Seattle

Lurking in the Woods The SWIMMING POOL is what really brought attention to this West Seattle homeless encampment along Myers Way. But for weeks now, I’ve been exploring the constellation of mini encampments in the deep woods nearby. Most of this is still on Washington State Dept of Transportation (@wsdot) property. I counted at least 40 suspected situations. Lots of drug use, trash, and no doubt there is run off going into the waterways. It’s an environmental disaster in the making. I also met one guy who is extremely talented and should be working. He built one of the craziest encampments I have ever seen with an underground tunnel system in the works. But the state might want to get Read More ›

Jonathan Choe joins reporters on Newsmax to discuss the illegal takeover of Washington state property in Seattle where homeless occupants are felling trees, building driveways, and setting up pools. Watch the full clip here:

In 1993 Native American writer Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. published a short story collection titled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In 2003 he publisherd in The New Yorker an Alexie short story, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” that was one of the top three stories of the year, according to the prestigious O.Henry Awards. It has been anthologized and assigned to thousands of high school students. Although all the action is within one small area of Seattle, it’s a culturally important meld of the Noble Savage and Happy Hobo traditions I wrote about last week.   The story begins, “One day you have a home and the next you don’t,” and then quickly identifies the narrator/hero Read More ›

Will it Make a Difference? First weekend in #Chinatown-ID without the 12th Ave & Jackson St bus shelter. King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) dismantled it because addicts were using it as a drug den and trash dump. Just to be clear, it is still a functional stop. But on rainy or snowy days, there will be no place to take cover. Meanwhile, it’s good to see Seattle Police patrolling this area. But all the action continues to scatter onto side streets whenever officers show up. I recently spoke to SPD Captain Steve Strand who is one of the main points of contact for the #CID. He says many customers fueling the black market of stolen goods are the Chinese and Vietnamese Read More ›

All-Star Weekend Test More fans are expected to pour into Seattle as we get closer to the actual Major League Baseball All-Star Game (@MLB) on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park (@TMobilePark.) Saturday night, I showed you the crazy open air drug scene and thriving black market that’s still happening in the downtown hot spots. So on Sunday, I wanted to see if conditions improved during the day time hours. Not really. LOL. But no doubt there were more officers and clean up crews on the streets. Right now, tourists should continue to avoid parts of Chinatown-ID(12th Ave & Jackson St) and the area around Seattle City Hall near the DESC (@DESCSeattle) facilities(3rd Ave and Cherry St/James St.) But the SODO hood Read More ›

What About Chinatown/international District? Some of the fundamental pillars of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s (@MayorofSeattle) “One Seattle” approach is unity and ethnic diversity. You could clearly see it behind him during Wednesday’s press conference as he laid out more details driving his Downtown Activation Plan. But afterwards, I asked why there wasn’t a single mention of the #CID in his game plan. Timelines for measurable change also remain unclear. Watch interview below. Other advocates noticed this omission as well since this predominantly Asian American neighborhood faces enormous and unique challenges related to fentanyl and the homeless crisis exploding on it’s streets. Dozens of small mom and pop immigrant owned businesses have also left in the past couple years due to unchecked Read More ›

No Regrets Wednesday’s press conference focused on revitalizing downtown #Seattle happened in West Lake Park, just a block away from one of the most notorious drug dens in the city along 3rd Ave & Pike St. As Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) was speaking, addicts were tweaking or passed out on the sidewalk. Arrests for open air drug use and possession are not happening right now because Councilmember’s Lisa Herbold (@Lisa_Herbold,) Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama,) Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales,) Teresa Mosqueda (@CMTMosqueda,) and Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) voted NO on giving City Attorney Ann Davison (@_Ann_Davison_) the power to prosecute these gross misdemeanors. And there’s still no interim solution. Lewis is doubling down saying he has no regrets and says they’re working on something Read More ›

Disruptive Day So many dynamics Wednesday morning as #Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) unveiled the next phase of his Downtown Activation Plan. Numerous city leaders, law enforcement officials, and entrepreneurs gathered at West Lake Park to show a united front. The Mayor says he’s playing the long game and is doubling down on his strategy to reclaim downtown from the scourge of hardcore drugs, crime, and rampant homelessness. But Stop The Sweeps Seattle disrupted speakers with angry chants and demanded housing for all homeless people. They’ve been a thorn in Mayor Harrell’s side since he took office. These FAR-LEFT activists continue to make FALSE claims saying “sweeps kill.” The reality is, most homeless people on the streets do not want Read More ›

It’s a Zoo The Seattle Pride Parade (@OurSeattlePride) shine has already worn off in downtown #Seattle. The drug market has come roaring back on 3rd Ave & Pike St. Tuesday evening, it was good to see volunteers with Union Gospel Mission (@SeattlesUGM) right in the thick of things, trying to help the homeless and addicts out here. Why isn’t the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) deploying more workers out here? I wonder if Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@cmandrewjlewis) regrets his NO vote on the drug bill that would have given City Attorney Ann Davison(@_ann_davison) the power to prosecute this type of open air drug use and bring back some accountability to the city. Major League Baseball All-Star Game (@mlb) is Read More ›

Fentanyl Free…Sort of On Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Pride Parade (@OurSeattlePride) flowed through downtown #Seattle and brought in a ton of people. There was also a heavy police (@SeattlePD) presence at many street corners along the parade route. For the first time in nearly a year, I saw the potential of 3rd and Pike St, free and clear of drugs and the black market of stolen goods. In reality, a few addicts were still lingering around the Ross Store vestibules and bus stops. But the insane hoards of people congregating in the drug dens were gone this past weekend. Will it remain this way at least until Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game (@mlb) in less than two weeks? Highly unlikely. Read More ›