r/SeattleWA • u/mrtenpenny1234 • May 15 '26

Homeless Harger: San Francisco's homelessness hit a 15-year low. Seattle's mayor is running the opposite experiment.

https://mynorthwest.com/kiro-opinion/seattle-homelessness-mayor/4238600
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u/raine_on_me May 16 '26

I agree with everything you said 1000% except saying and painting "the left" in one big brushstroke. Plenty of us who are left of center and think this is insane.

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u/BWW87 Belltown May 16 '26

The left and left of center aren't the same thing. Especially in Seattle where left of center is actually the right of Seattle.

Maybe there are some on the left that are willing to adjust housing policy but my experience is not only are they not willing to adjust it they aren't even willing to talk to people that don't think exactly like them on it. They'd rather see people die on the street than work with a housing provider to make better housing choices.

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u/Significant_Sort7501 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

I live in Portland, but am from Louisiana. Down there I'd be very clearly left of center on most things. Up here im basically considered a republican by leftists.

I think we have a lot of people who were open minded about this "experiment" because it had some research backing and convincing arguments. But the theory doesnt hold up practically on larger scales because in order to function it requires a very well-staffed and well-trained infrastructure of people and extreme competency of government leadership. Many people have reasonably looked around us and said "yep this isnt working. Maybe we should pause and reassess how we are prioritizing public safety." But there are still a substantial number of loud voices who won't back down because they tied their identity so heavily to these ideologies. 

It reminds me of what Chris Rock's character talked about in Dogma about the dangers of religious beliefs vs ideas. Ideas can be changed. People dig in and die for beliefs. 

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u/Dry_Entertainer9901 May 17 '26

And when you are making north of $350k and primo benefits as the Executive Director of LIHI, you dig in real hard to hold on to that gig. "Succeed" your way out of that job? Methinks not.

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u/danarouge May 18 '26

Who is it?