Komo TV Seattle is Dying,,,, yep they went there (Everett: attorney, homes)

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

The McNeil Island idea is the supreme idea. They're literally (the addicted ones) out of their mind. The Seattle City Council isn't much smarter than them, though. What a bunch of idiots.

What would the city council have to do with it? They don't run the courts or the prison system.

[elkotronics]

They should be one of the guiding forces to get it done, though. Dorks they are!

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

What would the city council have to do with it? They don't run the courts or the prison system.

Generally the council is being blamed for promoting lax enforcement of existing laws and for treating the drug epidemic as a housing crisis and not a drug crisis. People that commit crimes are often not being arrested unless someone is hurt.

For example, does the council hire the police chief? Because the video makes the point that Seattle has “unofficially” decided to not make any arrests for drug possession below a certain amount. 3g I think. And that amount is enough to make up to 20 separate doses of heroin.

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by Gardyloo

What would the city council have to do with it? They don't run the courts or the prison system.

City councils certainly DO control municipal prosecutions and police and jail budgets!

[elkotronics]

City councils certainly DO control municipal prosecutions and police and jail budgets!


Yep. And I can't get the image of that woman standing before them just asking for a little bit of law enforcement. The one dork on the SCC just got a huge smile on his face. Another woman yelled "take that smirky little grin off yer face!" Or words ta that effect.

And I can't get the image of yet another SCC member (a woman) that could only shake her head when another Seattle citizen pleaded with them to help. I mean, HELLO, Seattle City Council, are you all collectively stoned? I thought Foghat and Led Zeppelin no longer existed. Oh wait, Foghat still exists, though the only remaining member alive besides Tony Stevens, who plays bass but is no longer actively a Foghat member, is the drummer, Mr. Roger Earl. Foghat is still alive, though Led Zeppelin is allegedly deader than a doornail. Reason being is that singer Robert Plant no longer wants to play the Satan-worshipper game that lead guitarist/co-founder Jimmy Page is entrenched in. But I digress.

Hello, Seattle City Council...you think it's cute to ignore citizens who are looking to you to actually lead the city out of the ripe smell of...umm...poop. Poop out in the open? Come on! I was born in Seattle. I love Seattle. But what it's become is a thing of astonishment. It's like one of the cities that God condemned in the Bible. He prophecies things hundreds of years in advance. Then, when it comes true JUST AS GOD HAD THE BIBLE WRITER PEN IT DOWN, non-believers scoff at it like "ahh...nah. That's not from your God. That's just a coincidence."

Ya right. Perhaps the City of Seattle is fulfilling Bible prophecy, kids. Ya think? Hint: you have ta put your lottery ticket down for a minute and think about your answer a little bit.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

City councils certainly DO control municipal prosecutions and police and jail budgets!


Yep. And I can't get the image of that woman standing before them just asking for a little bit of law enforcement. The one dork on the SCC just got a huge smile on his face. Another woman yelled "take that smirky little grin off yer face!" Or words ta that effect.

And I can't get the image of yet another SCC member (a woman) that could only shake her head when another Seattle citizen pleaded with them to help. I mean, HELLO, Seattle City Council, are you all collectively stoned? I thought Foghat and Led Zeppelin no longer existed. Oh wait, Foghat still exists, though the only remaining member alive besides Tony Stevens, who plays bass but is no longer actively a Foghat member, is the drummer, Mr. Roger Earl. Foghat is still alive, though Led Zeppelin is allegedly deader than a doornail. Reason being is that singer Robert Plant no longer wants to play the Satan-worshipper game that lead guitarist/co-founder Jimmy Page is entrenched in. But I digress.

Hello, Seattle City Council...you think it's cute to ignore citizens who are looking to you to actually lead the city out of the ripe smell of...umm...poop. Poop out in the open? Come on! I was born in Seattle. I love Seattle. But what it's become is a thing of astonishment. It's like one of the cities that God condemned in the Bible. He prophecies things hundreds of years in advance. Then, when it comes true JUST AS GOD HAD THE BIBLE WRITER PEN IT DOWN, non-believers scoff at it like "ahh...nah. That's not from your God. That's just a coincidence."

