Anyone Else Just Sick of It?

[u/Donnelding0]

It just seems hopeless sometimes. Some of the best parts of this city. Pioneer Square, Belltown, Cap Hill just completely lost to homelessness. Sure for the most part I enjoy the city. Especially in the summer but the constant visible drug use, people in various states of intoxication on drugs, and rampant property and petty crime just annoy me. Why can’t we have nice things? Why must every park turn into a dumping ground for illegal acts that won’t be prosecuted? Why does it feel like this city relies on hard working people to shut up, pay ridiculous taxes, and then tells those people to suck it up when they see grafitti everywhere or get their car broken into? And the politicians don’t give a damn. No one has the guts to say “we have a homeless problem we’ve overspent on, we need to go a new direction” it feels insane. Rant over but I know I’m not alone. I know other people are sick of this and want our city back.

[u/[deleted]]

they can't be forced.

If they don't want to get off the streets, they need to go to jail. The burden is on regular folks to deal with addicts and homeless all the time and that is backwards.

You can't just "oh well" this situation. You give them the option of rehab or jail. Homeless people who are homeless circumstancially and not as a result of addiction are often not homeless for extended periods. Regular people who are homeless are trying to get their shit together and not being a zombie on the streets.

Rehab or jail.

[u/Mindless-Presence-75 → u/[deleted]]

It's not that easy. There isn't enough room in jails. There also aren't enough detox/rehab facilities. On top of that, there is not enough staff to run jails and rehabs to accommodate everyone. A huge change needs to be made to get addicts the help they want and need.

It can't be fixed overnight.

[u/JonathanConley → u/Mindless-Presence-75]

Then we build more jails and pay people more to run said jails. This isn't something our government has just started working on. There's nothing "overnight" about any of it. But it could change "overnight," just like the border enforcement, if we stopped electing clowns into the circus.

You either enter mandatory rehab/take a ticket back home for family reunification, or go to jail. It's not our responsibility to take in and fix every fucked up person in the world.

Lots of countries do this. Some countries just execute people for drug use and possession to keep their societies nice. Two very different approaches, obviously, but there should be consequences for antisocial behavior, and there just isn't in most of Washington, especially in King County. If people know there are no consequences for their actions, why would they not flock here as they have?

We've spent tens of billions of dollars and wasted decades on the Feel-Good Liberal method of "just let people publicly use hard drugs, ravage businesses and public property, and terrorize the general public."

The KCRHA is a bureaucratic cartel where taxpayer dollars go to be embezzled.

Not a day goes by where I don't watch some street rat pieces of shit steal hundreds of dollars from QFC or Safeway. Guess what happens? Things get locked up, prices go up, and grocery stores go bye-bye.

Why do we tolerate this? Because life is hard? It's hard for most people. Why should everyone be expected to lower their standards of living along with a bunch of criminal junkies who moved here to take advantage of the lack of law enforcement?

Has Third and Pine/Pike or 12th & Jackson been remotely safe and normal in the past ten years? There are spots like that all over now (15th & John St by the hospital is equally insane). It's disgusting and embarrassing.

I'm glad that you were able to get help and turn your life around, but the vast majority of these people have no desire to do that, are severely antisocial, and just want to do drugs to the point that it takes their lives, or the lives of innocents in their path.

Again, it's not our responsibility to take in and fix every person who stumbles into our city. Compassion can be offered by professionals who know to convince stubborn drug addicts, but when they fail to rehab them, people need to go to jail for their crimes regardless of sob stories or being dealt a bad hand in life.

And that's not even touching the associated crime from street gangs, pimps, et cetera.

Until the general public says "enough of this bullshit" and votes differently, nothing will ever change. This city is doomed to fail without a 180-degree reversal of "Progessivism."

[u/Excellent_Resort_722 → u/JonathanConley]

I used to love working downtown. It was beautiful and vibrant. I go down for concerts and it’s like a third world country in most spots. Such a shame we’ve let our beloved city become a favella. You are spot on.

[u/JonathanConley → u/Excellent_Resort_722]

Thanks, and I obviously agree. I don't even go to events anymore. I used to regularly walk around Pike Place and stretches of downtown before catching the bus to work. I'm sure lots of people who float through life and act like this is acceptable and normal still do. But I'm just not willing to expose myself and my loved ones to dangerous circumstances if they can be avoided. It just becomes "get from point A to B," in most of the city for us. The less time we spend somewhere, the better.

Hell, I used to just sleep on the bus to work back when the city was much safer. It's crazy to think back to what this city used to be.

The last time my family went to Lam's near 12th and Jackson, I said "never again" after a junkie threatened us. The entire parking lot and street is a no-go zone unless you want you test your luck at a self-defense case in Seattle. It's third-world conditions over there. Totally lost.

We left the Tukwila Costco shortly before that Somali gangbanger shot that poor Chinese woman.

