Seattle

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.

Breaking Friday afternoon, massive police response to what law enforcement sources call a “drug deal gone bad” in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Witnesses say the man in dreadlocks stabbed a woman in the temple over a hit of crack at the corner of 3rd Ave and Blanchard St. Victim was transported to the hospital. Suspect was apprehended at the scene and put into an ambulance. Another witness said, “cops barbecued and bean bagged his a**.” This is the latest troubling incident to happen right in front of the problematic REACH homeless non-profit headquarters. This area is one of the worst crime hot spots in the city due to the clientele REACH attracts and enables.

McStabby’s If you want to see Seattle’s failure to handle the drug and mental health crisis, just go to 3rd Ave & Pine St in downtown. Within five minutes, I saw dozens of people smoking fentanyl, a woman yelling at random people, and a dude trying to sell stolen skin care products. And yes, McDonald’s is indeed nicknamed “McStabby’s” due to the inordinate amount of crime at this corner. The fast food giant only allows walk-up service. The current plan is not working.

Human Dumping Ground I stepped away from Seattle drug den coverage for just one week. I thought maybe things were getting better in hot spots like Little Saigon. I was wrong. It’s worse than ever and the city has zero lasting solutions. The current plan is not working.

Hopes Dwindle The notorious DESC Navigation Center in Seattle’s Little Saigon is now closed. Neighbors hope this move will keep away crime and open-air drug use. But people are now camping on the lawn and setting fires outside this former homeless shelter. Will Mayor Bruce Harrell step up to help or will this abandoned building be seized by the addicts? Encounter with DESC Staff One of my many encounters with DESC staff. They don’t like to be exposed.

New A notorious Seattle drug camp could be getting shut down today. It’s right next to Lake Washington Girls Middle School and it’s turned into a chop shop full of stolen bikes and motorcycles. But it’s taken months for the city to respond and neighbors say this is unacceptable. For nearly two months complaints have been pouring into the city about open-air drug use, warming fires, and trash overwhelming several streets in Beacon Hill. Most of the chaos is coming from this encampment at the corner of 22nd Ave South and South Walker Street. A notorious hot spot for broken RVs, tents, and all kinds of illegal activity. When I point out a black Hyundai, one local tells me, “That’s Read More ›

“Their End Goal Is to Completely Nullify Police Unions” The president of Seattle’s police union is doubling down and accusing Mayor Bruce Harrell and Marxist State Rep. Shaun Scott of colluding on a bill that could dismantle collective bargaining rights for officers.

Happening Now Massive fire inside a vacant house on Walker St in S. Seattle. Witnesses say it was likely started by the homeless. Neighbors have been complaining about more tents and RVs showing up in this area which is also near the Taco Time off Rainier Ave.

Discovery Institute Research Fellow Caitlyn McKenney appeared on [un]Divided with Brandi Kruse this week to discuss McKenney’s op-ed in The Seattle Times, “Sensible WA Tenancy Laws Will Help Housing Stability.” McKenney argues that nonsensical laws protecting tenants from eviction cause harm to housing stability. This is substantiated by emergency funding applications from Seattle affordable housing units, documenting the assaults, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, drug use, arson, and other criminal activity occurring without any recourse. “Instead of mandating rent control, lawmakers should provide housing stability by enacting smart landlord-tenant laws,” writes McKenney. Watch McKenney and Kruse discuss.

The Washington Legislature is considering a bill aimed at “improving housing stability for tenants” by capping rent increases at 7% and fees at 1.5% of monthly rent. Instead of mandating rent control, lawmakers should provide housing stability by enacting smart landlord-tenant laws.

More than half of Seattle residents are renters, and the growing dysfunction in Seattle’s affordable housing market offers cautionary insights into the meaning of housing stability. Last summer, the city distributed $14 million in emergency funding to affordable housing providers on the brink of collapse. If there is any picture painted by the applications for funding, it is one of housing instability.

The applications, which are public records, document what has happened in some of Seattle’s affordable housing: assaults, fecal matter in the hallways and on walls, needles in the stairwells, a unit operating as a methamphetamine lab, residents engaged in arms dealing, community room couches set on fire, the rape of a homeless woman and a fire started by a resident soldering Lime Scooter batteries together.