Jonathan Choe

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“The Worst I’ve Seen,” Say Seattle Tourists

_{Jonathan Choe
August 26, 2023}

Leaving Town Tourists are carefully coming to Downtown Seattle. But all leave shocked at the on going urban decay, especially at 3rd Ave & Pike St. I was out and about early Saturday morning. Even in the wee hours of the day, this place is destroyed. It will be even worse at night. Enjoy what’s left of summer. CM Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) needs to come out here and help.

Repeat Offender Burns Down Encampment, Released Without Charges

_{Jonathan Choe
August 24, 2023}

Caught on Camera It’s hard to tell, but neighbors say the man walking inside the Mercer St. encampment in South Lake Union is Paris Alcantera. In this surveillance video, you can see him watching the flames and pacing back and forth. He was arrested for setting a massive blaze on August 14. Alcantera admits he did it, but says he accidentally knocked over a candle inside a tent. Either way, he was released without charges being filed. Alcantera is a prolific repeat offender with a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 1998 with three felonies, 14 gross misdemeanors, three dozen prior arrests including rape in the third degree, and multiple substance charges. There’s concern he’s going to continue with this Read More ›

GOP Debate: Largest Jump in Homelessness in Recorded History

_{Jonathan Choe
August 24, 2023}

In Case You’re Wondering During Wednesday night’s Republican primary debate, FOX News anchor Martha MacCallum cited data showing homelessness in America is up 11% in the past few years, “the largest jump in recorded history.” The candidates were asked about their position on this issue. But the conversation ended up being dominated by crime, drugs, and public safety. We have to follow up on the homeless crisis topic at the next debate. We have to know what the GOP candidates are going to do about one of the most pressing issues facing this nation, especially in West Coast cities. Because the current “housing first” national plan is failing.

Hidden Encampment Network in Seattle’s Forests

_{Jonathan Choe
August 23, 2023}

Sounding the Alarm This week I took a deep dive into the vast network of encampments scattered throughout heavily wooded areas in Seattle public parks (@SeattleParks.) Many are built on steep hills and embankments, making them extremely vulnerable to mudslides and other risk factors. While most remain abandoned, some are still occupied by people. For months now, Andrea Suarez (@weheartfounder) and We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle) volunteers have been identifying the most at risk camps, including ones in Queen Anne’s Kinnear Park. Suarez says she’s asked Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) and Seattle Parks Superintendent AP Diaz (@SeattleShines) to remove these structures immediately. But she says city officials are ignoring this potential liability. That’s why Suarez is racing to get these men Read More ›

Body Cam: Light Rail Stabber Arrested on Train by Seattle Police

_{Jonathan Choe
August 21, 2023}

Stabbing Rampage New body cam video shows Ismail Brown being arrested after he allegedly stabbed Tin Vi Pham nearly 20 times on a Sound Transit train (@SoundTransit, @SoundTransitCEO) last month. Brown is scheduled to be in court again on Tuesday. Look at the professionalism being shown by Seattle Police Officers (@SeattlePD) after this violent encounter. Based on the narrative, several passengers are also being called heroes for intervening on Pham’s behalf. Authorities say one rider used his duffle bag to soften the blows from this unprovoked knife attack. Brown is a repeat offender with clear signs of mental illness. Why was he out roaming the city’s streets? Safety Concerns Earlier this month, King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec) talked about Read More ›

Homeless Man Tries to Get in My Car Near Lake City Encampment

_{Jonathan Choe
August 21, 2023}

Things Get Worse in Lake City Neighbors have been flooding my inbox saying another encampment is forming in Lake City Mini Park. Sunday evening, I went to check it out when some insane nut job chased me all the way to my car and attempted to get inside. This is by far one of the most dangerous encounters I’ve had in Seattle. The folks here seem more mean spirited and aggressive. Many people living here have refused offers of shelter and services from the city and continue to use fentanyl in the tents. This camp is also being blamed for a dramatic rise in vandalism and theft in the area. I recognized several men and women who simply moved here Read More ›

Seattle Dealers Sell Fentanyl Out of Walk up Window Downtown

_{Jonathan Choe
August 15, 2023}

In Case There Was Any Doubt It’s no longer a secret. Every reasonable Seattle resident should assume drug dealers are taking advantage of homeless encampments with these so called “trap tents” embedded across the city. We Heart Seattle’s (@weheartseattle) Andrea Suarez (@weheartfounder) just exposed another one at the corner of 6th Ave & Yesler Way in downtown Seattle. There is literally a walk up window where you can buy fentanyl pills for a buck. I have been watching this camp expand for more than two years but never got a look inside until now. This open air drug market is being brazenly operated on Washington State Department of Transportation (@WSDOT) property and is just a block away from the notorious Read More ›

