Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty

Archives

Drug Addicts Continue to Overrun Chinatown Park

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a $1 million public-private partnership to revitalize Chinatown-ID. Big money coming in from The Asian American Foundation Program started this month. Look how it’s going so far.

East Oakland Filled with Trash and Barred-Up Fast Food

“Be Careful Out Here” East Oakland, CA remains a disaster. Due to high crime in the neighborhood, the Wendy’s has to operate with bars on the windows. A few blocks away, homeless encampments and shanty towns continue to thrive. This is now Mayor-elect Barbara Lee’s city. NEW: We are on the ground in Oakland, CA and some neighborhoods are an absolute disaster. A sense of lawlessness overwhelms the streets. But @SenecaSpeaks21 is leading a movement that could help bring in a new mayor and turnaround this failing city.pic.twitter.com/engKUtwaYm— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) March 27, 2025

Oakland’s Army of Tagged Mail Trucks

Oodles of Graffiti Doodles Oakland’s new Mayor Barbara Lee is being sworn in today. She’s inheriting a $270 million budget deficit and a public safety crisis. Look what’s happening to the U.S. Postal Service in downtown. Car prowlers and graffiti vandals own the streets. NEW: We are on the ground in Oakland, CA and some neighborhoods are an absolute disaster. A sense of lawlessness overwhelms the streets. But @SenecaSpeaks21 is leading a movement that could help bring in a new mayor and turnaround this failing city.pic.twitter.com/engKUtwaYm— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) March 27, 2025

Have You Seen Me? Family and Friends Search for Missing 30-Year-Old

Missing Person This is 30-year-old Samuel Michael Evans. He grew up in Kenmore, WA and was a star athlete. But then injuries and other health issues started piling up, which opened the door to oxycontin and other illicit drugs. Look at these before and after photos. Evans’ drug addiction and fallout with family led him to homelessness on the streets of Everett. But he always stayed in touch with his dad. Until he went radio silent this past year. Friends and family now believe he might be roaming the streets of Seattle, possibly in the Belltown neighborhood. If you see Evans, his parents are offering a cash reward. DM me if you have any information and I will pass it on.

Seattle Government Ignores Suffering of Chinatown

Chinatown-ID Residents Skeptical Wednesday morning, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will announce new investments and partnerships with The Asian American Foundation and Amazon to help improve public safety and help revitalize business in Chinatown-ID. But a community coalition led by Tanya Woo is only cautiously optimistic since this community has become the city’s human dumping ground and remains ravaged by crime, chaos, and death. Each day, Asian American grandmas have to walk through this gauntlet of drug addicts and maneuver around the black market of stolen goods on King Street. “The police here just kind of chase them away, and like, two hours later, they come back,” says one resident. Right across the street is Ho Mai Park. Instead of laughter

Battlefield Addiction’s Walk/Run 5K for Recovery Makes Huge Splash

Taking on the Homeless Industrial Complex Battlefield Addiction and We Heart Seattle made a huge splash this weekend, raising thousands of dollars for sober living beds in the Seattle area. For drug addicts, that means a place to go for treatment and recovery instead of being given more taxpayer-funded meth pipes and fentanyl foil. This is the start of a powerful partnership to take on the homeless industrial complex and confront lies being peddled by the “harm reduction” lobby in America. Discovery Institute was a proud sponsor of this event. https://t.co/9MjlcqnzT2Join over 500 impassioned Recovery First advocates this Saturday Morning for an uprising calling for a culture change that our loved ones deserve a chance to thrive and reach sustainable

Homeless Relocation Program Exposed

When San Francisco’s homeless are ready to reunite with friends and family, they can simply pick up the phone and call a hotline connecting them to journey home, a city program providing free one-way tickets out of temptation and human suffering. Rules say the transportation is exclusively for the homeless. But a joint investigation by Frontlines Turning Point USA and Discovery Institute shows that’s not always the case. Numerous tipsters told us they were getting free bus, train, and plane tickets out of this small office in the Mission District, and claimed these taxpayer-funded rides were being obtained by people who were not even living on the streets. So we went in to see for ourselves. After asking us a few basic questions, workers checked off some