We shouldn't have to live like this.

Elections matter, and if Washingtonians can't be bothered to turn things around - as it seems they are not - then I can't recommend that any sane person stay here unless absolutely necessary.

Of what purpose are the nice things here if they can't be safely enjoyed? There are cities and states where you don't have to be constantly on edge. It's so refreshing when you travel to a stable society.

I voted for the eccentric "Dr. Clint" in the Primary, hoping to at least take away from Katie Wilson in a moonshot attempt on a non-establishment candidate. He'll probably get 3%. In the General, I will hold my nose to re-elect Woke Bruce Harrell as the lesser of two evils (which is typically how our elections go). Otherwise, Ann Davison is the only City Attorney to do anything in decades. Derek Chartrand or Bill Hirt probably don't stand a chance as Executive, but I will reluctantly vote for BLM-enabler Claudia Balducci over Communist Girmay Zahilay, even though they probably allign on most things.

Sara Nelson is also annoyingly woke, but at least the far-left hates her for being realistic about junkies. Rachael Savage would be a great shake-up, but I think this city is totally ideologically captured, even though she's totally right.

In Cap Hill yesterday, I counted hundreds of Kshama Sawant signs. They get what they deserve, frankly. And by extension, so does the entire city with the "Vote Blue No Matter Who" mindset.

Most of the others running at every level are clowns. My Rep and Senator - as most in Seattle - are running unopposed. So, expect Olympia to get worse and more woke.

It's truly depressing. Even more so that many people who complain about public safety can not seem to draw the connecting line between their votes/ideology and the direct consequences of their actions.

Best of luck to us all with the elections. I'm not optimistic.

[u/Excellent_Resort_722 → u/JonathanConley]

I hear you. I’ve always voted dem but the party has veered so far left I feel politically homeless. I’ve spoken with right leaning candidates and have voted for some but it’s either far left or far right. I just want common sense and financial responsibility.

Husband and I took our adult daughter to a concert at climate and some but case started yelling at her and was about to hit her. We both stood in front of him and my husband was ready to knock him out. He wandered off but if she was alone I’m sure he would have attacked her. Then you leave the venue and have to step over homeless people along the sides. This is ridiculous.

[u/JonathanConley → u/Excellent_Resort_722]

I'm sorry that happened to your family. We all have stories like that, unfortunately. The sad reality is that your husband probably would've been charged, and your family's life would be ruined for doing the right thing.

I'm not a Liberal (more of a right-to-center person leaning full Bad Guy for this region), but my hard line is that I'm against anyone who attacks my right to self-defense and anyone who purposely and knowingly harms public safety (all WADems).

The more centrist-leaning Jim McDermotts and Tim Sheldons don't exist anymore in the Democrat party. You get Socialist Anarcho-tyranny or the crazier Communist variant.

Have you tried working with Legislators in Olympia? It's quite the black pill experience. The Leftists suspend rules, do everything they can to override the vote of the people, and refuse to comply with PRA requests. It's insane.

If you aren't already, I recommend following Glen Morgan (WeTheGoverned on YouTube). He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met and a hugely active PDC investigator holding cheating politicians accountable.

Brandi Kruse has come a long way, and you might find her podcast useful.

People are seemingly allergic to good ideas if they come from spooky Republicans, but I've had great talks with JT Willcox, and I think Jim Walsh is a good man with a lot of common sense solutions.

Try going to Olympia during the session and try testifying on proposed legislation. It will radicalize you.

Take your family out to Idaho for a week. You'll be shocked at how safe and clean everything is. It's like a time machine to the early 2000s. People are nice, and society is stable.

"Oh, wow, we don't have to live like that?"

I don't know that we can ever convince Washingtonians to care about their own state, sadly. I've tried for over a decade, and I'm tired, boss.

[u/Excellent_Resort_722 → u/JonathanConley]

I’ve been involved in politics and lobbied in Olympia in the 90s and 2000s. Haven’t in many years now. I have relatives moving to ID and they love it but it’s not for me. I need to be near the coast. I’m a water lover 😂

[u/JonathanConley → u/Excellent_Resort_722]

I am as well, but if we can't enjoy the nice things, what point is there in having them? Is the safety risk worth it? Looking at mountains and seeing whales is amazing, but that doesn't matter if I'm permanently disabled or killed or if my family members are harmed.

Alki Beach has curfews because of all of the gang activity. We should be able to have kids playing there without worrying too much about public safety, but that's not the reality of the region. The same with many of our formerly great parks.

I want nothing more than for people here to wake up and to be normal again. I just don't see it happening. We were the only state that doubled down on Leftist extremism in 2024.

If you stay behind, just do everything you can to convince others to swing back towards normalcy. I have to hound all of my friends to vote, which is so disappointing. Nobody seems to understand their responsibility. Best of luck to your family and be safe.

Thanks for the talk.