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

King County Regional Homelessness Authority 5 Year Plan Approved

Jonathan Choe
June 2, 2023
KCRHA Absolutely Crushed In a scathing Op-ed, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn (@KCCReaganDunn) destroys Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) saying, “there are foundational issues that make the KCRHA doomed to fail and unfit to be trusted.” Click here to read the Seattle Times article. In Case You Missed It The King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s (@KingCoRHA) 5-Year Plan has been approved. Vote happened Thursday afternoon. The Governing Committee is made up of elected officials like Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) and King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec.) Despite calls to dismantle KCRHA after the abrupt resignation of former CEO Marc Dones last month, they are still moving forward. It’s now on them. This agency is responsible for the bulk of homeless Read More ›

Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales Dodges Questions on Homeless Crisis

Jonathan Choe
June 1, 2023
Exclusive Finally tracked down D2 Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales.) She’s been dodging me all year. I simply asked some basic questions on behalf of her constituents in the #Chinatown-ID, still dealing with a crush of crime and open air drug use. The homeless crisis is spreading into South Seattle neighborhoods, especially off Rainier Ave S. But she continues to be MIA on these issues. SODO also remains a mess before the Major League Baseball ALL-Star game but I didn’t have time to ask her about that since she ran off. Morales seems unfazed about canidates running for her city council seat. By the way, first time dealing with Evelyn Chow. She’s one of Tammy’s handlers and is now using the, Read More ›

Showdown in Burien: King County Says Deputies Will Not be Used During Encampment Clearing

Jonathan Choe
May 31, 2023
A showdown is looming in Burien over a homeless encampment in the center of downtown. Now more than 20 tents deep, a resident walking her dog near the site describes homeless encampments like this one as “a national humanitarian crisis.” The encampment is being blamed for open air drug use, a spike in thefts, and sex trafficking.  Burien City Councilmember Stephanie Mora tells me she has become aware that “there have been several underage girls sleeping there.” The city decided to lease out the property that the encampment is on to Burien Cares, a local non-profit with plans to turn the site back into a dog park. Burien Cares put up signs around the property asking campers to leave by Read More ›

Shooting at International District Pokemon Shop Rattles Business Owners

Jonathan Choe
May 29, 2023
Pokemon Shop Shooting Early Sunday morning, a stray bullet shattered a window at Tabletop Village (@TabletopVillage) in #Chinatown-ID. No injuries or serious damage. But this has rattled #Seattle‘s @Pokemon collector community. Children and parents were expected to pack this beloved location for a pre-release event related to the Scarlet & Violet Paldea Evolved build and battle kit. Shop owner Brian Meyers says the uptick in crime, fentanyl use by addicts, and homelessness in the CID continues to take a take a toll on businesses. He’s planning on staying in this spot for now. But wants city leaders, especially Councilmember Tammy Morales (@CMTammyMorales) to do more to protect this D2 community. Meyers wants investment in neighborhood watch groups or the next Read More ›

Drug Crisis in Full View as MLB All Star Game Approaches

Jonathan Choe
May 29, 2023
Countdown is on First half of July, #Seattle will be on the global stage hosting the Major League Baseball (@MLB) All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park (@TMobilePark.) The stadium is located in SODO, just minutes from #Chinatown-ID and the downtown core. But the homeless and drug crisis remains problematic in this neighborhood. This Memorial Day weekend, I watched baseball fans (@Yankees @Pirates @Mariners) struggle to find parking on the side streets. The usual spots are now being taken up by massive RV’s. Drug addicts are smoking fentanyl in front of kids headed to the game. Holgate St. is relatively clear, but new encampments are entrenched on Utah Ave S. and 4th Ave S. If it’s a challenge right now to avoid Read More ›

Fighting for Downtown Seattle: Brawls, Drugs, and Public Urination as Tourists Arrive

