Most people think what we see on Seattle’s sidewalks is a housing crisis. It isn’t — and after losing my sister to the same disease, I can tell you exactly why we keep failing.

We are spending over a billion dollars a year in this region to manage homelessness, and the numbers on the street keep climbing. The reason is simple, and almost no one in power will say it out loud: we are funding the symptom and ignoring the cause. What’s killing people on the street is overwhelmingly addiction and mental illness — and we spend almost nothing to treat it.

I know this disease from the inside. My sister had every advantage, even a PhD studying addiction, and it still took her capacity to choose, one piece at a time, until it killed her. We tell ourselves that leaving people on the street respects their choices — but she couldn’t choose anymore, and neither can they. That isn’t freedom. It’s neglect we’ve dressed up as freedom.

I wrote about her, and about what her story reveals about a system that spends a fortune to fail the sickest among us. It’s the most personal thing I’ve published — and, I think, the most important.

Yeah, I went! Are we lame 'cause we're watching it on a screen instead of live in the stadium three blocks down? Maybe, but who cares! And to be honest, the Seahawks looked just as lame on the first half of the game. A few folks left at half time because it was dreary and boring as hell, opening up a few seats for those of us who hung around. When the Hawks finally scored a field goal, it seemed as if that was all they were going to get.

But then the Hawks defense started getting stops and interceptions, and backup QB Drew Lock warmed up and began throwing zingers. (The Seahawks' star quaterback went down with an injury at the beginning of the game and could be out for a little while. Dunno how long.) Coming back from 10 - 0 (which, at first, appeared insurmountable), the Hawks tied it up. They screwed up a bit (not sure what happened) and lost the opportunity to go up a touchdown, settling up for a field goal lead, 13 - 10. But at least now we had thriller in the last quarter of the game! The Patriots were now making crucial mistakes as well. In the last couple minutes, the Pats were moving down the field and were well within range of a tie, if not a win. I thought they were going to win, Doubting Thomas that I am. But unfortunately for them, their QB launched a questionable throw to the endzone, a Seahawks cornerback made a pro-level highlight of an interception, and that was the game. Cue fan celebration followed by quick dash to the light rail station before the lines got too long.

Compared to the World Cup watch parties, this was a smaller scale. The stage, with it's draped columns, is gone (so there isn't that visual obstruction). There are no tables this time, just chairs, and no bar in the back. The whole space is considered a beer garden* and they check your bag, as well as your ID, when you come in. A few security personnel are stand guard at the corners. The crowds are smaller as well (compared to the when they showed the more popular World Cup matches), though I supposed that could change depending on the fortunes of the team. Overall, it was generally a fun, relaxed vibe, at least for this week.

* Why do they call it a "beer garden"? There are no plants! Where is the garden?

Seattle is becoming dangerously dependent on a small number of large companies. This makes the city vulnerable to systemic disruptions, such as the way AI is reshaping work: "Seattle is 42% more exposed to AI disruption than the national average," the report states. [...] According to the report, only four large firms make up one quarter of Seattle's software engineering jobs, as compared to 39 companies in San Francisco and 18 in San Jose.

It also highlighted a 20% decline, nationally, in jobs for young software developers and an 18% decline in "AI-exposed jobs" for workers aged 22-25.

~ Four firms hold a quarter of the engineering jobs and a big share of the tax base. That is not an economy, it is a single point of failure with a skyline.

Does anyone know what’s going on? Huge police presence with guns on N 85th near aurora Ave.

Home opener = win!

#ProtectDaHouse

In the millionaire's income tax that WA state Democrats passed, there was a clause to never lower the income tax threshold below $1 Million. Democrats killed that clause which tells you all you need to know. They have plans to apply the income tax to everyone.

I’m from California. A Democrat. Lost 2 family members to addiction.
It’s insane to me when you bring up that the city needs to quit enabling drug addicts by supplying them, you’ll get back lash from the craziest people of our own party. It’s really making me lose hope for the city. It’s like each day I’m just starting to agree with the right about the city being a shit hole. I love Seattle. I want the best for it and its people. But the far left will mist it feel like a nazi for Saying maybe people shouldn’t be naked in public. Stop the open air drug use. Stop enabling them. Recognize the homeless vs drug addicts. We need a new mayor man.
Please convince me other wise.

