Street Report

Dozens of frustrated neighbors and business owners are mobilizing in Burien. They formed a coalition on Monday evening to address what they consider to be a failure on the part of city leadership to deal with public safety related to the homelessness crisis. According to attorney John Kannin, the coalition is preparing to launch a class action lawsuit against the City of Burien to recuperate their losses due to a homeless encampment around city hall and the library. Kannin says that taking legal action is “the only way to get any traction.” Although it is set to be cleared by the end of the month, the encampment has been a thorn in the side of the city due to its Read More ›

Calling Out Politicians Jay Yanamura watched Wednesday morning as @WSDOT crews cleared the King St. encampment in the #Chinatown-ID. He also hoped some elected officials would show up to support this Asian American community as it tries to heal and move forward from all the dangerous homeless encampments that were allowed to flourish on state property. Especially Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) since he showed up to meet with parents at John Stanford Int. School near the Ship Canal encampment, and took a victory lap with a PR event at the 1st. Ave Bridge encampment. But the Governor never showed up. Once again, politicians only coming to #Chinatown-ID when they want dim sum or a photo opportunity during Lunar New Year. Read More ›

Sweeps All Week Day 1 in the books at the Ship Canal Bridge encampment on the Wallingford side, right across street from John Stanford Int. School. @WSDOT crews expect to be on this for a few more days. Then on Thursday, they move across I-5 to tackle the U District side. This type of undertaking in the same week is unprecedented for The Washington State Dept. of Transportation. But critics say Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) should not be taking a victory lap since he allowed this all to flourish under his watch. If anything, he should be on an apology tour. Later this week, WSDOT is also moving in to clear two notorious homeless encampments in #Chinatown-ID.#Seattle @MayorofSeattle @kcexec @KC_RHA Read More ›

Breaking Washington State Dept. of Transportation finally SWEEPING two notorious #Chinatown-ID encampments on Tuesday. One at King St. and the other on Jackson St. All on @WSDOT property. These camps have been linked to drug deals, fires, a meth lab explosion, shootings, overdose deaths and other crimes. Residents and biz owners have heavily criticized @KC_RHA CEO Marc Dones for slow outreach due to his “housing first” ideology, disappointed in Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) for not taking control from the state sooner, and say Gov. Jay Inslee( @GovInslee) should not be taking a victory lap since he allowed situation to flourish for so long. Summit Sierra High School students also walked through this insanity for nearly a year. This Asian American Read More ›

Breaking Gonna be a busy week for the Washington State Dept. of Transportation. Along with the #Chinatown-ID sweep, state will finally clear the notorious Ship Canal Bridge homeless encampment on MONDAY. It’s also been the scene of multiple fires, deaths, drug overdoses, fights, and other crimes. It’s right across the street from the John Stanford Int. School. Parents held a protest earlier this month to call out Governor Jay Insee (@GovInslee), @KC_RHA CEO Marc Dones, and other WSDOT (@wsdot) officials for allowing this encampment to remain in place for so long. #Seattle @wastatecommerce @mayorofseattle @seattlecouncil @KCCouncil @kcexec Major Protest Earlier this month, parents and neighbors launched a demonstration targeting Gov. Jay Inslee for allowing the Ship Canal Bridge homeless encampment Read More ›

Real Talk Before the SODO sweep, I ran into “Strawberry,” a woman who recently found an apartment after living on #Seattle‘s streets for years. But Strawberry says she came back to see her homeless friends because this is her community and she can’t let them go. She says the reason why some people return back to the streets is because of loneliness. Let that sink in. I hope every non-profit leader, elected official, policy maker considers this crucial detail before trying to warehouse homeless people…out of sight and out of mind. They need community. Not just “housing first” or “wrap around services.” They need to be surrounded by people who genuinely care for them.

Major Sweep in SODO…Again Crews are out right now at 3rd Ave. S & Holgate St in SODO. Just in the past year, I have now covered ten sweeps in this area. RV owners openly say they will simply circle around the neighborhood and come right back in a few days or weeks. City and @Seattledot cannot keep up with enforcement. And I spoke to more than a dozen people here on Wednesday. No one is taking offer of shelters or services. Other say they don’t want apartments because they have to pay rent. They just want to be left alone! This is the worst kept secret, but this is one of the most ideal locations for the homeless and Read More ›

Exclusive Kirkland Council member Toby Nixon (@tobylnixon) says Tuesday night’s council meeting could get interesting and shared insights on how he plans to vote on the “final agreement” that would green-light a controversial homeless hotel at the former La Quinta Inn (@LQ). Nixon is also talking about some of the strong arm tactics being used by King County Executive Dow Constantine’s (@kcexec) team, as they inevitably try to march these projects into other cities. As for the Kirkland deal, Nixon says King County, “insisted that it be kept a secret from the public.” Like most of Dow’s homeless hotels, neighbors find out last minute and then protests erupt. In this case, a lawsuit has also been filed by angry parents Read More ›

Breaking Authorities say man accused of shooting King County Sheriff’s Deputy this morning on the 800 block of NW 54th St is now dead. “Subject retreated into the apartment and was later discovered deceased.” -Independent Force Investigation Team King County. This all went down as an eviction notice was being served at the residence by three deputies and “gunfire was exchanged.” Deputy who was shot is undergoing surgery at the hospital for wounds. Here are some sights and sounds I grabbed on the ground moments ago. Press conference expected later. #Seattle Latest From Investigators