SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Artesian Commons Park protest shows criminals have taken over the region

Sep 25, 2018, 7:19 AM

Artesian Commons Park...

Police had to use flash-bang grenades to shut down a protest outside of Artesian Commons Park in Olympia. (KIRO 7)

(KIRO 7)

Sadly there have been so many stories lately that reflect the severe downturn of our region in terms of crime. Down in Olympia, there was a riot at Artesian Commons Park.

The city fenced off and closed down the public park over the summer because the vagrants had taken it over. On Saturday, police in riot gear were called out because the homeless were tearing down the fence at Artesian Commons Park. Police had to use flash-bang grenades and PepperBalls to shut down the protest.

The homeless people were “taking back” the public park that was closed down because they themselves turned it into a trash pit of drugs, a den of iniquity. It’s unbelievable how we are allowing the addicts to take over this entire region.

RELATED: Olympia shuts down Artesian Commons Park after crimes escalate

The fact that we are giving in to drugs by legalizing them in King and Snohomish Counties is terrifying. Look at the gang problem that has resulted in so many murders in our region, several of them just in the last week. Drug money is what fuels the gangs. That’s the reason why there are these turf wars everywhere. China knows that if they want to undermine the United States, they can dump fentanyl in Mexico, knowing that there is basically an unchecked border between Mexico and the United States. So now we have a free-flow of fentanyl across our border.

This is a worldwide problem. Throwing up our hands and saying that we want to attract more addicts to our region than any other place in America is proving to be a disastrous societal approach by our local government leaders to the drug problem. But again, the reason for that strategy is that the more addicted people you have, the more helpless people you have. The more helpless they are, the more they fervently believe that they need government for their livelihood. We’ll build all of this housing for the drug addicts and homeless, and the developers who profit wildly off of that can get our tax dollars in their coffers.

RELATED: Seattle is filled with crime, but at least bus passes are free

It is a multi-faceted problem that is all related to terrorism, gangs, and the unchecked thirst for power of our politicians. We see it manifest itself in a 51-year-old gunned down in her clinic in Burien, or homeless people taking over Artesian Commons Park in Olympia. Or in Lynnwood, where a man was brutally attacked at a Subway restaurant.

We have more and more ruthless monsters ruling the streets.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong talks during a primary debate in Milwaukee, Tuesd...

Associated Press

Democratic candidates grapple with past stances on defunding the police ahead of key midterm races

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just months before the midterm elections, Democrats hope to convince voters that lawlessness under President Donald Trump’s administration is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. But the party’s past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch. Across the country, Democratic candidates are grappling with their previous positions […]

1 hour ago

FILE - A sign for Camp David, the presidential retreat, is pictured near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18, 20...

Associated Press

Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking Friday’s Cabinet meeting on the road — to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by administration officials’ endless praise for their boss. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said […]

1 hour ago

Shon Barnes (3)...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘What A-list person would come to Seattle’: Former King County sheriff warns replacing Shon Barnes will be difficult

With Shon Barnes on the way out, former King County Sheriff John Urquhart said the city is paying the price for years of churn at the top.

4 hours ago

Andre Sayles...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Who is Andre Sayles? What we know about Seattle’s new interim police chief

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced on Thursday that she has accepted the resignation of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.

5 hours ago

Katie Wilson (3)...

Julia Dallas

‘Information could have gone out much faster’: Mayor Katie Wilson addresses 5-hour delay after Bite of Seattle shooting

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson addressed the five-hour information delay from the city following a shooting at the Bite of Seattle on Sunday.

5 hours ago

Palestinians salvage their belongings from the rubble of a building and tents destroyed in an Israe...

Associated Press

Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory. Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed. The […]

5 hours ago

Dori: Artesian Commons Park protest shows criminals have taken over the region