drug crisis

It should come as no surprise that an enterprising San Franciscan came up with the idea to host a “doom loop” tour of the moldering city on a hill. The plot twist is that Alex Ludlum, who put together the tour, canceled and refunded tickets for his “Downtown Doom Loop Walking Tour” before its intended Aug. 26 debut. That would be the weekend Nordstrom shuttered its flagship store in downtown San Francisco. It turns out, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, Ludlum serves on Ess Eff’s Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure. He had planned on giving the tour as an “anonymous insider.” After his identity was outed, Ludlum apologized for a “deep error in judgment” and canceled the tour. “How Read More ›

Nothing Has Changed I spent hours in downtown #Seattle on Saturday to see the illicit activity ebb and flow. This is the first weekend since Mayor Bruce Harrell (@mayorofseattle) announced his Downtown Activation Plan to clean up this mess. Most of the action is still concentrated at 3rd Ave & Pike St. near the Ross Store (@Ross_Stores.) But police emphasis patrols are now scattering drug addicts and dealers to other streets. The vestibules of empty store fronts remain popular spots to do fentanyl. Folks continue to use public transportation (@SoundTransit, @KingCountyMetro) to move stolen merchandise back and forth on to the streets. The black market is thriving and it’s a free for all. I also witnessed two men being saved Read More ›

Volunteers have been working to move people living in tents outside Burien City Hall into shelter. But they tell me that only a few accepted the offer. Most simply moved down the street to a new plot of land. Murphy Shaw and Joseph Riverson are with Hope Christian Community Church, one of several ministries helping these homeless men and women. “We’re gonna be here, we’re gonna keep ministering to them,” Riverson told me. As frustrated neighbors and business owners sharply critiqued city leaders at a council meeting for being unprepared for the growth of this new encampment, Riverson decided to take action. “I’m pitching a tent right here,” said Riverson, who is trying to build trust and relationships in the Read More ›