Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty

Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy.

Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entreprenuership to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago.

As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.

Choe is a New England native and Boston University journalism school graduate.

Archives

Skid Row’s Cash-for-Ballots Scheme

Discovery Institute has joined up with Frontlines Turning Point USA, O’Keefe Media Group, and other independent journalists in a multi-part investigation into a cash-for-ballots scheme in Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Jonathan Choe and Kevin Dahlgren help expose the exploitation of the homeless, the theft of the identities of innocent Americans, and the violation of state law in some of America’s most crime-ridden streets. Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, a human dumping ground infested with crime, open-air drug use, and unimaginable suffering on virtually every block. “This is hell on Earth,” I commented at one point. This chaos is also what allows alleged fraudsters to blend in and prey on the

Tiny Home Village Director Dodges Question About Smoking Shacks on Premises

Exposed We Heart Seattle just exposed fentanyl smoking shacks inside taxpayer funded Low Income Housing Institute’s tiny house villages. But I was chasing this tip as well. Recently, I point-blank asked LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee about these controversial “safe consumption” sites on her properties. Instead of giving me a yes or no answer, listen to what she had to say. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Funding requires low barrier (drugs allowed), and “harm reduction” practices like this dedicated volunteer built tiny home to smoke illegal and lethal Fentanyl. Do the voters know they are paying for this and to be installed in their… pic.twitter.com/nPuMPS72Wm— We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle) March 24, 2026

Elderly Homeless Man Hit by Car, Killed

Developing An elderly homeless man is dead after being hit by a car near the Fred Meyer in Bellevue. It happened late Thursday evening along 148th Ave NE in a busy shopping corridor. Unclear if the rain and slick conditions played a role in what appears to be an accident. The driver stopped and is at the scene talking to cops. This is a developing story.

Citizens Step Up to Stop Shoplifting in Bellevue

They’re Back! The Bellevue community watch is back! Monday evening, these brave volunteers stopped two homeless drug addicts from ransacking the QFC grocery store in the Crossroads neighborhood. Witnesses say a WHITE male and female with a dog tried to take off with packs of ground beef. No cops showed. Stopping the Black Market of Stolen Goods The community watch fellas suspect this duo passed through the Plymouth Housing/PorchLight homeless campus and were headed to Seattle in order to sell the stolen goods in Chinatown-ID.

Seattle Homeless Encampment Goes Up in Flames

Another Day in Seattle Another drug encampment fire along Seattle’s Aurora Ave N. Neighbors reported several tents in this area before flames erupted Tuesday afternoon. Look at all the taxpayer dollars being wasted on this hot mess. Just another routine day in the city.

Downtown Seattle Association President: “We’re Going in the Wrong Direction”

Raising the Alarm Holy crap! Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO John Scholes is going nuclear. He annihilated the so called “progressive tax” and says it’s crippling the downtown business core in Seattle. With sobering data, Scholes masterfully lays out his case and also acknowledges Bellevue is quickly becoming the new destination for business owners. Meanwhile, far-left politicians like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, CM Alexis Mercedes Rinck, and WA State Rep. Shaun Scott claim the “progressive tax” will help revitalize the city. So who do you believe, Scholes or these socialist elected officials? #BREAKING: Seattle is cooked! Look at this graphic put out by the Downtown Seattle Association. -Office building value down

Fentanyl Addicts Seen Unconscious in Ballard Homeless Encampment

The Real Root Causes More startling images coming out of the Ballard drug encampment in Seattle. Multiple people are passed out with fentanyl foil in their hands. On Wednesday, I told you about an Asian American woman who was cleared out during the massive Fred Meyer sweep. I’ve learned this young woman’s name is Juliana and she’s 27 years old. She says her family is in the area but would not get into reasons why she’s on the streets. Don’t listen to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson when she claims this is an affordable housing crisis. That narrative only benefits HOMELESS INC and the builders. This is about drugs, mental illness, and broken relationships. Those are the roots causes fueling the crime, chaos, and death on the streets. Just take a

