Why people in Seattle like me have stopped calling 911

I live in a Seattle neighborhood near Ballard where The Seattle Times reported Thursday that homelessness has quadrupled and it has reached a boiling point for residents and business owners.

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On that same morning, I took pictures of my truck that had been broken into once AGAIN. I’m often curious what thieves take and what they leave behind.

Missing:

1. One Hoka One Trail Running Shoe/ size 11.5
2. Three tailored shirts that were in a laundry bag and have my name on them
3. One Nintendo 3DS kids charger
4. One pair of kids alligator sunglasses

I hate to admit it, but this is something I have just gotten use to. It seems like our mayor and city council don’t seem to have a problem with these break-ins. They allow people to camp anywhere they want to in the city. And these people have specifically targeted Ballard because you can still park in the industrial areas for free for up to 72 hours without getting towed or ticketed.

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People that are camping for free still need funds because even know the city and charities provide them with food, clothing, tents, toiletries, water, cleaning services, and free parking , some campers still need to raise money for heroin and the new meth problem which has once again hit our streets.

So, when are we going to close the campground in Ballard or in downtown Seattle?

I don’t care about my stuff. I do care about the fear that this instills in my child. He often asks me if we are safe from “the neighborhood robbers.” So I lie and tell him, “of course we are.”

I understand that not every homeless person is a thief, but these are not homeless people. These are squatters and campers that are running rampant through our neighborhoods because they know the Seattle Police Department is understaffed. They also know the police that are on the streets are de-policing.

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Politicians will tell you crime is down, but the truth is I didn’t call 911, and many people are just like me. Crime is not down, but the reporting is because we know nothing is going to happen until you close the campground, Mayor Durkan.

I invite the mayor to come on our show and have a spirited civil debate. She won’t.

In the meantime if you see a one-shoe’d person with a fancy dress shirt on, wearing a pair of child’s alligator sunglasses, let him know I have his other trail running shoe and I’d also like to know what he has against pink. He left the pink dress shirt behind?

See you on the radio at 3.