Komo TV Seattle is Dying,,,, yep they went there (Olympia: house, theater)

[lifexponential]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

You all know my 2 cents about this.

Komo did not hold back.

87112 - New Mexico awaits you! Just kidding. Sort of. I still love Seattle - it is my birth city. But I do not approve of how Seattle's government is handling the homeless/drug-addiction problem. Watch this video, people, to open up your eyes fully and completely to the problem.

The State of Rhode Island has decided to not just let people like this stay addicted and wreck their communities. The success rate of its grads is 93%. But it takes people in control of the government who are tough and who also care. Interestingly, the video mentions that the leaders of this program are women. But this is the sort of thing that needs to be done. Cops and citizens in Seattle are aware that not treating the addiction leads to more of the same. But sadly the Seattle and King County government doesn't feel like doing anything about the problem of addiction and homelessness.

Wrong response to a problem that is killing Seattle. Those pesky homeless people. Wish they'd just go away, eh? That's just it. The people in charge of things in Seattle are actually sending a message that Seattle and the West Coast is the place ta go for the homeless.

KOMO's Eric Johnson not only narrated the whole video but wrote the story as well. I'll take that to mean that Eric Johnson actually cares about the place he lives and works in.

He did an amazing job!
I live in Gig Harbor, where we don't see the blight! And the city fathers wouldn't allow it either. That's the operative word: allow. They mentioned McNeil Island! That would be a great solution for those that can be helped. Rhode Island has been helping people who are addicted. Those people need help. It's such a horrible situation! It's dangerous for everyone! Seattle needs to wake up!

[lifexponential]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

Your statement is ALL politics and demonstrates that you didn't even take the time to watch.

That's actually one of the points of the piece, if you had watched it...

Politics and political rhetoric is enabling the death and destruction of Seattle. The city council and governing authorities are overly consumed with toeing platforms that they simply ignore the real problem.

Clearly you are just another one of them..

I don't see how ANYONE in their right mind can watch the video and not come to the same conclusions.

ENFORCE the LAW. Enforce comprehensive drug TREATMENT and REHABILITATION.

There should be nothing political about this..

Exactly right!!!! Enforce the law! Trespassing, loitering, drug dealing, etc. etc.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by lifexponential

Exactly right!!!! Enforce the law! Trespassing, loitering, drug dealing, etc. etc.

They have to take them somewhere for treatment. Would McNeil Island work?

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by Seacove

I realize half the posters here don't even live in Seattle but I'm more focused on Seattle solutions. Some would call the need for the three medications they name "for life" as socialized medicine. It looks like McNeil Island might be a potential location, I've heard it suggested before too. It would be miserable if Seattle ended up having to be the place where drug addicts go in hopes of being picked up and sent to treatment but I don't know what else this country is offering as a viable solution.

McNeil Island is proposed specifically because what other parts of the country are doing, specifically Rhode Island.

I doubt that drug addicts would move to Seattle in order to get arrested just for the opportunity for free drug treatment. It didn't appear as if people were moving to Rhode Island for that benefit.

These aren't really new solutions. This was standard in most places around the country until we out west decided that we were criminalizing drug use by prosecuting petty offenses. Then it really got bad.

[lifexponential]

If the cops were allowed to do their job, then some results would be made. It was sad that that one cop retired....he was so fed up about not being able to enforce the law! What part of the law do they not understand? Would these same council people allow someone to just camp out in their livingroom and spew filth and dirt all over it? Nooooo so why do they allow it in a city where tax paying, responsible people live and work? It's unconscionable! A tourist was attacked with a crate the other day. How do they expect people to come to Seattle in the summer to visit when they hear of all the issues? Not only the smell would keep people away, but fear for their lives!

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

McNeil Island is proposed specifically because what other parts of the country are doing, specifically Rhode Island.

I doubt that drug addicts would move to Seattle in order to get arrested just for the opportunity for free drug treatment. It didn't appear as if people were moving to Rhode Island for that benefit.

These aren't really new solutions. This was standard in most places around the country until we out west decided that we were criminalizing drug use by prosecuting petty offenses. Then it really got bad.

No we were not offering drug treatment on such a massive scale. There's drug treatment in Chehalis I think but I don't think that is remotely capable of the kind of capacity and budget that would be required, much less the commitment to giving them one of those three drugs they named for life. It's not like we were doing that before and stopped.

[GatsbyGatz]

Enforce the law and utilize systems that work, like Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT). Positive change can be dramatic and quick if we invested in the right treatment programs, but instead of addressing the drug epidemic, local government continues to pretend like it’s all caused by a lack of affordable housing. Aggressively fund MAT programs. Housing an addict does not address the ill.