Machete-Wielding Man Attacks Plymouth Housing Resident, On the Run

Manhunt Underway Manhunt is on for a machete wielding maniac accused of attacking a resident inside Bellevue’s Plymouth Crossing Apts. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male with tattoos all over his face and body. The female resident suffered minor injuries. This just the latest horrific incident at this permanent supportive housing facility in the Eastgate neighborhood. Credit @FactoriaLLS for being first on this story. NEW: Over the weekend, "Seattle Dances" raised more than $1.5 million dollars for Plymouth Housing, a controversial non-profit claiming to be solving homelessness. Organizers even managed to rope in local journalists and "celebrities" to push their agenda. But critics crashed… https://t.co/mcYXHc1TXL

Seattle Sweeps, Encampment Moves Down the Block

The Never-Ending Cycle Another mega sweep in the books under Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. Wednesday morning, crews cleared out dozens of drug addicts near the Ballard Fred Meyer store and Burke-Gilman Trail. As expected, only a few people got apartments or tiny houses. The rest rejected shelter options being offered and moved down the block to start the fourth iteration of this encampment. Most stunning of all, I saw a young Asian American woman looking totally out of place. Spotting anyone from this racial group in one of the city’s drug dens is a rare occurrence. I tried to help. But the guys surrounding her made sure she stayed. Does anyone recognize her? What is going on here? #EXCLUSIVE: One week ago, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson took a victory lap

The Tragic Tale of the Las Vegas “Mole People”

Jonathan Choe and Kevin Dahlgren explore the underground tunnels of Las Vegas, where the homeless have set up camp despite the very real danger of flash floods. There, they find despair and peril experienced by the tunnel residents and the hypocrisy of a city that would rather ignore the unseen plight of its underground residents.

Seattle Dances Raises More Than $1.5 Million for Controversial Plymouth Housing

Crashing the Party Over the weekend, “Seattle Dances” raised more than $1.5 million dollars for Plymouth Housing, a controversial non-profit claiming to be solving homelessness. Organizers even managed to rope in local journalists and “celebrities” to push their agenda. But critics crashed this party with a protest, to educate Seattle’s donor class about what’s really happening inside these so called “permanent supportive housing” facilities. Just look at the 911 calls and police reports that continue to show a pattern of crime, chaos, and death whenever Plymouth buildings are built in communities. I’m dropping a more in-depth story later today. Here’s a preview. NEW: Plymouth Housing is one of the most

The Tragic Tale of the Las Vegas “Mole People”

The Las Vegas Secret Las Vegas “mole people” are real. It’s the worst-kept secret in the city. In Part 1 of this investigation, Kevin Dahlgren and I are showing the problem, but also trying to figure out why elected officials want this crisis hidden instead of solved.

Stop the Sweeps Seattle Turns on Mayor Wilson

“Expect to hear more from us…” Stop The Sweeps Seattle is now making veiled threats at Mayor Katie Wilson. The Antifa aligned far-left activist group claims Wilson isn’t stopping encampment removals. So it appears they’re getting ready to protest and be disruptive, just like the old days. “Expect to hear more from us about the Wilson administration moving forward…” LEFT EATING THEIR OWN: Stop The Sweeps Seattle is finally speaking out against Mayor Katie Wilson’s drug encampment sweeps. Members of this far-left activist group wrote a demand letter in Real Change News and slammed Wilson for essentially doing the exact same thing as her… https://t.co/Kt7Exwh6Ou pic.twitter.com/NsYyi6kB3v— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) February 22,

Plymouth Housing Rep Admits Most Residents Will Not Seek Employment, Will Die There

Profit Machine Plymouth Housing is one of the most notorious players in WA’s homeless industrial complex. It is a massive profit machine with huge backing from influential business leaders and politicians. It is constantly touted by many Democrats as the ideal model to address the street crisis and help people regain self sufficiency. But listen to this executive admit there is ZERO incentive to help formerly homeless people find jobs and careers. That’s because if clients make too much money, they wouldn’t qualify for taxpayer subsidized housing. In other words, everyone is a dollar sign to Plymouth, and the goal is to keep them warehoused as long as possible. The longer people stay, the more money Plymouth can bank. Extremely vulnerable people are