Encampment Burns Down Near North Seattle School

_{Jonathan Choe
August 13, 2023}

Breaking Huge encampment fire Sunday in Seattle near Robert Eagle Staff Middle School at the corner of N.90th & Nesbit Ave. Unclear how it started. It appears at least four tents got obliterated. But more than a dozen are still standing on the block. Neighbor shot this photo on the ground. I just spotlighted this problematic encampment a few days ago. It’s been growing here for months. Along with this latest incident, the encampment has been blamed for shootings, open air drug use, and harboring a sex offender. How many more incidents will it take before the city sweeps? City Warned So many neighbor complaints. This encampment remains a major liability. Homeless Encampment Fire More video and images coming in Read More ›

“If you put this in front of people, it would shock them,” Says Outreach Volunteer in Downtown Seattle

_{Jonathan Choe
August 13, 2023}

Reality Check Major Sound Transit (@SoundTransit) stops in Seattle are closed this weekend including Pioneer Square and International District/Chinatown. Commuters have to take shuttle buses above ground. For some, it’s forcing them to see the urban decay for the first time in downtown hot spots like 3rd Ave near City Hall. It’s super risky out here when almost everyone is smoking fentanyl and conducting all kinds of illicit activity in tents. So there are transit security guards nearby. However, volunteers including high school students with Westgate Chapel remain unfazed. They come to the underbelly of the city to serve and say what’s happening out here is spiritual warfare, also caused by a breakdown in the traditional family unit. They believe Read More ›

The Post Millennial: Latest blunder of Seattle area homeless agency showcases failure of Biden-endorsed ‘housing first’ model

_{Jonathan Choe
August 12, 2023}

Only 16 people have been housed in units with only 11 landlords participating in the program since the program’s launch in 2022 which had a goal of 800 units. A Seattle area program that offers funds to landlords to incentivize them to rent vacant units to the homeless has hit a snag, as there are more units available than eligible homeless people. Because of this, landlords are being turned away from the program. The agency, however, continues to say that they need more units. The King County Regional Homeless Authority (KCRHA) in Washington State has confirmed that landlords in Seattle are being turned away from a program aimed at incentivizing them to take in homeless tenants. Advocates for those living on the streets Read More ›

Concerns Rise Over North Seattle Encampment Near Middle School

_{Jonathan Choe
August 11, 2023}

With Seattle public schools starting back up in less than a month, there is growing concern about an encampment exploding in size at the corner of North 90th Street and Nesbit Avenue. The encampment is just a one-minute walk from Robert Eagle Staff Middle School and is taking up entire sidewalks. The tents and structures are located behind Aurora Commons drop-in center for the homeless and have been there for more than four months. Staff at Aurora Commons say authorities have responded to shootings at the encampment and that open-air drug use is a regular occurrence in the parking lot. Grant, a homeless man in the encampment only wants me to use his first name and says he’s trying to Read More ›

King County Exec Constantine “not familiar with” KCRHA Turning Down Landlords

_{Jonathan Choe
August 10, 2023}

Exclusive King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec) says “I’m not familiar with the situation you’re talking about,” after I asked him why landlords were being turned away from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s (@kingcorha) highly touted incentive program to get people off the streets. It’s a story KVI Radio’s Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) and I broke earlier this week. Either Constantine was giving me spin today, or his media handler Chase Gallagher did not brief him on the situation. Constantine is on the KCRHA Governing Committee, responsible for oversight and approving budgets. Either way, Constantine went on to say he believes they should be working with more landlords in the private sector and gave a vote of confidence to KCRHA. Read More ›

Landlord Turned Down by Seattle’s KCRHA After Offering Apartments for the Homeless

_{Jonathan Choe
August 9, 2023}

Homeless advocates, politicians, and leaders at the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) continue to say that “housing saves lives” and affordable housing is the solution to homelessness. King County Executive Dow Constantine has said that “we must make it affordable for everyone here,” and KCRHA interim CEO Helen Howell wants “every person [to] have a roof over their head.” This is why KCRHA launched a landlord incentive program in 2022 that promised housing providers an attractive package in “an effort to end homelessness.” The incentive program offered landlords on-time payment backed by KCRHA and tenant conflict resolution in exchange for rental units for the homeless. Funding for “Partnership for Zero,” a publicly and privately funded program, would offset the Read More ›

