drug addiction

Confronting Harm Reduction Tuesday afternoon, Seattle Councilmember Sara Nelson (@CMSaraNelson ) picked apart “harm reduction” experts during a Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting. She asked for data and metrics showing the effectiveness of this model in addressing the out of control drug addiction crisis and record fentanyl overdose deaths in King County. The panel made up of activists and academics couldn’t give her a straight answer. Councilmember Lisa Herbold (@Lisa_Herbold) came to their rescue as Nelson’s direct questions brought up a lot of inconvenient truths. But the most stunning response came from Amber Tejada, with the Hepatitis Education Project: “I know it can be a little controversial, but one of the key tenets of harm reduction that I Read More ›

My answer to the headline question: I don’t know. But Memorial Day is only ten days away, so it seems an appropriate time to ask about those who may have been victors in their own war on homelessness — or maybe not. First, some backstory. One reason journalists get a reputation for caring more about publishing than people: We write lots of one-and-done articles. We search for human interest and specific detail. We start stories with a “face,” someone whose personal situation brings to ground-level observation what could otherwise be an abstract story. But then we forget about the person we asked readers to care about. I’ve been guilty of that, but sometimes I check back after a few years, Read More ›

Mother’s Day Weekend Madness The warm weather is bringing out even more open air drug use and dealers in downtown #Seattle and the #Chinatown-ID area. I’m seeing clusters of people passed out on the streets as locals remain desensitized and tourists literally just walk past the problem. The black market of stolen goods is hopping. People are jumping on and off the King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) buses with tons of stolen merchandise. It comes and goes in waves. Without fail, evenings are the worst. Might as well call in the National Guard (@WANationalGuard) for a weekend stint. Can’t hurt right? It’s now been about a month since Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) announced his Downtown Activation Plan and signed the Executive Read More ›

National Guard Time? This is now the third weekend in a row I’ve been out to the downtown #Seattle core since Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) announced his Downtown Activation Plan and signed the Executive Order to address the fentanyl crisis. HOT SPOTS: 3rd Ave & Pike street/ 12th Ave and Jackson St/ 3rd Ave & Cherry St/Westlake Park Easily one of the worst weekends for open air drug use and the thriving black market of stolen goods. There were also more drug overdoses. This is all happening with construction projects in the area. But even that did not keep the addicts and dealers away. We haven’t hit the warm summer months in the city. Imagine how bad it’s going to Read More ›

By Marvin Olasky and Covenant College students Emma Fallmezger, Jacob Sonke, Elysse Carrillo, Anna McDonald, Charity Chaney, and Lydia Dorman. Los Angeles has been the poster child of homelessness. The first official act of new mayor Karen Bass was to place the city in a “state of emergency.” The Los Angeles Business Council scrutinized LA public opinion on homelessness and found almost unanimous agreement that the problem is serious, with 73 percent saying “very serious.” Most saw a lack of inexpensive housing as the prime reason for homelessness. National attitudes are different. Yes, a recent Rasmussen poll showed 92 percent of American adults saying homelessness is a serious national problem in America — and 65 percent said “very serious.” That Read More ›

Downtown Madness Continues The warm weather is fueling a crush of illicit activity in the downtown #Seattle core this weekend. Dealers are out peddling fentanyl for as little as one dollar a pill. Once again there were multiple drug overdoses and the black market of stolen goods is flourishing. I was out late Saturday night into the early Sunday morning hours, focused primarily on 3rd Ave and #Chinatown-ID. The moment the sun sets, it gets absolutely wild. Even the classical music crowd exiting Benaroya Hall (@benaroyahall) got a taste of the “fetty” and meth fumes. Not enough police officers to keep up. There is no denying the severity of what’s happening to Coucilmember Andrew Lewis’ (@CMAndrewJLewis) district. Like I said, Read More ›

It Keeps Expanding Four new tents popped up near the skate bowl over the weekend at Hubbard Homestead Park (@SeattleParks, @SeattleShines) bringing the grand total to 19. This homeless encampment is on the city’s radar, but there is no timeline yet on when it will be removed. Neighbors and local biz owners say it’s become a blight on the Northgate community. Along with the overwhelming use of fentanyl, some of the campers are also being blamed for thefts in the area. Someone went on the Nextdoor app and claimed a tent was being used to run a meth lab. Of course I had to check it out. Otherwise, everyone living here was super accommodating and wanted me to tell their Read More ›

Rapid Reaction #Seattle is joining a growing list of local jurisdictions in WA trying to come up with it’s own drug laws after the state legislature FAILED to fix the one expiring this summer. Thursday morning, #Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison (@_Ann_Davison_)introduced legislation that would ban open air drug use(meth, fentanyl, etc) in public places, making it a misdemeanor. Councilmembers Sara Nelson (@CMSaraNelson) and Alex Pedersen sponsored the bill. Right after the press conference, I went straight to one of the most notorious drug dens in the city(#Chinatown-ID) to get reaction. As you can imagine, it was not well received among the drug users and addicts. Lots of indifference. NO FEAR of police. But if the bill passes, it’s at Read More ›

Same Scene in Little Saigon There is no doubt the encampment sweeps on WSDOT (@WSDOT) properties in #Chinatown-ID have made a huge difference. No more tents or encampment fires. But the drug dealers, addicts, and the open air black market continues to thrive at bus stops along 12th Ave. in Little Saigon this weekend. Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) said this neighborhood would also be getting police emphasis patrols like 3rd Ave & Pike St. in the downtown core. But nothing is changing. The issues just ebb and flow. I know virtually all the regulars out here. But the concern now, there are so many NEW FACES of addiction coming into this area. Councilmember Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) reps Little Saigon and Read More ›