Jonathan Choe
May 28, 2023
Downtown Seattle Brawl I’m playing catch up on #Seattle news after being in Texas this past week on assignment. Saturday afternoon, I went straight to 3rd Ave & Pike St. Without fail, I witnessed drug deals happening on multiple corners, stolen items being sold on the streets, and an insane fight in front of tourists and children. Nothing has changed. The best part of the day, some WOKE IDIOT tried to snatch my phone saying I should not record because, “these people are having a crisis.” She went on to do absolutely nothing to help the victim being beat up. Virtue signaling at its finest. Then some looney tune says, “whoop his ass next” after I asked bystanders to call Read More ›

Harm Reduction Experts Champion Autonomy Over Recovery

Jonathan Choe
May 24, 2023
Confronting Harm Reduction Tuesday afternoon, Seattle Councilmember Sara Nelson (@CMSaraNelson ) picked apart “harm reduction” experts during a Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting. She asked for data and metrics showing the effectiveness of this model in addressing the out of control drug addiction crisis and record fentanyl overdose deaths in King County. The panel made up of activists and academics couldn’t give her a straight answer. Councilmember Lisa Herbold (@Lisa_Herbold) came to their rescue as Nelson’s direct questions brought up a lot of inconvenient truths. But the most stunning response came from Amber Tejada, with the Hepatitis Education Project: “I know it can be a little controversial, but one of the key tenets of harm reduction that I Read More ›

RV Goes Up in Flames in Ballard

Jonathan Choe
May 24, 2023
Ballard RV Torched Tuesday afternoon, flames erupted inside an RV parked right next to the abandoned Jack in the Box (@JackBox) on NW Leary Way. Not sure if there were any injuries. Unclear how it started. Ironically, the fast food restaurant was burned down just a few months ago by homeless squatters. This part of Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) district remains packed with tents and RV’s on nearly every block. How many more incidents until the city moves in? Seattle Department of Transportation (@seattledot) is playing whack a mole out here. Every 72 hours, the RV’s just move around and come right back. Is the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) focused on Ballard? Back in March Homeless suspected of Read More ›

“Now is a good time to look at the model,” Mayor Bruce Harrell After KCRHA CEO Resigns

Jonathan Choe
May 24, 2023
Political Liability Over the weekend, I caught up exclusively with #Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@mayorofseattle) and Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington to discuss the recent controversies swirling around the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA.) 1) KCRHA Continuum of Care Board Chair Shanee Colston’s defiance and refusal to resign after her public outburst defending a convicted pedophile. 2) Former KCRHA CEO Marc Dones’ abrupt resignation, leaving the agency in an uncertain situation. Distancing Themselves @KingCoRHA clearly doesn’t want want to have anything to do with this hot mess created by Colston. If she refuses to resign, is anyone going to step up and remove her? I’m still trying to figure out if this can even be done. Global Attention This story Read More ›

Dunn Lumber Hit by Theft Ring Targeting Seattle Businesses

Jonathan Choe
May 24, 2023
Retail theft is a story all too familiar for business owners in Seattle.  At Dunn Lumber’s Lake Union and Greenlake locations, surveillance videos show break in after break in. “They’re coming over the fences, just walking in and out,” says General Manager Nick Winnem. Winnem tells me it’s “very difficult to run a retail operation” in Seattle thanks to brazen criminals ransacking stores like Dunn Lumber. Most of the thefts happen in the middle of the night, but Winnem says they occur during retail hours too. He tells me that power tools always go first and are easy to flip on the black market.  “This is something you see even at box stores,” he says when I ask if the problem Read More ›

Jonathan Choe Discusses Seattle’s Drug Crisis with Jesse Watters

Jonathan Choe
February 23, 2023
Students at Summit Sierra High School in Seattle are surrounded by a gauntlet of drug dealers, addicts, an open air black market, and dangerous homeless encampments. Yet state, county, and city leaders are allowing this to flourish with no timeline on solutions. Parents are livid, teachers aren't sure what to do, and some say this culture is now being normalized. This is a public safety failure.

