Tag Archives: homelessness

You can’t go home again

This was my first time in downtown in Seattle in over a year. Sadly, nothing has changed. The smell of urine and garbage is overwhelming. It’s a cesspool. Ghostly. That about sums it up. Got a shopping list? I’m sure … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Drugs, General, Homelessness, Squatters | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Academic

For a scientist devoted to social justice, where does science end and advocacy begin? Does the scientist have a right to shape her study results to support a cause she knows to be worthy? Universities take money from corporations and military all the time to fund research that fuels big business and war. Why can’t an individual, socially conscious academic do a similar good turn for her comrades fighting the war on poverty? Continue reading

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Preventable Tragedies

Updated September 25, 2018 ~ This is a list of recent (last 5 years) deaths and injuries that can be reasonably attributed to the inaction of the Seattle City Council on the homelessness crisis. The victims include both housed and unhoused … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, General, Homelessness, Recall Mike O'Brien | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ballard Bridge Status: 1/10/2017

The Ballard Bridge spans Salmon Bay to connect Seattle’s historic Ballard neighborhood with points south. The bridge and surrounding environs have been a long-term site of homeless camps at both ends. These camps, particularly the one on the north end, … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, General, Homelessness, Squatters | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Seattle Burnin’ Down

December 11, 2016 Last month I began collaborating with Harley Lever on his Safe Seattle Facebook page. The Blog Quixotic and Safe Seattle share many concerns about public safety, but Safe Seattle has a much wider audience and is more of … Continue reading

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Anatomy of a Failure: Why Seattle isn’t solving its homeless crisis

November 18, 2016 Seattle’s disastrous homeless policy has resulted from a combination of three things: -Ideology -Paid advocacy -Lack of accountability

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Seattle Shelter Contracts

October 18, 2016 – The document below is a summary report of Seattle’s homeless shelter and outreach contract payments for 2015. It was sent to me by one of my readers (Thanks, Deena!) who got it from Seattle’s Human Services Department (HSD) … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

If you see something, trash something.

October 10, 2016 IRONY ALERT! This ad on a Seattle bus tells people to call in if they see trash dumped on the street or sidewalk. I’ve called the number myself, many times; however, the trash I called in about wasn’t taken … Continue reading

Posted in Complaints, Crime, Homelessness, Photos (Stuff), Squatters, Tent City | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Accountant Who Wasn’t There

May 11, 2016 Back Story: Gimme Shelter The Seattle House and Resource Effort (SHARE) gets around a million dollars in government grants and in-kind donations each year. They ostensibly use this money to shelter homeless people, which they do through a … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness, Nickelsville, Politics, SHARE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Case of the Missing Homeless Camp

April 13, 2016 Do you see a homeless camp in this picture? –Yeah. Neither do I. So why was the landowner granted a two-year “transitional housing” property tax exemption on this pricey patch of real estate near downtown Seattle? Good question. … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness, Nickelsville, Politics, SHARE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Whose park?

March 28, 2016 A homeless person sleeps on equipment at Othello Playground, half a block from Seattle’s newest city-sanctioned homeless camp, Othello Village. One of the questions surrounding homeless camps – sanctioned or otherwise – is whether they attract homeless people to … Continue reading

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Jungle Boogie

February 26, 2016 The Jungle is the unofficial name for a greenbelt that runs spottily for a few miles along Interstate 5 as it exits downtown Seattle headed south. The area has hosted scattered settlements of homeless people for decades. … Continue reading

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Kshama Sawant and Occupy Camp Dearborn

February 26, 2016 Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant won’t respond to my complaints about the treatment of people in homeless camps. She won’t meet with me to discuss creating a streamlined and independent grievance process to protect homeless people living in … Continue reading

Posted in Homelessness, Nickelsville, Politics, SHARE | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Letter from Camp Dearborn

The letter below was sent yesterday via e-mail to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and the Seattle City Council concerning a city-sanctioned homeless encampment in downtown Seattle known as Camp Dearborn (formerly Nickelsville Dearborn). The author, David Delgado, is a social … Continue reading

Posted in Homelessness, Media, Nickelsville, Politics, SHARE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More RV Gypsies

This scene is about a mile from my house as the crow flies.* Looks like a scene right outta Sunset Magazine, doesn’t it? How do you like the mountain of trash that’s piling up on the side? That’s a nice … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness, Nickelsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

RV Gypsies

A strange new thing is happening in Seattle. All over the city, in every kind of neighborhood, RVs are turning up on the streets – or just off them – and staying there. For months or years at a time. In … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness, Nickelsville, Politics, Squatters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Reducing Homelessness: Now you’re talking

Seattle Times (Around the Northwest) Friday, December 11, 2015 This story indicates a move in the right direction for Seattle and other large West Coast cities. Hopefully, demographics on homeless people who wind up in these cities now be collected to … Continue reading

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Homeless Are Taking Over (Literally)

A recent story from the Seattle Times illustrates the mess a city can get into when it tries to be nice and doesn’t ask too many questions. Take homelessness for example. In spite of all our self-guilting, Seattle has a braggable … Continue reading

Posted in Homelessness, Media, Photos (People), Politics, Squatters | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Getting High With A Little Help From His Friends: The Scott Morrow Story

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, the name Scott Morrow will be a familiar one. If you’re not a reader, Morrow is the Seattle man who founded and controls two Seattle-area homeless shelter organizations. His Rotund Eminence can regularly … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness, Nickelsville, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Ecology of Failure

So one of my hot tippers calls me today and tells me I gotta get down to the bottom of Highland Park Hill, where the state DOT is cutting brush and clearing out some homeless people. So I rush down … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homelessness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Death in a Homeless Camp

Originally published on October 14, 2014 Background: Tent City 4 is a large homeless encampment managed by a group known as the Seattle Housing And Resource Effort (SHARE). SHARE is a registered 501(c)3 charity that solicits funds from government and … Continue reading

Posted in Homelessness, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Grannie Makes Bank Selling Warm Fuzzies

Now I’m not claiming that this lady is typical of panhandlers in terms of her life situation. In fact, most panhandlers I see in Seattle are scruffy, and they DON’T drive nice cars. Most are mentally ill and drug addicted … Continue reading

Posted in Homelessness | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Occupy Movement Stretches, Breaks Envelope

This is a story from my own neighborhood of West Seattle. Several years ago a local unemployed veteran named Byron Barton borrowed some $650K on his house (more than it was worth) and then had himself a stroke. Between him … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Where to now, Robin Hood?

Here’s an interesting segment from today’s Dori Monson’s show on KVI radio in Seattle. In this bit, the host is talking about how Seattle’s class divisions are paradoxically widening as a result of the city’s Robin Hood-like efforts to help … Continue reading

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Homelessness: The Rules

March 25, 2013 Below is a list of rules and expectations given to homeless people when they arrive at the Nickelsville homeless encampment in Seattle, Washington. Upon entering the camp for the first time, “Nickelodeons” are asked to read and sign … Continue reading

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