Behind the Scenes Look at this insane house of horrors! We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez and her team saved a homeless woman living in this biohazard. Why do city leaders allow this?
The Real Root Causes More startling images coming out of the Ballard drug encampment in Seattle. Multiple people are passed out with fentanyl foil in their hands. On Wednesday, I told you about an Asian American woman who was cleared out during the massive Fred Meyer sweep. I’ve learned this young woman’s name is Juliana and she’s 27 years old. She says her family is in the area but would not get into reasons why she’s on the streets. Don’t listen to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson when she claims this is an affordable housing crisis. That narrative only benefits HOMELESS INC and the builders. This is about drugs, mental illness, and broken relationships. Those are the roots causes fueling the Read More ›
The Never-Ending Cycle Another mega sweep in the books under Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. Wednesday morning, crews cleared out dozens of drug addicts near the Ballard Fred Meyer store and Burke-Gilman Trail. As expected, only a few people got apartments or tiny houses. The rest rejected shelter options being offered and moved down the block to start the fourth iteration of this encampment. Most stunning of all, I saw a young Asian American woman looking totally out of place. Spotting anyone from this racial group in one of the city’s drug dens is a rare occurrence. I tried to help. But the guys surrounding her made sure she stayed. Does anyone recognize her? What is going on here?
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson bragged about delaying an encampment sweep so she could place several homeless people into shelter and housing, implying this would be a new way of getting people off the streets. “There I talked with a woman who was five months sober,” Mayor Wilson said at her State of the City Address, “and had three small dogs. We were able to identify a spot for her in a tiny house village.” But after Wilson’s State of the City Address last week, We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez did a simple follow-up to see if that woman with three dogs actually made it off the streets. “People don’t always accept the services they’re referred to,” Suarez explained. Surrounded by Read More ›
I went to the Ballard homeless encampment that has been dominating Seattle headlines, and what I found there was not clarity or compassion colliding with cruelty, but a system quietly failing almost everyone involved. Business owners and nearby residents are frustrated and exhausted. They’ve watched the encampment grow while public spaces deteriorate and safety concerns mount. On the other side, homeless advocates are fiercely defending the right of people to remain where they are, arguing that sweeps only deepen trauma and solve nothing. Caught in the middle is a city trying to signal change under new leadership, while offering very little evidence that real change is actually happening. This encampment was scheduled to be swept, but Mayor Katie Wilson halted Read More ›
Canceled Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson abruptly canceled the first major encampment sweep of the year. It was scheduled for Wednesday morning in Ballard. Neighbors are furious and some in the outreach community are questioning this decision. But Wilson’s risky call could be a long-term blessing in disguise. Other Sweeps Continue Wilson’s spokesperson sent me a statement saying this is a one-off and that the mayor “believes a better resolution is possible at that location.” We are still waiting on those details. Meanwhile other encampment sweeps are still happening across the city. Blessing in Disguise? As for how this could be a blessing in disguise, Mayor Wilson could set a new precedent by personally going to this encampment and meeting the Read More ›
Fencing Is Up! The fencing is up around the former Joann Fabrics location in Ballard. Problem is, all the homeless drug addicts are now spilling into the streets and some are sleeping overnight in Ballard Commons Park. Where’s Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Dan Strauss? This is now the city’s problems.
The City Turns a Blind Eye Seattle’s latest out-of-control drug encampment is the former Joann Fabrics site in Ballard. Business owners and neighbors say Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Dan Strauss have totally ignored this problem since this is happening on private property. But dozens of drug addicts have trashed the area and all the crime and chaos from this location keeps spilling into the side streets. Meanwhile, one guy living in a tent told me he’s rejecting free housing because the provider requires all dogs to be neutered. Make it make sense.
Violence at Encampment Vigilante justice continues in Seattle after the city fails to remove a problematic homeless encampment in Ballard. Sunday afternoon, witnesses say a man driving a silver Lexus pointed a gun out his window and unloaded several shots at drug addicts camping on the Leary Triangle. But cops say it was actually a BB gun and the shooter got away. The entire area remains overrun by RV’s and tents. These are the same people who reject shelter and services. Mayor Bruce Harrell and councilmember Dan Strauss must stay on top of the sweeps.
Ballard Boss Lady Homeless people continue to sleep and do drugs right outside the Seattle Public Library branch in Ballard. Most residents just walk by and shake their heads. But Friday morning, one mom had enough and confronted this entitled vagrant. Watch what happens.