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Dispatch from Seattle, Homelessness and Crime Edition
Recently, the Seattle City Council voted to override the mayor’s veto of a budget that drastically cut funds for the Seattle Police Department, and stopped funding the city’s “Navigation Team,” which did outreach to the increasing number of unsheltered people in the city. The Navigation Team’s effectiveness was hampered by its requirement that the homeless who were offered shelter could accept, or reject that shelter. Most rejected.
Today, we see some of the results of the city council’s actions, even before the budget is effective: Seattle’s Denny Park is riddled with crime, drugs, and homelessness.
The government of Seattle is manifestly not protecting its citizens from rampant crime and drug-dealing. Homeless camps have been allowed to take over Denny Park, and other Seattle parks. Seattle will continue to be a less-livable city once the police budget is slashed, and officers are let go. It seems that Seattle is more interested in protecting its criminals than its law-abiding citizens. It will be interesting to see how long this deterioration can go on before the citizens come to their senses and change their government.
Published in Policing
On top of all that, Boeing has announced that the production for the 787 Dreamliner will be moving to South Carolina.
Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State (stop laughing), has announced that the state will be reviewing the tax breaks Boeing receives for its operations in the state.
This is unique. Getting tough from a position of strength is common in negotiations. Getting tough from a position of weakness is much less common.
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it works out for ’em.
I wonder if the ferries keep homeless from Bainbridge and Vashon islands? I visited Vashon 3 years ago, where I had property for a retirement home for 15 years, and saw no homeless. Haven’t been back to Seattle since.
I swear these people’s minds have been infected by aliens from another planet. That can be the only explanation for their insanity.
Interesting question, Dr. Kennedy. We don’t go to either place, so would not know, but I’ll bet that the Seattle homeless don’t go to Bainbridge or Vashon. However, there are local Indian tribes near Bainbridge, so there may be homeless camps there. Vashon is populated with wealthy folks, and aging hippies (who might not object to the homeless camps if there are any).
This is why Dems are pushing for ex-cons to get the vote. Heck, even incarcerated people!
My next-older brother lives in the Seattle area with his family, and remains a hard-core lefty. (And retired school teacher, so no surprise.) Since they recently inherited from his wife’s father, a former union big-wig in San Francisco with a big house that was sold after his death, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re millionaires now. But not from their own devices. Still though, they can afford to stay away from the problems that their votes create.
They may get an unpleasant surprise if the problems come to them. The looters and arsonists are quite mobile, and even Everett where we live has its homeless camps.
In some ways, I hope for their “enlightenment.” But real leftys never believe they caused any problems. To them, Problems only come from opposition to leftism.
I did not like Bainbridge as much when I was looking 25 years ago because of the bridge. There was a proposal, when I still had my 10 acres, to build a bridge from Tacoma to Vashon’s south end and then on to the peninsula, sort of like Mercer. There was a meeting of the residents at the high school to vote on the proposal. Ten thousand people voted. 90% voted no. That was the entire population of the island.
We watch our local CBS station for the weather info portion of the nightly news. Our
weather girlChief Meteorologist announced she was leaving Tucson for Seattle. WTF!!! Is she crazy?Tucson is pretty lefty-crazy too, but it does sound like going from the (figurative) frying pan into the (literal) fire.
Yes, I understand one of the TV stations called Trump a “Nazi” this week. He was supposed to have a rally here Monday, which is off, I assume.
If the taxes are really high (especially property taxes), they won’t millionaires long . . .
Nice ;-)
@rushbabe49, how would it work to require people to accept assistance/shelter? I’m not sure I understand.
The people who are camping out on the streets and in Seattle parks are doing so illegally. They are using public rights-of-way and public parks in ways that are not allowed by law. Now, the City of Seattle has chosen to ignore this law-breaking, and street people are never actually charged with anything unless they assault someone. Unless they are dealing drugs or guns. In Seattle homeless “camps” there is rampant drug use and dealing, and when camps have been “cleared” in the past numerous illegal guns and piles of drug paraphernalia are normally found. Most homeless camps are public health hazards, and a large proportion of street people are also mentally ill. The intake staff of Harborview Medical Center, the county hospital where those who overdose or are injured are normally taken, know a goodly proportion of these people, who are often in and out of their facility. Since the street people are illegally using public parks and rights-of-way, the city and county could require them to either accept shelter and treatment, or leave the area entirely. If they return and are found again on the streets, they could be taken to jail. However, Seattle and King County are not doing much to reduce the size or number of homeless camps; in fact, they have said lately that they will do nothing, in the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, to get these people off the streets. Seattle parks will soon be simply big homeless camps, with the city doing nothing about them.
How would they change their government?
They would vote out the Socialists, and vote in maybe centrists to run their city. Never happen. The residents of Seattle elected the clowns on their city council, and they (well, most of them) deserve the government they elected.
IIRC Denny Park is the place that nearby residents promised to never call the police on hobos. Again, bold strategy, Cotton.
Even if they do call, seems like the policy is to do nothing. And that’s city-wide by now, if not state-wide.
Another great example of the vibrant prosperity and wholesome cultural environment available to voters by simply voting Democrat. Who could possibly resist.
You think the elections are honest? You think the game is not now rigged to continue electing more and more of these folks? Really the only options are to join them or leave. Just like that will eventually be the only option everywhere in this country. I am trying to identify where a safe place will be to live out what is left of my life.
States with sane leadership will have to leave, stop paying Federal taxes except to a military and trade regime that chooses to join with free states.
My younger son was looking for places to retire and for his kids to go to college. One place he liked a lot was north Arkansas.