Topic

homelessness

Seattle Tent City
Christopher Rufo
March 10, 2020
Economics

Plot Twist

Christopher Rufo
March 10, 2020
Economics
Homelessness has been circumscribed around a set of premises acceptable to progressive opinion. The homeless were thrown onto the streets, we’re told, because of rising rents, heartless landlords, and a lack of economic opportunity. But new data are undermining this narrative. Read More ›
Photo by sergee bee
Christopher Rufo
February 27, 2020
Economics

Seattle Is Socialism’s Laboratory, and It’s Not Pretty

Christopher Rufo
February 27, 2020
Economics
Democratic socialists are in the middle of a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party. Led by the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and the “squad” of newly elected congresswomen, the hard-left coalition has laid out an ambitious agenda to transform the United States into a democratic socialist nation and Seattle has effectively become the nation’s laboratory for socialist policies. Read More ›
Jenny_Durkan_01
Christopher Rufo
April 16, 2019
Economics

Seattle’s Revolt of the Elites

Christopher Rufo
April 16, 2019
Economics

In Seattle, people are losing patience with city leadership over the homelessness crisis, but the frustration is running in both directions: the city’s political, cultural, and academic elites are conducting their own revolt — against the people. Since the release of Eric Johnson’s documentary Seattle Is Dying, which depicts an epidemic of street homelessness, addiction, crime, and disorder, city elites have launched a coordinated Read More ›

Space Needle
Christopher Rufo
April 2, 2019
Economics

A Brewing Rebellion in the Emerald City

Christopher Rufo
April 2, 2019
Economics
For the past five years, like many of its West Coast counterparts, Seattle has endured a steady expansion of homelessness, addiction, mental illness, crime, and street disorder. But the activist class—a political and cultural elite comprising leaders in government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and media—has enforced a strict taboo on declaring the obvious: something is terribly wrong in the Emerald City. Last month, veteran Seattle reporter Eric Johnson of KOMO violated that taboo with a shocking, hour-long documentary called Seattle is Dying, which revealed how the city has allowed a small subset of the homeless population—drug-addicted and mentally-ill criminals—to wreak havoc. Johnson’s portrait is backed up by evidence from King County homelessness data, by city attorney candidate Scott Lindsay’s “prolific offender” report on 100 homeless individuals responsible for more than 3,500 criminal cases, and by my own reporting on the homelessness crisis. Read More ›
Homeless-on-Bench
Christopher Rufo
March 11, 2019
Economics

When “Compassion” is Contempt

Christopher Rufo
March 11, 2019
Economics
The Washington legislature is one step closer to legalizing homeless encampments statewide. Last week, Democratic lawmakers passed through committee legislation, introduced by Representative Mia Gregerson, that would usurp the authority of city governments and legalize camping in all “plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, public transportation facilities, public buildings, shopping centers, parks, [and] natural and wildlife areas” throughout the state. Read More ›
Homeless-on-Bench
Christopher Rufo
October 16, 2018
Economics

The Politics of Ruinous Compassion

Christopher Rufo
October 16, 2018
Economics
Abstract: The City of Seattle has failed to address its current homelessness crisis. In fact, because of ideological capture and poor public policy, the city has created a system of perverse incentives that has only made the problem worse. In order to truly confront the problem of homelessness, the city’s leadership must embrace a policy of realism: dismantle the system of perverse incentives, quickly build emergency shelter, and enforce the law against public camping and drug use. Ultimately, the city currently has enough resources to solve the crisis—it needs to summon the political courage to make the right choices. Read More ›
Kathryn Jean Lopez
August 22, 2007
Religion and Civic Life

Seattle Needs Grace

Kathryn Jean Lopez
August 22, 2007
Religion and Civic Life

This article, published by National Review, contains an interview with Discovery Institute Senior Fellow David Klinghoffer: David Klinghoffer is worried about “the atmosphere of secularism” that “rains down like nuclear fallout, spreading contamination” and offers the Ten Commandments as a “desperately needed diagnostic tool” to combat it. The rest of the article can be found here.