A Heart for Squatters at the Ship Canal Bridge

Squatters from Nearby Problematic WSDOT Homeless Encampment Breaking into Abandoned Seattle Homes
Jonathan Choe
November 18, 2022
Despite multiple shootings and fires in the past few weeks, dozens of tents remain under the Ship Canal Bridge.  Washington Governor Jay Inslee says they’re making progress elsewhere:  “In the last several months we’ve seen quite a number of these encampment’s removed.”   But the Washington State Department of Transportation remains paralyzed when it comes to this property.  And there’s no timeline on when this problematic encampment will be cleared.  This weekend, neighbors called homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle to do something about it.  Andrea Suarez, We Heart Seattle’s founder and executive director, describes the area as, “just a bunch of tents in an open-air drug …

Everett Mayor Writes Off WSDOT’s Letter Denying Claims

Everett Mayor Blasts WSDOT for Allegedly Moving Homeless Into Her City Without Consulting
Jonathan Choe
November 17, 2022
In an exclusive interview, I asked Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, “Do you still stand by that letter?” Her response was unequivocal: “I absolutely do.” The letter in question is the one she sent to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) last week, in which she alleges that agency, in conjunction with a local nonprofit service provider, is moving “a large number” of the unsheltered population from outside Everett into her city’s motels. https://twitter.com/choeshow/status/1589723203685220352?s=20&t=RrNdZRqeeQmeVqBYaJD9Rw Calling it “an unacceptable burden for our city to bear,” Franklin says the agency never consulted with her. In response, WSDOT, along with the Washington State Department of Commerce and the …

Homelessness Crisis in Nation’s Capital

Jonathan Choe
October 31, 2022
In no other place in America are the heights of power and depths of severe poverty separated by only a few city blocks.  This sprawling encampment is expanding in Washington D.C.’s historic McPherson Square. Sharon Brown lives here in a tent, just five minutes from the White House.   When I ask her why folks are living here, she’s understandably frustrated. “We’re homeless people. Where do you want us to go?” Daniel Kingery also lives in the encampment.  He says hunger is not the problem, since multiple non-profits drop off food almost daily.  But he asks a good question: “Wouldn’t it be great if one of these homeless organizations actually got a homeless guy not only a job, but a residence?” Vincent Perrone is a …

Problematic RV’s “Gaming” the System in Seattle

Jonathan Choe
October 21, 2022
KCRHA Absolutely Crushed In a scathing Op-ed, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn (@KCCReaganDunn) destroys Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) saying, “there are foundational issues that make the KCRHA doomed to fail and unfit to be trusted.” Click here to read the Seattle Times article. In Case You Missed It The King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s (@KingCoRHA) 5-Year Plan has been approved. Vote happened Thursday afternoon. The Governing Committee is made up of elected officials like Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) and King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec.) Despite calls to dismantle KCRHA after the abrupt resignation of former CEO Marc Dones last month, they are still moving forward. It’s now on them. This agency is …

Regret and Apologies

Jonathan Choe
October 18, 2022
Last week, hundreds of senior citizens from the Chinatown-International District (C-ID) marched into SODO.  Protesting Dow Constantine’s homeless megaplex, they’re worried about the public safety impact on the C-ID, which is just a block away.   During the rally, a homeless couple stopped to give the marchers a piece of their mind. “Go back to your country,” they yelled, leaving the elders stunned by the racist remarks.   “Well, they can go back to their country too,” said community advocate Matt Chan, who didn’t appreciate the verbal attack.  Andrea Suarez with the homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle recognized the couple in the video.  “I was like, no! I’ve known them for over a year. We provided outreach …

Chinatown International District Giving Back

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District Continues to Serve the Homeless During Megaplex Fight
Jonathan Choe
September 28, 2022
Take a stroll through Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (C-ID) and count the number of homeless people and drug addicts occupying alleyways and the vestibules of apartment buildings.  With all the accompanying litter, “This place is becoming like the City of Seattle’s dump,” says neighbor George Wood.  Tents and cardboard boxes are laid out against exercise equipment in Hing Hay Park.  The city cleared an encampment under the I-5 overpass on King Street multiple times this year, but it’s back.  And the tent city set up against adjacent to Vuu’s Beauty School is a full-blown drug den, attracting dealers and all sorts of crime.  Kim Nguyen owns this business and says she’s been broken into numerous times this year. And because …