Komo TV Seattle is Dying,,,, yep they went there (insurance, home)
Seattle areaSeattle and King County Suburbs
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San Diego is REALLY bad right now as is Oakland. Some of the shots of Seattle from this report look like it could be in either of those cities.
It’s not that bad, I walk through East Village, on Broadway, through Horton Plaza Park etc.. several days a week on a 6 mile power walk through downtown. Of course I see homeless but rarely do they bother me other than a bit of irritation and disgust but I can’t remember the last time I have even been approached or talked to by one. It is certainly was that bad several months ago until the hepatitis crisis cleared out almost all of the homeless encampments of a certain size that used to be allowed with impunity. It still is that bad in certain small quarters dt and in many of the riverbeds, canyons and some areas of parks including the crown jewel, Balboa Park.
Still, Seattle is absolutely one of my favorite cities, we visit frequently and were just up there for a great mini-vacation a couple of months ago and I just finished watching the whole report and find it shocking, tragic and compelling. Maybe a small slice of it could be considered hyperbole but I think the bulk of it speaks to a truth that every city, especially those on the West Coast should heed its message.
I for one am going to send this link to my City Council member. I can’t stand that my beautiful city as yours is constantly fighting a similar, frustrating reality that even for those of us who have a certain level of compassion for those caught up in this crisis of drugs and homelessness still firmly want some tough solutions that work to ease it. The connection of a too liberal and “compassionate” justice system from top down local (and sometimes state) government edicts completely failing the law enforcement community is what strikes me as the most compelling story here. And trust me, I’m about as liberal and compassionate as they come. But I have put down roots in my community and city and wish for it too to remain a place where rules are followed and those identifiable bad players are ejected summarily from it - either in jail, treatment or just kicked the hell out of Dodge.
I still love your beautiful city and will visit often as I do all the similarly afflicted cities on our coast, Portland, San Francisco/Oakland, LA and my own. I hope, but don’t have the greatest of confidence, in structural governmental, social changes to finally make some honest headway towards some solutions.
Well, I just had the opportunity to watch the documentary in its entirety and I have to say, I’m shocked. Even as a Seattle resident who sees this every day, I didn’t fully realize the extent of the problem.
I just have a few thoughts:
1. One of the most important things was when one of the interviewees said that we weren’t calling the problem what it was. It’s not a homeless problem, it’s a drug problem. And I think that is very true.
2. I find it shocking that possession of 3g or less will not get you arrested in Seattle. 3g of heroin is about 30 doses. You could easily be dealing heroin with 3g.
3. I find it even more shocking that a known homeless drug dealer was arrested for dealing meth and immediately released after booking. Days later, he broke into a woman’s apartment in an assisted living facility, and proceeded to assault, rape, and burglarize her. She was 71 and had to go to the hospital because she had bleeding on the brain. That is nothing short of outrageous, and the criminal justice system is to blame because they should have known better. One of the homeless they interviewed was really arrogant and said he felt “exalted” by the courts and felt that he was unlikely to get arrested in the future, even though he had admitted to regularly engaging in theft. And he’s probably right.
4. Of the top 100 most frequently arrested people in Seattle, 100 PERCENT of them were homeless and 100 PERCENT of them were drug addicted. One man has been arrested 54 times since 2016 alone. Many of these are for dangerous crimes like assaults on random people, yet they are back on the streets almost immediately. This is infuriatingly outrageous.
I don’t know or care if KOMO news is trending conservative, but I don’t see this as a partisan issue at all. The last part of the documentary is about Providence’s successful program for dealing with this drug issue. Providence is another liberal city in another liberal state. Yet they have implemented solutions that our city leaders are ignoring. This documentary was a service to Seattle, and hopefully a wake-up call.
I have lost so much respect for city leaders after watching this. There is really no excuse for having allowed this problem to balloon into what it is today.
We need to start enforcing the laws. These addicts need to go to jail combined with a treatment program, and get max sentences. After that they need to stay in the program, and if they successfully complete it, I wouldn’t be opposed to eventual probation on the condition that they continue outpatient treatment, in connection with housing/job assistance, but if they don’t comply, back in jail for the max sentence.
I reject the argument that it’s too expensive. I would wager that it is more expensive to arrest and release offenders dozens of times than it is to just keep them in jail, not to mention losses such as theft, the cost of court hearings, etc.
If the court system is underfunded and overworked, then give them more funding. Hire more judges and prosecutors. And let the police do their friggin jobs.
I’m really embarrassed for the city leaders. I just wish they would get their act together. This culture of tolerance is ruining Seattle.
You shocked? Been telling you this all along: Cesspool and crime ridden. Seattle was so much better in the late 80's to around 91.
I’m very familiar with the RCW. The link you cited contains codes addressing the rights of detainees. I didn’t read anything that said they have the right to have their charges dropped, that they have the right to not get arrested if they have 3g or less of narcotics, etc. These are policy decisions. The police aren’t bemoaning the way the law is written, but rather the way it is enforced.
A Providence-style program would likely require some changes to the code. But there are things that could be done within the existing code now, starting with ... actually enforcing it. That’s my big problem.
