Capitol Hill business owner: City appeasing protesters, rioters at residents’ expense

Numerous property owners around Capitol Hill are suing the city over the handling of the CHOP, and have had enough with the recent riots in the area. Joseph Wanagel is a Seattle property owner who believes the city isn’t doing enough for the community.

“So out of the last two months of protesting there, the CHAZ, the CHOP, and everything else, the only call I’ve personally actually gotten from the city was a couple of days ago from Seattle Public Utilities asking me to hide my dumpster inside the building so that rioters could not set it on fire and use it as a barricade,” he told the Dori Monson Show on KIRO Radio.

As a taxpayer, what is his reaction to how the mayor and city council are handling the ongoing riots in the neighborhood?

“Well, I’m glad the cops are back, for sure. But the reality of the situation is even when they arrest these people, they’re getting right back out of jail. So that doesn’t work. I mean, people that literally blow holes in buildings, burn things down, and are putting people’s lives at risk should spend some time in jail because they’re too dangerous to be on the streets,” he said.

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Wanagel believes the city is more interested in appeasing the rioters and protesters instead of having any consideration for the community and neighborhood they’re directly impacting.

“They’re providing things, it’s all about, ‘Oh, how are we going to help the rioters and protesters? How are we going to get them sanitizing stations? How are we going to get them potties? How are we going to protect them?’” he said.

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“But what about the people that actually live in that neighborhood? How are they going to be protected? How are they going to live there? How our building owners going to rent their apartments? It’s just a loss for words. I mean, the only call I get, once again, is to hide my garbage can, and not, ‘How do we help you be safe there?’”

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.