Homeless Man Jumps from Seattle Bridge, Survives

“He Said, ‘They’re Coming,’ and He Ran…and Jumped.” Witnesses say a homeless man staying at the Salvation Army shelter in Seattle jumped off a nearby bridge. Unclear what triggered him. This all happened at the corner of 5th Ave & Dearborn St near the border of SODO and Chinatown-ID. He survived. .@SeattlePD activity on S Dearborn St at 5th Ave S blocking all EB lanes. Use alternative routes. pic.twitter.com/Ni9lUlY8Is— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) April 28, 2025

Federal Funding Cuts Coming to Housing First Orgs

Federal Funding to Be Re-Allocated With even more federal funding cuts on the way, one of the biggest players in WA’s homeless industrial complex is crying poverty. That’s because the days of top executive salaries and zero accountability could be coming to an end. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) has received millions of taxpayer dollars for pushing the failed Housing First model along with “harm reduction” policies. But for more than a decade, this approach has led to record homelessness in the region, more crime, and countless drug overdose deaths behind closed doors. So Trump administration sources are telling me the hammer will finally be dropped on this madness. Expect federal funding to be re-allocated and pushed toward housing and programs that

Knife-Wielding Teenagers Chasing Homeless Man in Viral Video Identified by Grandmother

Breaking The foster grandmother of Tyshawn and Marcelles Orr says her boys are the ones seen in a disturbing video released this morning by @SEATTLESUBMISS. It shows Tyshawn (red hoody) chasing a homeless man with a knife. Marcelles (black hoody) is the one with a massive afro. What led up to all this is unclear. NEW: Seattle's Little Saigon neighborhood remains a magnet for violence. Look at this thug pull a knife and chase a homeless dude near 12th Ave and Jackson St. No cops in sight. Would you visit this part of the city? @MayorofSeattle pic.twitter.com/784CxKDTYu— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) April 14, 2025 Not Our First Run-In with Marcelles Orr If the name Marcelles Orr sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the young man who chased me

Governor Bob Ferguson Answers Questions About Homelessness Response

New I finally had an opportunity to ask Governor Bob Ferguson about Washington’s homeless crisis and the possibility of more federal funding cuts impacting the state’s response. Ferguson didn’t say policies like “Housing First” would be shelved. But he did double down the need for more fiscal responsibility and emphasized the importance of shoring up a “rainy day” fund.

Oakland Residents Demand Accountability and Change

We are on the ground in Oakland, CA and some neighborhoods are an absolute disaster. A sense of lawlessness overwhelms the streets. But Seneca Scott is leading a movement that could help bring in a new mayor and turn around this failing city. Imagine dealing with the worst homeless crisis in the Bay area, crime spiraling out of control, and a public school system in shambles. This is a daily reality for Oakland, California. Certain neighborhoods are packed with visible poverty and overrun by a culture of lawlessness. Gun violence and robberies recently forced the beloved In-N-Out Burger to close its only restaurant in Oakland. The Defund the Police Movement fueled by far-left activists has led to a shortage of officers. And making matters worse, this city’s

Lexus Driver Shoots BB Gun at Ballard Homeless Encampment

Violence at Encampment Vigilante justice continues in Seattle after the city fails to remove a problematic homeless encampment in Ballard. Sunday afternoon, witnesses say a man driving a silver Lexus pointed a gun out his window and unloaded several shots at drug addicts camping on the Leary Triangle. But cops say it was actually a BB gun and the shooter got away. The entire area remains overrun by RV’s and tents. These are the same people who reject shelter and services. Mayor Bruce Harrell and councilmember Dan Strauss must stay on top of the sweeps. #BREAKING: Happening right now, D5 Seattle City Council candidate Tye Reed along with Stop the Sweeps Seattle are moving homeless people to the Leary Triangle in Ballard, completely undercutting Mayor Bruce

Drug and Mental Health Crisis Out of Control Outside Seattle McDonald’s

McStabby’s If you want to see Seattle’s failure to handle the drug and mental health crisis, just go to 3rd Ave & Pine St in downtown. Within five minutes, I saw dozens of people smoking fentanyl, a woman yelling at random people, and a dude trying to sell stolen skin care products. And yes, McDonald’s is indeed nicknamed “McStabby’s” due to the inordinate amount of crime at this corner. The fast food giant only allows walk-up service. The current plan is not working.