It’s not that bad, I walk through East Village, on Broadway, through Horton Plaza Park etc.. several days a week on a 6 mile power walk through downtown. Of course I see homeless but rarely do they bother me other than a bit of irritation and disgust but I can’t remember the last time I have even been approached or talked to by one. It is certainly was that bad several months ago until the hepatitis crisis cleared out almost all of the homeless encampments of a certain size that used to be allowed with impunity. It still is that bad in certain small quarters dt and in many of the riverbeds, canyons and some areas of parks including the crown jewel, Balboa Park.
Still, Seattle is absolutely one of my favorite cities, we visit frequently and were just up there for a great mini-vacation a couple of months ago and I just finished watching the whole report and find it shocking, tragic and compelling. Maybe a small slice of it could be considered hyperbole but I think the bulk of it speaks to a truth that every city, especially those on the West Coast should heed its message.
I for one am going to send this link to my City Council member. I can’t stand that my beautiful city as yours is constantly fighting a similar, frustrating reality that even for those of us who have a certain level of compassion for those caught up in this crisis of drugs and homelessness still firmly want some tough solutions that work to ease it. The connection of a too liberal and “compassionate” justice system from top down local (and sometimes state) government edicts completely failing the law enforcement community is what strikes me as the most compelling story here. And trust me, I’m about as liberal and compassionate as they come. But I have put down roots in my community and city and wish for it too to remain a place where rules are followed and those identifiable bad players are ejected summarily from it - either in jail, treatment or just kicked the hell out of Dodge.
I still love your beautiful city and will visit often as I do all the similarly afflicted cities on our coast, Portland, San Francisco/Oakland, LA and my own. I hope, but don’t have the greatest of confidence, in structural governmental, social changes to finally make some honest headway towards some solutions.
Don 't kid yourself: was there last summer. Horton's area is a complete disaster along with East Village and C street. Whom are you trying to fool?
I’m very familiar with the RCW. The link you cited contains codes addressing the rights of detainees. I didn’t read anything that said they have the right to have their charges dropped, that they have the right to not get arrested if they have 3g or less of narcotics, etc. These are policy decisions. The police aren’t bemoaning the way the law is written, but rather the way it is enforced.
A Providence-style program would likely require some changes to the code. But there are things that could be done within the existing code now, starting with ... actually enforcing it. That’s my big problem.
It wasn't a documentary, it was an editorial.
Look, I'm not advocating a "let 'em be" attitude toward misbehaving street people. I worked in the homeless housing business (and also in local government) for too long to own a "bleeding heart" mentality. But I really rebel when people who should know better, or who obviously have access to people that do, advocate simplistic and unrealistic solutions for extremely complicated problems, and who, when pressed, admit that "well, we'll have to change a few laws" (yeah, like Habeas Corpus or the frikkin' Fourth Amendment) and then do nothing to change things past b**ching. That may not be you, but it's mighty present in this thread and on this website.
Without probable cause that someone has committed a crime, or is a threat to themselves or others, hauling street people off to jail is an exercise in futility and a drain on the public purse. In 72 hours they'll be back, so then what, scoop them up again? Put them on a bus to Black Diamond?
Look, I'm not advocating a "let 'em be" attitude toward misbehaving street people. I worked in the homeless housing business (and also in local government) for too long to own a "bleeding heart" mentality. But I really rebel when people who should know better, or who obviously have access to people that do, advocate simplistic and unrealistic solutions for extremely complicated problems, and who, when pressed, admit that "well, we'll have to change a few laws" (yeah, like Habeas Corpus or the frikkin' Fourth Amendment) and then do nothing to change things past b**ching. That may not be you, but it's mighty present in this thread and on this website.
Without probable cause that someone has committed a crime, or is a threat to themselves or others, hauling street people off to jail is an exercise in futility and a drain on the public purse. In 72 hours they'll be back, so then what, scoop them up again? Put them on a bus to Black Diamond?
Well Bellevue and Marysville seem to have been able to manage the problem far more effectively, and they are still required to operate within the RCW. I don’t think the officers there have any more probable cause than they do in Seattle when they arrest someone.
I would very much like to get a copy of the KOMO report on Seattle is Dying. It is hard to believe that when I came to Seattle in the 60's that it would turn in to such a cesspool with no politicians addressing the situation. Our mayor and our State executive should be ashamed and should resign their posts immediately. How would you like to be a policeman there!
You can call it what you want, but I WON'T vacation in Seattle or for that matter Portland and SFO because of the homeless-drugger problem left to fester in those areas.
And does anyone think it is more than coincidence that all of these places are in lefty cities and states?
You can call it what you want, but I WON'T vacation in Seattle or for that matter Portland and SFO because of the homeless-drugger problem left to fester in those areas.
And does anyone think it is more than coincidence that all of these places are in lefty cities and states?
Is it any coincidence that the cities with the highest murder rates are mostly in republican states? And that the states with the highest statewide murder rates are mostly red?
Like I said, I don’t see this as a partisan issue, at least not above the local level.
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