As one of the city’s busiest Starbucks temporarily closed its doors due to safety concerns, prominent members of Seattle’s business community are speaking out strongly and publicly about crime. ongoing homelessness problems. They are placing their seats on King County Executive Dow Constantine.
“Why do we continue to tolerate these open drug markets downtown at Third & Pike/Pine and Third and James/Yesler?” Patrick Foley, co-founder and managing partner of Lake Union Partners, wrote on LinkedIn before firing Constantine.
“This man deliberately kept the staff of the prison in the state of COVID (about 50% of the capacity) not because of necessity, but because he believes that people who deal with taking fentanyl openly, are out of our ways, they break windows, start fires, use the streets as a bathroom, and steal from stores like Target and Nordstrom when they are in jail or some form of forced treatment.
Constantine does not allow the King County jail to accommodate most felony convictions. With the jail at the center of a staffing crisis, King County Corrections Guild President Dennis Folk told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH that Constantine is “determined” to keep the staff down for emotional reasons. Constantine is trying to permanently close the King County juvenile detention center.
Foley isn’t the only Lake Union Partners speaker. Jeffery Judson-Baker, an Investment Director at the same firm, also criticized Constantine for the mess that exists in downtown Seattle.
“Our lost compassion for the homeless has turned into indifference, leaving addicts to rot in doorways and the mentally ill to suffer on the streets,” Judson-Baker wrote on LinkedIn. “Political apathy, exemplified by leaders like Dow Constantine, exacerbates these issues. We need more than empty promises and half-measures; we need concrete action to treat the homeless, clean up our streets and revitalizing Seattle.
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What role did safety concerns play in closing Starbucks downtown?
Starbucks closed its doors at its location in front of the Pike Place Market entrance. Its closing was unannounced, and the store’s signs were removed and the windows boarded up.
In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson said the location will remain closed “while we evaluate how best to provide a warm and welcoming environment for customers and partners at this store.” Closing the store in the middle of the busy summer tourist season is a sign of seriousness, becoming the latest victim of Seattle’s crime and homelessness problem.
The city has been plagued by worsening crime due in large part to the homeless crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Seattle was turned over to homeless, crime-ridden people. The police were given money and the rest of the department was not allowed to enforce the law. Democrats have outlawed drug use and fentanyl being smuggled across our watery border with Mexico is littering the streets of Seattle. Civil service providers allowed the camps to expand. The crime associated with homeless slaves turned the city of Seattle into a living hell.
We saw improvement after Harrell prioritized the area, especially on Third Ave between Pike and Pine after several high crime incidents. But now the area is returning to its original predicament.
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‘Walking in the city is embarrassing… apocalyptic’
Downtown Seattle has recently had a series of high-profile business stories from the area.
Lululemon, Seattle-based jewelry maker Fox, PCC Community Markets and the North Face all closed their doors due to crime and homelessness hampering the city’s post-COVID economic recovery. With homeless people lining the streets and in front of businesses, foot traffic has come to a standstill in businesses.
“Walking in the city is embarrassing. Drug addiction and mental health issues are clearly visible,” Judson-Baker wrote in an open letter. “When I get off the light rail near my home in Pioneer Square or Westlake Center, I see addicts the drugs are half-baked and the crazy events are not treated. The pedestrians are stepping on the needles, the garbage and the feces of the people. The restaurants and shops are always there. It is healthy of Seattle can feel like a wasteland at times.”
Judson-Baker also fears that the fact that the city of Seattle will scare tourists away from the area.
“Walking down Third and Pike at night feels light. We’re playing a dangerous game of chicken to lose $800 million in tourism tax revenue,” he said.
Pressure points coming to downtown Seattle?
With the support of a more supportive city council, thanks in large part to the leadership of the president of the Seattle Council, Sara Nelson, the Seattle Attorney General announced last week the desire to implement the Stay Out order of Drug Area (SODA). Ann Davison’s law hopes to reduce drug-related crime in the city of Seattle by preventing drug-related offenders from entering the area after being arrested and then being released before trial. . Additionally, Mayor Harrell is implementing enforcement patrols and moving inmates to the SCORE jail in Des Moines, as first reported by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH in May.
Progressive activists have opposed the use of police and encampment sweeps to help deal with downtown Seattle. They argue for a “compassionate” approach by connecting homeless addicts with services. But that was a failed strategy as homeless slaves were enabled to refuse gifts without fear of consequences.
“Compassion should not justify indifference. To see our ‘compassion’ for the homeless, when I get off the light rail, is shameful, it highlights the political inaction that is dressed up as compassion,” said Judson-Baker. ” Allowing alcoholics to rot in the streets and the mentally ill is not compassion. We need immediate action for the health of our city. Alcoholics need treatment for of economic stimulation, thriving small businesses, and economic longevity. It’s time to throw indifference out the window and do something.”
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Ignoring Seattle’s crime and homelessness problems is dying
Another reason why the city of Seattle continues to suffer is the unwillingness of some of the local media to report what is happening honestly.
Reports in The Seattle Times in June painted a gloomy picture of the real estate market in downtown Seattle. One article pointed to surprisingly low prices for former commercial buildings that were affordable, including the vacant Pacific Place Mall and the Downtown Hilton. A second article noted that the cost of housing in the city has been falling more than the cost of the city as a whole.
Meanwhile, Seattle home prices have fallen, now cheaper than the city average for the first time in nearly a decade. Townhouses were once a hot commodity because of their walkability to work, shopping and entertainment. Rising prices indicated high demand. Not anymore.
However, the reports blamed COVID on the economic conditions of the city of Seattle, without even mentioning homelessness and crime in the way that Judson-Baker mentioned in her letter.
“Small businesses define Seattle, some grow into giants that define our climate. Now, we watch as public health and insecurity forces them out. Losing employers means losing tax revenue, which undermines public safety, health, education and affordable housing, perpetuating a vicious cycle as citizens continue to lose out,” he wrote.
Businesses are closing in droves because of Seattle’s crime and homelessness
After a series of high-profile business closings and deep discount buildings downtown, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in business owners speaking out. Typically, they protest behind the scenes with the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). But it has gotten so bad that business leaders are willing to put public pressure on politicians to see progress.
“How many more businesses in town need to close or relocate before the man in charge of prison Dow Constantine is voted out of office? How did this man get a license for so many years? He did nothing while residents + small and large businesses pay a big price,” Foley, co-founder of Lake Union Partners.
Constantine is not running for re-election. But there are fears that Girmay Zahilay, a member of the far-right King’s District Council who shares Constantine’s views, is running for the Executive position. He will likely face moderate John Wilson, the current county Auditor.
The decline of downtown Seattle is a testament to the failed policies and indifference of leaders like Dow Constantine. It is time for us to take decisive action to restore safety and vitality to our city. The outcry of the business community should be a challenge to all Seattle leaders. But will it be?
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