Seattle’s Little Saigon Overwhelmed with Open-Air Drug Use

Human Dumping Ground I stepped away from Seattle drug den coverage for just one week. I thought maybe things were getting better in hot spots like Little Saigon. I was wrong. It’s worse than ever and the city has zero lasting solutions. The current plan is not working.

Seattle’s Closed DESC Navigation Center Becomes Abandoned Drug Den

Hopes Dwindle The notorious DESC Navigation Center in Seattle’s Little Saigon is now closed. Neighbors hope this move will keep away crime and open-air drug use. But people are now camping on the lawn and setting fires outside this former homeless shelter. Will Mayor Bruce Harrell step up to help or will this abandoned building be seized by the addicts? NEW: Chinatown-ID is fighting back and demanding more support and security from Seattle leaders. Monday morning, community activists will be holding a press conference at 10am in front of DESC's Navigation Center. This controversial "low barrier" homeless shelter is being blamed… https://t.co/fXs3vow2ko pic.twitter.com/ZFoGK3kShn— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) January 13, 2025 Encounter with DESC

Police Respond to “Drug Deal Gone Bad” In Front of Homeless Non-Profit

Breaking Friday afternoon, massive police response to what law enforcement sources call a “drug deal gone bad” in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Witnesses say the man in dreadlocks stabbed a woman in the temple over a hit of crack at the corner of 3rd Ave and Blanchard St. Victim was transported to the hospital. Suspect was apprehended at the scene and put into an ambulance. Another witness said, “cops barbecued and bean bagged his a**.” This is the latest troubling incident to happen right in front of the problematic REACH homeless non-profit headquarters. This area is one of the worst crime hot spots in the city due to the clientele REACH attracts and enables.

San Francisco: From Doom Loop to Boom Loop

From “Doom Loop” to “Boom Loop,” San Francisco could be turning the corner on all the crime, chaos and death. A new mayor and new approach to the homeless drug crisis could be the game changer. Here’s part 1 of our series in the Bay Area. Parts of San Francisco have been described as being stuck in a perpetual doom loop. A never-ending pattern of crime, chaos, and death. But some of the most problematic neighborhoods in the city could be getting ready to break out of this vicious cycle. “Is the Tenderloin looking better?” I ask a local resident. “Oh yeah, it is,” he responds. That’s because new mayor Daniel Lurie is on a mission to reclaim what was once a thriving downtown core and restore law and order

Kirkland Low Barrier Housing Pushed Through Despite Community Concerns

New King County’s latest homeless hotel is set to open in Kirkland this summer. It’s “low barrier” and drug addicts will be allowed on site without any requirements to seek treatment. They call it “Health Through Housing.” During Tuesday evening’s community forum, concerned residents were not satisfied with the responses and non-answers to their questions. Despite major community concerns about crime and 911 calls spiking in the area, the woke city council capitulated and gave into Dow Constantine’s demands. It’s now pretty much a done deal. Controversial housing provider Plymouth Housing will run the joint. BREAKING: Analytics company INRIX is exiting Kirkland because the city's progressive policy makers continue to

Slow Response to Drug Encampment Across from Middle School Frustrates Locals

New A notorious Seattle drug camp could be getting shut down today. It’s right next to Lake Washington Girls Middle School and it’s turned into a chop shop full of stolen bikes and motorcycles. But it’s taken months for the city to respond and neighbors say this is unacceptable. For nearly two months complaints have been pouring into the city about open-air drug use, warming fires, and trash overwhelming several streets in Beacon Hill. Most of the chaos is coming from this encampment at the corner of 22nd Ave South and South Walker Street. A notorious hot spot for broken RVs, tents, and all kinds of illegal activity. When I point out a black Hyundai, one local tells me, “That’s a car I’ve seen dealing drugs to these