sweep

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 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 ›

This is a New One Double the eco-blocks. Double the fun. I’ve seen a lot covering the homeless crisis. But this is a first. Remember late last year, cable giant COMCAST (@comcast) was accused of blasting loud music to drive out the homeless next to it’s building in North #Seattle? After a recent sweep, someone is taking some extra precautionary measures to keep them from returning. Meanwhile, the city will never fine anyone for these clear violations, because illegal homeless encampments continue to flourish across the city. It would be a perceived double standard and a PR nightmare. However, if there is a biz owner or individual out there who’s been fined for putting out eco-blocks, let me know. The Read More ›

Streets of Seattle Since last year, I have covered multiple encampment sweeps on 3rd Ave S. and Utah Ave S. in SODO. But the tents and RV’s keep coming back and have been hunkered down for months. Business owners say they are demoralized and do not believe the city will ever resolve this. Remember, most of these folks have been offered shelter and services, but refused them. I recognize many of the same RV’s and vehicles that have simply moved around. There are also many new homeless campers. Along with the on going drug use and illegal activity in these situations, look at some of the weapons (SAMURAI SWORD) being carried around. Once again, Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) is MIA and Read More ›

Happening Now Earlier in the week, the notorious 3rd Ave and Cherry St. encampment near #Seattle City Hall was gone. Once again removed by crews and proof that it can be done right away if @Mayorofseattle wants immediate action. But as I predicted, within days the so called “trap tents” are now back. @Virgofolkie decided to tag along so she could see the madness for herself. Literally in the first two minutes of our walk through, a guy tried to snatch the iPhone out of my hands, then another dude tossed fireworks at us, and a well known fella on this street tried to peg us with a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Most of the people we saw today were Read More ›

Breaking We knew it would eventually happen! @CMDanStrauss says Ballard Commons Park is re-opening weekend of March 11-12. But it is still unclear what the game plan is to prevent homeless people from setting up again on this #Seattle Parks property. @MayorofSeattle Not so Memorable Moments If you recall, the park’s been closed since December 2021 after the city allowed a massive homeless encampment to take over for months. It was blamed for deaths, fires, shootings, uptick in thefts, and even Hep-A outbreak. #Seattle Fall Through Winter 2021 Numerous fires raged out of control in Ballard Commons Park. Some were accidental, others were intentionally set. Too many to count. #Seattle Fire City During Fall 2021, it seemed like I was Read More ›