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.
Welcome, Soccer Fans Lumen Field in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood hosted several Club World Cup matches this week. Instead of a clean and welcoming city, soccer fans heading to the stadium were treated to dozens of RV’s, tent encampments, and open-air drug use. From 3rd Ave to Utah Ave, these are the same vehicles cleared dozens of times by Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration. After nearly four years in office, Harrell remains clueless on how to handle this unending street crisis. Sweeps aren’t working because all the campers are allowed to come right back. Taxpayers should be furious at the cost and the lack of proper enforcement. The current plan is not working.
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.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Saturday afternoon, We Heart Seattle volunteers unleashed a massive clean-up effort outside the Seattle Federal Building after Antifa militants vandalized the property during protests earlier this month. But get this, Homeland Security officers told them to stand down because they did not have permission. Once again, red tape and bureaucracy stifles citizen action. Make it make sense.
Happening Now Just a quick bus ride away from the drug dens of 3rd Ave & Pike St, you have Little Saigon in Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. This Asian American community gets zero relief from the criminals and addicts destroying their neighborhood. Mayor Bruce Harrell had nearly four years to handle a few city blocks in the CID. So far, it’s an epic failure in leadership. The current plan is not working.
New For the past few weeks, the entire news cycle has been dominated by protests and social unrest. But there are still major stories happening in Seattle that the politicians don’t want you to see. Over the weekend, I spent several hours in the usual downtown hot spots. Unfortunately for the residents of District 7, the black market of stolen goods and drugs dens are raging out of control on 3rd Ave & Pike St, especially in the late evening hours. McStabby’s on Pine St. remains a mess and dealers are selling drugs all over Belltown. Meanwhile, no sign of Mayor Bruce Harrell or Councilmember Bob Kettle. They should be out here in person, walking the streets to find better Read More ›
Breaking Seattle Police just busted one of the most notorious homeless vandals in the Belltown neighborhood. He’s accused of going on a window smashing spree this week on Cedar Ave. He’s also believed to be a suspect in other vandalism incidents in the area. Neighbors say he’s clearly dealing with drug addiction and mental illness. We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez says she’s seen this guy before and has tried to help. The same group of repeat offenders keep running around the city causing problems.
We Heart Seattle’s “Recovery First” Model is Working Seattle voters say the homeless drug crisis remains a top three issue. But the Harrell administration is still engaged in a game of Whack-a-Mole and has failed to find long-term solutions. That’s because they’re not addressing the drivers of this humanitarian disaster which include drug addiction, mental illness, and broken relationships. Instead, city officials are touting the wrong metrics for success such as the number of tents removed from the streets. Meanwhile, We Heart Seattle’s “recovery first” intervention model is working. And they’re outreach workers have identified some new patterns that are keeping so many people in this vicious cycle. I followed them in this Center on Wealth & Poverty mini-documentary.
Seattle has lost one of its most high-profile tech events due to mounting concerns over public safety and deteriorating conditions in the city’s downtown core. Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer host its annual Build conference in Seattle starting in 2026, citing issues related to rampant homelessness, visible drug use, and urban decay. According to an internal email obtained by journalist Jonathan Choe of the Discovery Institute, Visit Seattle—the city’s official tourism and marketing organization—was informed that Microsoft will cancel its 2026 event and release all future holds for the conference in Seattle. The email, titled “DEFINITE BOOKING CANCELLATION NOTICE,” said the decision was heavily influenced by the experience of company leadership and attendees walking the downtown core Read More ›
The Tent That Broke the Camel’s Back This dude living in a tent is one of the reasons why Microsoft pulled its prestigious developer’s conference from downtown Seattle. Meanwhile, Mayor Bruce Harrell remains clueless on how to address the mental health crisis on the streets. It’s costing the city millions in tourism dollars.