[bergun]

Originally Posted by the topper

2 mins. up: what's wrong with that. All cities have 2 mins. limit. The guy is rude, not the council.

I thought that "his" elected city officials were very rude to him by not giving him the respect that they demand from the public. What is wrong to ask people, in positions of power, to pay a little attention for a minute or two before looking away or going back to your electronic devices? Back when I was growing up, that was called respect. Especially, for the elders within our society.

And we're wondering why our once great city is falling apart before our very own eyes? And why that nothing is being done to improve all the QoL issues we have to deal with?

At no time did this man disrespect anybody and while this was going on, he remained very calm. This is again is proof that when the crazies from both the Left and Right show their collective @zzes by being loud and disruptive, they get all the attention they want, plus more, but again, the average law biding, working, retired or small... Very small business person doesn't really matter to the Seattle city council anymore.

The city council works for that individual and if they don't want to be there or to listen to the citizens, then I would respectfully say that they should step down from their elected positions and maybe... Just maybe, we can find average everyday working people that would show a little more interest in possibly doing the right thing(s), when it's clearly not the easy way for this city.

Sorry, but this isn't a Left verse Right issue, but several posts here attempt to make it into a Left verse Right issue which its clearly not. By doing that, nothing... Again!! Nothing will ever change in Seattle. I'm starting to think that there is a element living within Seattle/King County who are completely comfortable with the current state of the city, which I find shocking.

Btw, yes, I'm a Center-Right person, but I'm smart enough to know what needs to be done and that we're running out of time to act.

That man, took time out of his schedule to talk about something that was important to him and this is how he is treated by the political elite class that now runs the city? I see this as pretty shocking and I truly felt bad for this man and how he was treated. The city council or the mayor should find this man and apologize for the way he was treated and hear what he had to say. AGAIN!! This isn't a Left verse Right issue!!

The funny thing is when the. These professional politicians are running for office or reelection, they WILL pay full attention to the people until they get what they want. And what that says to me is that everything they say is a joke. Nothing more and nothing less.

The only thing that I thought that might be a positive is that this man will most likely not be voting for any of the current council members again!!

[ukrkoz]

I worked for 5 years in drug rehab in country with zero drug tolerance policy. MOF, drug use was criminal offense. You had 2 options. 2 years in jail or 60 days rehab, then 6 years in jail after strike 2.
So here I am telling you how it works in the REAL life, as junkies are same across the world.

They DO NOT want to be treated and get off their addiction. In years I have not witnessed a single one but many that kept returning or simply kicked the bucket. Maybe there are those that hit the bottom so bad that they actually chose to stop but, until one chooses so and is firm - no islands or programs will work.
So if you hope that you will offer them another expensive treatment program, good luck. One that wants to sober up, WILL find what is readily available. One that does not - will spend some time in nice sanatorium, with same of the kind, and return back to his addiction as soon as he hits the life.
As life is full of offering them just that - freedoms of doing whatever is their pleasure, protected by "human rights". The entire culture here is constantly propagating drug and alcohol. Literally, watch any movie or show or listen to music.

So what exactly do you expect?

[CapitalBat]

Originally Posted by xPlorer48

We live north of Seattle. Since October of last year, a friend of ours was murdered by a crazed homeless person from Texas. The violence escalated from punching a woman, to beating a man to the point of brain bleed then the 37 knife wounds to our friend who was out walking.

Then in November or December, a homeless man from California, started attacking people with a machete on a trail near a salmon bearing stream where he was camping. He then shot a crossbow at the responding officers.

Last month, a local business and landmark burned because a homeless man started a fire. He has many prior failure to appear violations. All some people said was poor man, he was cold. There were shelters available; he didn’t want to follow the rules.

A police officer friend of ours contracted MRSA when he apprehended a homeless man.

I am tired of these people ruining my home town. We never used to have homeless in town, at least not to the extent we have currently. Now, we have the SJWs carrying signs saying Bellingham is for Everyone like their big sister Seattle is doing. Several are running for mayor. Yuck, excuse me while I gag.

Arrest them for loitering, doing drugs in public, get them into treatment, a small shelter and job training.

I used to go to Seattle for concerts and plays. No more.

I’m so sorry to hear that was your friend who was murdered. We live about twenty minutes south of you and while your city is much larger, we have been interested by how strict our local PD is about keeping the homeless population here invisible and on the move, in stark contrast to what’s happening up there. Affordable housing is a problem here, but it’s the rural blue collar workforce that is suffering because of that, the “invisible homeless.”