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It’s been a long time since I brought everyone up to date on what is happening here in the Seattle area. It’s an assortment of tales of homelessness, crime, illegal aliens, burning buildings, and vandalism. For starters, there is a story about a street refugee camp in Kent, south of Seattle. A large group of “asylum-seekers” from Africa, South America, and elsewhere was kicked out of the church whose welcome got old and their permit expired. When expelled, they simply set up their tents in a nearby abandoned motel site and refused to move. They were given a deadline to leave. It went by. The linked story is from the KOMO News Web site, for your reading pleasure.
Now, after you read the above story, you can check out this X/Twitter story, directly from the site, with no intervening leftist commentary. Jonathan Choe is doing a yeoman’s job reporting on the ground which the local leftist media slants.
The next story is about a fire in a vacant apartment building in north Seattle. A fire burned what was left of the building, the squatters who were living there illegally were injured, and one woman died. Vacant buildings in the Seattle area have become quite common, as viable businesses exit the city due to crime and increasingly high costs of going about their business. No building stays vacant very long before squatters take over, and eventually burn it down with their indoor cooking fires and meth labs. The Seattle Fire Department has an X account, and below is a screenshot of their story. Please note what is so important to the Seattle Fire Department this month, so important that they changed their logo background.
Seattle has a vibrant, active Jewish community. Antisemitism is increasing all over the country, and Seattle has had its share. Rocks thrown through the window of a Jewish family, for example. They shouldn't expect much help from city leaders, they are spending more time dealing with homelessness and crime. Besides, the Jews are wealthy, mostly, and not to be pitied.
I really was interested in this partial headline. Community Groups Demand Ongoing Funding…for Seattle’s “Equitable Development” program. I have to admit, we Baby Boomers started the trend of activist groups issuing lists of demands for various behaviors and money from government. In places like Seattle, where the government is populated with children of 1960s radicals, the tradition is alive and well. Of course, “equitable development” means steering taxpayer funds to “protected” groups, and away from the taxpaying citizens. This is against civil rights law, but if no one sues or complains, the law can be violated all day long with no consequences on the ground. Here is a quote from the article.
Ahead of a budget adjustment vote, a broad coalition of community organizations called on the Seattle City Council to protect the Jumpstart payroll tax and continue investments in the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI).
EDI is a city program that funds development projects designed to support affordable housing, child care and cultural centers for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). More than $100 million has been invested since 2018, but some advocates said ongoing financial support is under threat.
“I’m here to oppose any amendments or policies that take away from Jumpstart, the major source of funding for the Equitable Development Initiative,” said Stephanie Yung with the Khmer Community of South King County.
Please note the funds go to people of color and no one else. By the way, the Jump Start payroll tax was once called the Amazon Tax, specifically aimed at taking down big businesses which pay their employees well. Amazon has taken note, and has stopped expanding in Seattle.
And then there are the crime stories... (Links below.)
Seattle, Tacoma among the top cities for dog attacks against mail carriers.
Former Maple Valley daycare employee arrested on child molestation charges.
18-year-old man found dead of gunshot in Kent parking lot.
Two men critically injured in Rainier Valley shooting.
Motorcyclist dies after crashing into several vehicles in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood.
Again, welcome to the Seattle Dystopia.
Discussion (14)
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I'm wondering how long before the cruise industry is affected. Holland America is headquartered there.
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Every year more cruises leave from Seattle. I can’t imagine why. I haven’t set foot in Seattle for nearly three years.
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Any Seattle resident should reject the demand for “investments” in equity anything: clarify that it’s another form of money laundering to pay reparations. Investors reasonably expect a return on the amount invested. There is never anything returned to the taxpayers. Taxes spent on equity themed activities simply enrich the targeted recipients, with overrides to anyone touching the funds on the way.
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I think the key word is “leave”. If the port was right next to SeaTac….
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The voters of Seattle approved the social housing initiative two years ago. They really think that the government can do housing better than the private sector. They don’t realize that they voted for housing projects, which always turn into slums.
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