Ya right. Perhaps the City of Seattle is fulfilling Bible prophecy, kids. Ya think? Hint: you have ta put your lottery ticket down for a minute and think about your answer a little bit.

For those of us who actually live here, I think it's better to focus on solutions like implementing a drug treatment facility on McNeil Island or something similar.

[DP79]

Originally Posted by perpetualnihilism

Seattle is still easily a top five metro for quality of life, and one of the cleanest, safest cities in America. SF has a similar crisis that has gotten much more national attention - and I get he impression the problems is far more visible there - yet it still has droves of defenders. Why is it that nobody defends Seattle anymore? It isn't too hard to admit that it's objectively one of the best places to live in Norrh America.

Lol no it’s absolutely not...

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by DP79

Lol no it’s absolutely not...

No it still is. Seattle has a way of maintaining residents, and if housing prices get too high, those who own them just sit tight.

Seattle is not just downtown. It is a vibrant seven hill city with great neighborhoods and an increasing urban setting. Don't count Seattle out just yet.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by Seacove

For those of us who actually live here, I think it's better to focus on solutions like implementing a drug treatment facility on McNeil Island or something similar.

I totally agree with that, way more “compassionate” than letting them rot on the streets, plus it’s a beautiful setting, almost like a sanatorium.

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

Generally the council is being blamed for promoting lax enforcement of existing laws and for treating the drug epidemic as a housing crisis and not a drug crisis. People that commit crimes are often not being arrested unless someone is hurt.

For example, does the council hire the police chief? Because the video makes the point that Seattle has “unofficially” decided to not make any arrests for drug possession below a certain amount. 3g I think. And that amount is enough to make up to 20 separate doses of heroin.

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

City councils certainly DO control municipal prosecutions and police and jail budgets!

No, they do not. Drug offenses are prosecuted by COUNTY personnel and the jails are COUNTY institutions. Municipal police, like the Seattle PD, can make arrests for violations of municipal (city) law like traffic infractions, but also for violations of state law (like drug-related offenses.) The arrested people are then handed off to county prosecution and incarceration personnel, and to county (or state) judges for further handling. Aside from hiring the cops (subject to state regulation) the city council doesn't exercise any authority over this process.

Non-arrest for possession of small quantities of illegal substances is quite common across the US. It basically has to do with the lack of infrastructure (jail space) and understaffed court systems that can't handle all the people who might be prosecuted.

Read these articles if you can be bothered -

Drug users will get a pass on minor charges in Snohomish County
King County Prosecutor dropping 1,500 misdemeanors from 2017

I thought the Snohomish County prosecutor's words were pretty revealing - these feelings are shared by prosecutors around the country -

In 2017 our felony division, with no additional personnel, filed 700 more cases into Superior Court than in 2016. That resulted in caseloads far beyond what our trial deputies can handle effectively. Additionally, when we file more cases our county public defenders, because of the reasonable caseload standards adopted by the Supreme Court, get more attorneys. We do not. We just get further and further behind.

In many counties across the state, if not most, drug possession cases involving a small amount, even though a felony by law, are commonly handled as misdemeanors. Small fines were imposed that were often not paid, and probation is ordered that is often not complied with. Courts are still understandably reluctant to incarcerate addicts for possessing small amounts of drugs, and even if imposed, jail doesn’t seem to address an addiction problem. Recidivism is near 100%. Addicts will seemingly address their addiction when they decide to, not when we try to force them to. Our office also utilized this “Expedited Misdemeanor” process for many years on these cases, but with negligible effect. Even our “successes” were usually failures, as re-offense was more the rule than the exception.

Anti-tax ("small government") moves have limited Washington counties' budget growth such that adding more county personnel (deputy sheriffs, prosecutors, jail personnel etc.) has been extremely difficult, so the result is that the prosecutors have to stem the number of people entering the system by only prosecuting those who represent a clear and present threat to themselves or others. Some panhandler on a downtown Seattle (or Everett, or Spokane, or Tacoma, or Bellevue) corner doesn't constitute that threat, appearances notwithstanding.