Street Report

No Words Sometimes you see a piece of video and are just left shaking your head. Tuesday evening, a witness says a fight broke out at Ballard Commons Park between a well known homeless guy and a dude with dreads. At the same time, a little kid just scampers through the outdoor fountain play area, totally oblivious to what’s going on. Thankfully it ended without anyone being seriously injured. Adults, let’s try to set a better example for the children. This all went down as the Seattle Parks (@SeattleParks) concierge was packing up the large chess set and signs. No park rangers or police nearby. Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) district remains problematic. But so far, crews have been able to 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 ›

Under Pressure Ballard is now dealing with a new wave of homeless encampment related shootings and clusters of tents popping up in certain parts of the neighborhood, especially along NW Leary Way. I spoke to Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) about his plan to address this on going crisis in the district.

Encampment Needs to Close Wednesday’s fire took out multiple tents in the Hobby Lobby (@HobbyLobby) homeless encampment near Sleater-Kinney Road in #Olympia on @wsdot property. No reports of any serious injuries. I’ve been tracking this place for months and visited just a few days. Before this most recent fire, dozens of homeless people started moving in just in the past few weeks, hoping to get “tagged” and in line for one of the rooms at the former #Lacey Days Inn. It’s being converted into a homeless hotel for more than 100 people. But there were delays with this project after crews found meth in the walls. Either way, city and state leaders hope this is a solution to one of Read More ›

Failing Neighborhood How can the city of #Seattle allow drug addicts to take over #Chinatown-ID? 12th Ave and Jackson St. is out of control on Tuesday evening. It isn’t even a weekend night, but the black market of stolen goods is lit! Large cans of Almond Roca for $2 dollars. Rib eye steaks being sold for $5 bucks a piece. Fentanyl foil everywhere. People zonked out of their minds. Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) has given up on this part of her district. Meanwhile, I had to escape on to a King County Metro bus after some enraged dudes started coming at me. This is truly “TAMMY TOWN.” When is it Going to Stop? That’s what Asian American senior citizens in 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 ›

Saturday Stroll It remains a tale of two cities in downtown #Seattle. The fentanyl addicts are still doing their thing near hot spots like 3rd Ave and Pike St. It’s just a foil party everywhere and people are literally passed out in the middle of the sidewalk. People were a little bit more aggressive than usual towards me today. But the rest of downtown is packed with tourists and looking spectacular. So much upside to this city. No doubt preparations for the Seattle Pride Parade (@OurSeattlePride) on Sunday are helping. But if elected officials can get the drug crisis under control, this is a preview of good things to come. I just hope co-existing with the open air drug use Read More ›

Another Homeless Encampment Shooting Blood remains splattered on the sidewalk in front of Quest Church on Leary Way NW in Ballard. Authorities say a “robbery escalated into a shooting” early Friday morning, possibly involving a bicycle. Victim is in the hospital and shooting suspect is still on the loose. The homeless campers on the ground say dude got blasted near a tent. Details remain sketchy and witnesses are saying conflicting things. Bottom line, someone got shot. So far this month, this part of Ballard has seen multiple shootings. Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@cmdanstrauss) district is out of control. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) and city’s Unified Care team need to step up even more in this hood. Weapon Found Read More ›

Tammy Town Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) continues to ignore the homeless encampment off Rainier Ave S and Plum St that’s spiraling out of control. As of Wednesday evening, I counted 15 tents and 13 vehicles on the grounds of the former Burger King and 7-11 that recently burned down. New people keep moving in. Drug use is rampant and there are signs this is turning into a chop shop for bicycles. At the same time, there are babies on the premises and kids playing catch. Overall, everyone is chill. But most homeless people here are rejecting the shelter options being offered. They want tiny homes, apartments, or an RV lot. This is the on-going narrative at a lot of these Read More ›