and then apartments; they bunk in spare Read More ›
Disruptive Day So many dynamics Wednesday morning as #Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) unveiled the next phase of his Downtown Activation Plan. Numerous city leaders, law enforcement officials, and entrepreneurs gathered at West Lake Park to show a united front. The Mayor says he’s playing the long game and is doubling down on his strategy to reclaim downtown from the scourge of hardcore drugs, crime, and rampant homelessness. But Stop The Sweeps Seattle disrupted speakers with angry chants and demanded housing for all homeless people. They’ve been a thorn in Mayor Harrell’s side since he took office. These FAR-LEFT activists continue to make FALSE claims saying “sweeps kill.” The reality is, most homeless people on the streets do not want Read More ›
Under Pressure Ballard is now dealing with a new wave of homeless encampment related shootings and clusters of tents popping up in certain parts of the neighborhood, especially along NW Leary Way. I spoke to Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) about his plan to address this on going crisis in the district.
Washington, D.C – Discovery President Steve Buri, Senior Fellow Robert Marbut, and Senior Fellow Wesley J. Smith spoke at a Faith and Law forum on Capitol Hill. Below is a summary from faithandlaw.org. Watch the forum and read more here. For nearly a decade, federal policies meant to address homelessness have centered around “Housing First,” which begins with an assumption that the crisis is driven primarily by a lack of affordable housing. But is it really? Studies show that most individuals experiencing homelessness suffer from severe addiction, untreated mental illness, or a combination of the two. Others end up on the streets because they have no one to turn to, typically owing to broken familial relationships. It’s time for a Read More ›
Breaking Embattled #Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) loses another major endorsement from a community leader. This time it’s Joy Shigaki, President & CEO of Friends of Waterfront Seattle (@friendsWFS.) Lewis is getting hammered by many biz owners in downtown who expected him to vote YES on the drug bill that would have given City Attorney Ann Davison (@_Ann_Davison_) the power to prosecute illegal drug use and possession in public. Instead, he voted against it. Earlier in the week Jon Scholes, President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association (@downtownseattle) had his name removed from Lewis’s endorsement page. I’m being told others are still wavering and more could head for the doors. LEWIS ENDORSEMENT PAGE: Scholes Distances Himself Jon Scholes (@downtownseattle) Read More ›
Political Liability? As the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) figures out it’s identity and role after a tumultuous year, KIRO Newsradio politics reporter Matt Markovich (@mattmarkovich) is offering some tremendous insight into the agency. Markovich has followed KCRHA since it’s inception. There may be no other reporter in this region who knows the inner workings better than this 30 plus year news veteran. Here’s his hot take on why it was formed and how former #Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (@jennydurkan, @MayorJenny) and King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec) essentially wanted “deniability” when it came to addressing the region’s homeless crisis. And according to Markovich, there’s been on-going tension between former KCRHA CEO Marc Dones and current #Seattle Mayor Bruce Read More ›
Homelessness affects cities across the country, but it’s not just a local issue, though media cover it that way. Nor is homelessness mainly about housing; rather, it’s largely about untreated mental illness and drug addiction. Consistently misdiagnosed, homelessness is being wrongly addressed. And the policies that give rise to homelessness largely come from Washington, D.C., not localities. A bill called “Housing PLUS” has been introduced in Congress by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., with 22 sponsors, to start to rectify these policies. A national mental illness crisis has been building since the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill began in the 1960s. Drug addictions also have increased and most surveys show that the “homeless” are often both mentally ill and addicted. Cases like the Read More ›