Lake City Sweeps Encampment Full of Garbage, Most Living There Refuse Help

_{Jonathan Choe
August 8, 2023}

Rinse and Repeat The vicious cycle continues. Lake City has some of the most problematic encampments. For some reason, the city allows it to pile up instead of getting in front of these situations. Monday morning, vast majority of people walked away from the sweep without taking any help being offered. Once again, it’s the drugs and mental illness fueling this crisis on the streets. This part of the neighborhood around NE 125th St and 33rd Ave NE is also home to several low income housing apts and low barrier units. In other words, this is ground zero for a drug fueled ecosystem. No idea how you run a business around here. The owners of the Ethiopian restaurant say the Read More ›

The City “Didn’t Care,” Say Burien Homeless as Private Org Finds Solutions

_{Jonathan Choe
August 8, 2023}

Crushing Expectations Kristine Moreland (@kmmoreland) and volunteers with “The More We Love” are way ahead of schedule. Only a handful of tents remain at the Grocery Outlet encampment in downtown Burien. No sweeps required. Most of the campers are being placed into tiny houses, motels, or detox facilities…FREE WILL CHOICE. But one man went on a bender after refusing to leave and was arrested by Burien Police (@BurienPD.) Otherwise, Moreland expects everything to be gone by Tuesday evening. When all is said and done, this needs to be a case study on how to do outreach. This was never about building more housing, spending lots of money, or warehousing people with foolish “housing first” policies. Instead, they leveraged resources already Read More ›

Encampment Returns at Site of Drug Den Inferno

_{Jonathan Choe
August 6, 2023}

They’re Already Back Late last month, Mayor Bruce Harrell (@MayorofSeattle) sent in crews to clear a massive drug den along I-5 in downtown Seattle. Authorities say a DRUG TURF WAR fueled by a revenge plot and homemade BOMBS rocked this notorious encampment. Less than two weeks later, several people have already broken in and are now setting up shop. When I showed up Sunday morning, the entrance to the fence along Yesler Way wasn’t even locked. Not sure who is running point for security on this WSDOT (@wsdot) property, but it might be time to invest in better locks and more fencing. Taking Matters into Own Hands On July 27, this encampment was “deemed an emergency,” so the city took Read More ›

Meet the Outreach Team Solving Burien’s Homelessness Crisis

_{Jonathan Choe
August 4, 2023}

As city and county officials remain paralyzed trying to manage Burien’s out of control homeless encampment crisis, Kristine Moreland of “The More We Love” is building trust and relationships. “There are predators coming in from the community and preying on the people in here,” Moreland says as we walk past an encampment. She and her outreach partner, Chri Wee, are helping move men and women out of tents in the heart of downtown Burien into the services they need. They’ve been hired by local businesses to do the work politicians and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority have neglected. Together, they’ve moved more than two dozen men and women into housing or programs in just one month. “We celebrate because Read More ›

Jonathan Choe Chased by Man with Nunchucks Downtown Seattle

_{Jonathan Choe
August 2, 2023}

Lost Cause Day or night, this part of downtown Seattle near DESC’s (@DESCSeattle) Morrison and Lyon Building continues to be a blight on the city. Multiple 911 calls to this location each day. Zero accountability and city leaders like Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) cannot keep up with the insanity. Drug addicts, tents, and mentally ill people flood 3rd Ave & Cherry St at all hours of the day. Even after more than a year of sweeps, the so called “trap tents” keep coming back. People are doing drugs under umbrellas and carry all sorts of weapons out here. As long as a DESC property is in your hood, city leaders must continue with the sweeps and have extra security on Read More ›

3rd and Pike Bus Stop Removed Due to Drug Use

_{Jonathan Choe
August 2, 2023}

Join the Club King County Metro (@KingCountyMetro) just removed another problematic bus shelter in downtown Seattle. This time at the corner of 3rd Ave & Pike St in front of the Ross store. Drug addicts were using it as an open air fentanyl den. Otherwise, no more cover from the elements. It’s a bummer for senior citizens who have to wait in the scorching sun or pouring rain. Unclear if it’s a temporary move. Otherwise, this stretch of downtown looked good Tuesday compared to other days. Multiple law enforcement officers up and down the block. But dudes were still passing out on the street. Just another routine day in #Seattle. Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@cmandrewjlewis) should be out here every single Read More ›

Watch Me Count Tents on Ballard’s Leary Way

_{Jonathan Choe
July 30, 2023}

Game Over Ballard A few more days to go until the August 1 primary in Seattle. Sunday afternoon, I went to check in on the homeless crisis exploding in Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) hood. Strauss remains vulnerable in District 6 and is fighting for his political life. I assumed he would have figured out a way to clear some of the tents for the sake of optics. Instead, Leary Ave NW is a wreck. I have never seen so many tents lined on this street. The side streets are pretty bad as well. You can walk to all 38 tents in a matter of minutes. I’m not even counting the dozens of RV’s and structures. Just the tents! Based on Read More ›