civil commitment

Across America’s streets, the homeless epidemic is claiming lives, fracturing families, and eroding public safety. Often deeply intertwined with mental illness and addiction, it has become a humanitarian crisis that traps vulnerable individuals in cycles of dependence and despair while destabilizing the communities around them. This crisis has been worsened by policies that elevate the notion of “freedom” over timely, life-saving intervention. Recent events make the consequences of that choice unmistakably clear. Continuing on the current path is neither humane nor responsible. Consider what unfolded in New York City over the holidays. A woman with a documented history of serious mental illness and homelessness was released from psychiatric care, only to purchase a knife hours later, then repeatedly stab a Read More ›

Last week’s The Great Debate hosted by The Emperor’s Group and We Heart Seattle at the Washington Athletic Club was attended by hundreds of voters. And one thing was abundantly clear: Seattle’s approach to our behavioral health crisis needs immediate reinforcement. As someone working daily with the city’s most vulnerable residents, I believe we can chart a compassionate course that honors both human dignity and public safety. The solution isn’t about choosing between “Harm Reduction” drug policies and accountability—it’s about creating a comprehensive system that meets people in crisis where they are and guides them toward recovery and independence. At We Heart Seattle, our street team—composed entirely of people in recovery—connects two to three individuals to treatment every week. This Read More ›

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 ›

Dr. Robert Marbut, a former federal homelessness official, said on Newsmax Saturday that President Donald Trump’s new executive order marks a turning point by reversing policies in Democrat-led cities that he believes have enabled drug use while neglecting treatment. Marbut, former executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, voiced strong support for President Donald Trump’s July 24 executive order targeting homelessness, addiction, and public disorder. Appearing on “The Count,” Marbut said the order is a needed correction to policies in many Democrat-controlled cities, which he claims have made it “easy to get high and hard to get treatment.” “What President Trump’s executive order does it start to make it easy to get treatment and hard to get high,” Read More ›