Seattle Mayor Leaves Press Conference Without Taking Any Questions

Running Scared Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is once again running scared from the media. Wednesday afternoon, Wilson quietly left a press conference about homeless shelters before it even ended. One local tv station reporter could be overheard arguing with Wilson’s communications director Sage Wilson, demanding an explanation. This is straight up amateur hour. #EXCLUSIVE: Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is dodging all my questions about the devastating homeless drug crisis destroying lives in her city. She's also avoiding questions about the controversial encampment sweeps ramping up under her watch. So I had to confront her at… pic.twitter.com/9238x5SoZC— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) February 25, 2026 Contentious Relationship Since taking office

Seattle Encampment Returns Just Weeks After Two Sweeps

Waste of Taxpayer Dollars Even after two mega sweeps last month, homeless drug addicts are back at the corner of MLK Jr Way and Rainier Ave S. What a waste of taxpayer dollars. New drug encampments are also popping up across the city. That’s because all the addicts know Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson won’t follow through with arrests, and City Attorney Erika Evans won’t prosecute for illegal camping. Just a reminder, the FIFA World Cup is just three months away. NEW: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is now dealing with a credibility problem. She said homeless outreach and sweeps would be done differently. But in reality, nothing has changed from the prior administration. On Friday, the MLK Jr. Way drug encampment was cleared for the second…

Seattle Workers Offer Homeless Woman Mold-Infested Tiny Home

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson bragged about delaying an encampment sweep so she could place several homeless people into shelter and housing, implying this would be a new way of getting people off the streets. “There I talked with a woman who was five months sober,” Mayor Wilson said at her State of the City Address, “and had three small dogs. We were able to identify a spot for her in a tiny house village.” But after Wilson’s State of the City Address last week, We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez did a simple follow-up to see if that woman with three dogs actually made it off the streets. “People don’t always accept the services they’re referred to,” Suarez explained. Surrounded by drug paraphernalia and a sense of

Homeless Refuse Shelter as Mayor Wilson Continues Encampment Sweeps

Displaced Another massive encampment sweep under Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. More than 20 people were displaced Tuesday afternoon around the Ballard Bevmo liquor store. But biz owners are worried it might come roaring back. #EXCLUSIVE: One week ago, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson took a victory lap during the State of the City address and implied her new approach to housing the homeless was working. Problem is, one of the women allegedly housed is now back on the streets. She claims city workers… https://t.co/oaY9CaOTmp pic.twitter.com/0HL5mnVANQ— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) February 24, 2026 Homeless Say “No” to Shelter Instead of taking shelter and services offered by the city, most of the men and women just moved their tents down the road. Once

Seattle Mayor Ignores Media Questions About Homeless Encampment Sweeps

No Comment Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is dodging all my questions about the devastating homeless drug crisis destroying lives in her city. She’s also avoiding questions about the controversial encampment sweeps ramping up under her watch. So I had to confront her at a public event Tuesday afternoon. WATCH. Woman Remains Homeless Still no explanation from Wilson about this mold infested tiny house given to a homeless woman by city workers. She’s now back on the streets with her dogs. Wilson Follows in Harrell’s Footsteps When Wilson was running for office, she slammed former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell for aggressively sweeping drug encampments. Now that Wilson is in City Hall she’s doing the same thing. I wanted to

Homeless Woman Reunited with Family After They Spotted Her in Video

Home Some good news coming out of the crime, chaos, and death ravaging Seattle. Over the weekend, the family of Marissa Flores watched my coverage of We Heart Seattle doing outreach at a drug encampment in the city. After contacting me for a location, Flores’ family immediately jumped in the car, started a search, and miraculously found her in a tent. She’s now in detox and back home with her kids. The politicians, academics, and activists keep saying this is primarily being fueled by an affordable housing crisis. Flores’ family says don’t listen to them. They say it’s time to focus on drug treatment and recovery first if we are going to save lives in this city. NEW: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is now dealing with a credibility