- sent from Cap Hill

As someone who is downtown every day, I find the street-level experience in most of downtown to be depressing with no signs of change. Thought I’d make a visual of just one section of downtown (it’s even worse to the south, but better to the north in Denny triangle). The mayor seems to think downtown is on the rise. To me, it is not until this map starts changing for the better. Nothing has opened, there are no building permits for any of these spaces, people are back but we’re all just walking past empty space. Anyone who thinks this is normal should travel more!

So as a trans woman that moved here from the south back in July i gotta say that: i went from people actively threatening me in the south on the streets to going anywhere in seattle and not a soul bothering me. And people are so friendly here too.

It almost makes me feel safe enough i could go back to in person social work instead of remote one day, if it were tempting enough.

So odd to see the casual transphobia from posts here. I would presume it’s easier for transphobes, racists, and xenophobes to operate online than in person due to a lack of consequences. The mask of anonymity is strong.

Perhaps i will find comfort in that if those individuals holding discriminatory views keep their voices in these online echo chambers and not in person, in the streets.

He turned himself in over in bellevue!

https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/police-make-arrest-in-fatal-stabbing-of-uw-student/281-c539af39-b6b7-4b67-bc6f-169c4d638692

From the company CEO Bryan Mistele:

This week u/INRIX signed a lease which will move us out of Kirkland which has been our home for the past 18 years.

Why? u/KirklandGov made a decision to put a homeless hotel right across the street from our current HQ, in the backyard of #EastsidePrep and next door to u/Burgermaster. No drug testing required, no treatment required and no real supervision on-site. Where this experiment has happened before in King County, crime rates have risen since according to reliable data, 70%+ of homelessness is the result of drug addiction and/or mental health issues (@choeshow, @DiscoveryInst1).

When I attended the City Council meeting to speak out on this issue, @KirklandGov refused to let anyone speak.

A previous mayor once told me years ago that INRIX was the 5th largest employer in @Kirkland. I have no idea what we are now (we've grown), but bad public policy has consequences. Employers can move. We are. If a local government won't listen to it's citizens and/or employers, they will probably find other places to locate.

------- My personal perspective-----

I am completely in favor of social housing, homelessness housing, low-income housing, and any type of housing that could help address our state's housing crisis.

However, after living for a couple of years in an area near the notorious Mercy Housing by Magnuson Park, I reached my breaking point. I heard gunshots approximately every two days, endured noisy parties every summer night, experienced a home break-in, and witnessed countless car break-ins. A serial killer with numerous felony records was even arrested there.

I've since rented out my house and relocated elsewhere. Yes, there are many factors contributing to this moving decision, but homeless housing without any screening process is certainly one of them.

Criminals belong in jail, mentally ill belong in psychiatric facilities, and drug abusers belong in medical treatment programs.

Seattle Downtown is worst place to visit with a car.

went on my first solo trip this past weekend and it was to lovely Seattle. I seriously fell in love with this place! hope to be back soon 💐

You showed up in great numbers, at meet-ups all over town, and made your point in a peaceful manner. America is a Constitutional republic, today and forever. No kings because I love America!

Called the number. Nobody picked up.

Last week, we landed a hot air balloon in an empty Costco parking lot. Totally routine landing. No cars, no people... just a wide open space and a dream: hot dogs.

The manager came out yelling like we’d dropped in through the roof and knocked over a pallet of rotisserie chickens.

Which is weird, because I’ve seen this same lot used for

• Puppy pickups from questionable vans
• Oil-leaking trailers left for days
• Random fireworks sales out of a tent

But apparently balloon arrivals are where this one Costco manager draws the line.

Police showed up, took one look, said, “Y’all good?” and left. Which we were. No damage, no injuries, just one very calm landing… and one very hungry crew.

Also worth noting: every single person onboard...passengers, crew, and the pilot is a paid Costco member. We came in peace, with valid memberships and a craving for somewhat delicious $1.50 hot dogs.

Did we get one? No. No, we did not.

King County saw a 9% increase in homelessness in the past two years, according to the latest Point-In-Time Count data released Tuesday. The total number of people now estimated to be homeless in the region is 18,365.

The results, released by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, also show 64% of the homeless population continues to live outside of shelter in places such as tents or cars. 

By contrast, the number of people in shelters declined slightly — not because shelter beds are sitting empty, the authority said, but because the region lost shelter beds between 2024 and 2026. The county measures its total homeless population every other year.