Got this at Pier 66

- sent from Cap Hill

As someone who is downtown every day, I find the street-level experience in most of downtown to be depressing with no signs of change. Thought I’d make a visual of just one section of downtown (it’s even worse to the south, but better to the north in Denny triangle). The mayor seems to think downtown is on the rise. To me, it is not until this map starts changing for the better. Nothing has opened, there are no building permits for any of these spaces, people are back but we’re all just walking past empty space. Anyone who thinks this is normal should travel more!

I moved here from a Southern state about 6 years ago, and my life has been better for it. The city is thriving with community, and surrounded by nature. Its been great, really. I've never met so many young people with Master's degrees. I love seeing LGTBQ people living out thier lives openly like normal people. I love seeing the weekly protests about whatever hot topic is happening. I love that everyone here is a nerd about video games, music, anime, board games, etc. I love that I can, relative to other American cities, safely bike around town.

Obviously the city is not perfect. The homeless situation is so sad to see on a daily basis, but in my travels, I've seen that this is a pretty complex issue nationwide, not just SEA.

I just want to know why this sub exists, and why it seems to hate Seattle so much? Some of the more confusing things I've seen from you all include:

-Victim blaming a cyclist who got hit by a truck (god forbid we wanna safely ride our bikes around)

-Getting mad at the new waterfront and insisting the viaduct was better. Can't be a serious take right?

-Hating on Indian H1b workers, but not just complaining about the visa system and making outright racist comments against people who bring high income jobs and a vibrant culture.

-Getting mad a a handsmaid tail protest at pike place? Is free speech not a quintessential American value?

I don't get it? Just constant complaining from you all about the city you supposedly live in. If you all hate Seattle so much, why don't you move somewhere else?

So as a trans woman that moved here from the south back in July i gotta say that: i went from people actively threatening me in the south on the streets to going anywhere in seattle and not a soul bothering me. And people are so friendly here too.

It almost makes me feel safe enough i could go back to in person social work instead of remote one day, if it were tempting enough.

So odd to see the casual transphobia from posts here. I would presume it’s easier for transphobes, racists, and xenophobes to operate online than in person due to a lack of consequences. The mask of anonymity is strong.

Perhaps i will find comfort in that if those individuals holding discriminatory views keep their voices in these online echo chambers and not in person, in the streets.

Sorry to offend Californians, but Dick’s is much better than In-N-Out. Good work, Seattle!

Washington state has a 37% excise tax on retail pot sales. That's the highest recreational cannabis tax in the country.

But last year, sales at licensed dispensaries were down to about $1.1 billion worth of weed. That's a 21% drop in four years.

~ Highest weed tax in the country, and roughly half the market is already off the books. The 37% isn't funding safety, it's handing the illicit market its customers.

This marks the 25th case that the U.S. Department of Justice has lost in its push to access sensitive voter information. The Justice Department has sued many states for voter rolls, and has yet to have a judge rule in its favor.

At least 16 states led by Republicans have provided or said they would provide their full voter registration lists, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

~ 0 for 25 and still filing. A losing record that long stops looking like a legal strategy.

He turned himself in over in bellevue!

https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/police-make-arrest-in-fatal-stabbing-of-uw-student/281-c539af39-b6b7-4b67-bc6f-169c4d638692

Yes, this is real

Please excuse the source (just this once).

From the company CEO Bryan Mistele:

This week u/INRIX signed a lease which will move us out of Kirkland which has been our home for the past 18 years.

Why? u/KirklandGov made a decision to put a homeless hotel right across the street from our current HQ, in the backyard of #EastsidePrep and next door to u/Burgermaster. No drug testing required, no treatment required and no real supervision on-site. Where this experiment has happened before in King County, crime rates have risen since according to reliable data, 70%+ of homelessness is the result of drug addiction and/or mental health issues (@choeshow, @DiscoveryInst1).

When I attended the City Council meeting to speak out on this issue, @KirklandGov refused to let anyone speak.

A previous mayor once told me years ago that INRIX was the 5th largest employer in @Kirkland. I have no idea what we are now (we've grown), but bad public policy has consequences. Employers can move. We are. If a local government won't listen to it's citizens and/or employers, they will probably find other places to locate.

------- My personal perspective-----

I am completely in favor of social housing, homelessness housing, low-income housing, and any type of housing that could help address our state's housing crisis.

However, after living for a couple of years in an area near the notorious Mercy Housing by Magnuson Park, I reached my breaking point. I heard gunshots approximately every two days, endured noisy parties every summer night, experienced a home break-in, and witnessed countless car break-ins. A serial killer with numerous felony records was even arrested there.

I've since rented out my house and relocated elsewhere. Yes, there are many factors contributing to this moving decision, but homeless housing without any screening process is certainly one of them.

Criminals belong in jail, mentally ill belong in psychiatric facilities, and drug abusers belong in medical treatment programs.

went on my first solo trip this past weekend and it was to lovely Seattle. I seriously fell in love with this place! hope to be back soon 💐