Seattle

All in on Seattle Massive turnout Saturday for Mayor Bruce Harrell’s (@MayorofSeattle) One Seattle Day of Service to help revitalize the community. Thousands of volunteers mobilized across the city to clean up trash, graffiti, and serve in various ways. Tremendous effort by faith based groups like Reach Ministry (@reachministrywa) and homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle). With that said, many volunteers also got a glimpse of the urban decay and problematic parts of the city still ravaged by homelessness and the fentanyl crisis.  I walked through the notorious 3rd Ave & Cherry St. drug den with former Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) player Jordan Babineaux (@jordanbabineaux. Nothing surprises him anymore. Btw, the “trap tents” have returned.  #Seattle Sightings in the Wild Read More ›

Follow the Money According to a 2022 document from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) the agency dished out a staggering $107, 396, 057.97 to providers. Look at all the non-profits and players in this industry. Stunning amount of money being spent to address the region’s homeless crisis. It’s broken down by agency name and project. So much to unpack. I encourage all journalists in #Seattle and #KingCounty to start picking this apart. According to a recent KCRHA call, homeless service providers also complained about late payments being an issue this year and last year as well. Post Mortem Check out this tweet showing records of KCRHA staff salaries. 30 of the 100 employees made at least $100,000.

Post Mortem Even before Marc Dones abruptly resigned on Tuesday as CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA), the agency was under heavy scrutiny for it’s performance or lack thereof. Questions were being raised about spending and salaries, especially after Dones asked for $12 billion dollars to fund housing in the region. As Helen Howell becomes interim CEO, the KCRHA Governing Committee and other boards have a lot of soul searching to do. Do they stay the course and stick to the framework left by Dones, or is it time for a total gut rehab? Clearly, the “HOUSING FIRST” strategy is not working. The public is asking for more transparency and accountability, like actual measures of success and 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 ›

(The Center Square) – The One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan’s first count of 2023 reveals the verified homeless tent count is down 42% from the end of last year. The latest count conducted in March by the city found 414 tents within the city limits. That is down from 712 counted in December 2022. The SODO District had the most tents and RVs counted with 158 combined. The city attributes the drop in tent numbers to its recently-launched Unified Care Team, alongside its partnership with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. According to the city, its Unified Care Team facilitated 1,831 referrals to shelters and tiny house villages last year, with the help of the authority and 30 outreach providers.  The city 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 ›

Jonathan Choe joins Fox & Friends to discuss Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s plan to reactivate downtown and address the drug crisis.

Is Harm Reduction Really Working? On Monday, I asked Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) if giving away all these meth pipes and needles is really the best way to go about addressing the drug epidemic, especially since King County is still dealing with record drug overdose deaths. Advocates say it’s one of the best ways to keep people safe and alive. Critics say it’s enabling and making the problem worse. Here’s how the Mayor responded. #Seattle Are Safe Consumption Sites Part of Seattle’s Future? Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) took more of a measured approach on this one. While there are no immediate plans to bring in safe consumption sites so addicts can use illicit drugs under medical supervision, the Mayor hasn’t Read More ›

Downtown Disaster Right after my segment about #Seattle‘s drug crisis aired Saturday evening with Dan Bongino (@UnfilteredOnFox), I did my weekly check in on 3rd Ave in downtown. Without fail, addicts were using meth and fentanyl in front of children and all the tourists. I saw tranq fentanyl wounds on users. One young man even overdosed! Once again I had to offer my NARCAN which I carry all the time. But thankfully, Seattle Police (@SeattlePD) officers had some on hand and saved his life. Next week, Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) will issue an Executive Order addressing the fentanyl and synthetic drug crisis. We’re also expecting a preview of the Downtown Activation Plan. But will this be enough to take back Read More ›

They’re Back On Wednesday, crews were polishing the sidewalks on 3rd Ave near #Seattle City Hall and there were zero tents in sight. Today, a few new tents have already popped right back up and the street hustlers are back. Open air drug use with Mariners fans walking by for Opening Day. Keep sweeping @MayorofSeattle. No other options. Gotta separate the criminal element from the actual homeless who need help. Still waiting for Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) to come out with me for a walk through the hood. #Seattle Just Yesterday Aside from the open air drug use which is everywhere, 3rd Ave & Cherry St was looking better. This is just one block from #Seattle City Hall. Mayor needs Read More ›