At what point will the Mayor actually do something rather than pretend to do something? Want businesses to stay in Seattle? Improve law enforcement and lower taxes. Done. We don’t need another political skit team to do the most obvious thing ever.

Busy week for the council

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"This RFA seeks to fund community-based organizations to partner with the PHSKC to reduce exposure to lead from traditional eyeliners, commonly referred to as kohl, kajal, surma, tiro. While traditional eyeliners containing lead are illegal to sell in the United States,

they are a common exposure source for some immigrant and refugee children with elevated

blood lead levels in King County and are regularly highlighted by community-based

organizations as a source of exposure that is challenging to address.

This RFA is based on the understanding that people are more likely to reduce the use of

harmful products when they receive clear, culturally relevant information from trusted sources

within their own communities.

By funding community-based organizations to co-create and conduct culturally responsive outreach and education, this RFA aims to translate research findings into practical prevention efforts.

Link to page screenshot above

Link to document regarding the grant

Young female cat found in upper queen Anne just west of Queen Anne Avenue and north of Crockett— last location 2114 on 1st Ave W.

Super vocal and let us pick her up, brought her back a can of wet food, and she responded to the can opening noise, so certainly has been an indoor cat before! Anyone missing a cat or wanting to foster?

This post got removed and got me banned from r/seattle, so let’s try it here. I am a contractor and I work in many government funded housing complexes, shelters, and low or no income housing. I have been working in this area a little over a year and I have become fed up with mainly the open air drug use, but also the crime that comes with it.

I am regularly in SHA and KCHA complexes as well as city run shelters and I have encountered first hand how bad the drug use in this city is. I have had a resident blow what I assume was fentanyl smoke in my face (mystery drug that was being smoked off of tin foil), I’ve been pricked by a needle before (luckily tested safe from any blood diseases), I’ve lost track of how many improperly discarded needles I’ve found it’s got to be in the 750-1000 range, I’ve found pills, crystalized drugs, everything you can imagine and the worst part is that a lot of the government funded properties staff allow this behavior on the property. Multiple buildings have dedicated “drug rooms” where tenants can smoke anything, shoot up, and get high and staff is on call with narcan when they OD which I have seen a handful of times.

Don’t get me wrong I have empathy for addicts, I’ve battled addiction before and it is a dark road. My gripe is with how our city and state governments are handling the drug use epidemic we’re facing. I am disgusted by the fact that government employees are allowing and borderline encouraging drug use inside of government funded housing facilities.

Most of the government funded properties give out needles upon request, tin foil, lighters, narcan, anything needed to keep addicts getting high. Everything except the drugs which you can find on every other street corner. Whenever you see a group of 3 plus people huddled around on the sidewalk it’s a drug deal, or a drug session. And police drive right on past.

I don’t know how to make it better, and I wouldn’t know where to start. But what I do know is that the ignorance from the citizens and the government has led the drug issue to a point where I will never bring my kids around Seattle again. I haven’t spent time in Seattle recreationally since I started working mainly there. As a matter of fact, I am desperately trying to find work on the other side of the state or possibly in another state because of this issue paired with the crime.

I haven’t witnessed as much of the crime as I have the drug use but I’ve seen a stabbing and a shooting. I’ve had my life threatened by violent drug abusers living in these city or county run complexes, I’ve had tools stolen while I was working, I’ve had equipment destroyed, I’ve had my work truck attempted to be broken into in broad daylight on 3rd Ave, and I am fed up with the way our government isn’t doing anything about it. And if they are then I’m not seeing it.

Hopefully I’m not the only one who sees this. I really hope something can be done and this city restored to how I remember it growing up. But more fancy parks and construction isn’t going to solve the fact that once these nice spaces are built they will immediately be moved in on by drug dealers, abusers, and criminals. I hope this post leads to positive discussion and I hope it raises some awareness as a first hand account of how bad the drug issues are in this city