‘Rectify it’: Gee and Ursula tell We Heart Seattle to fix safety gaps, not fight L&I

The volunteer group We Heart Seattle said it has removed 2.2 million pounds of trash from Seattle-area streets and homeless encampments, but is under state investigation over how its volunteers handle used needles and drug paraphernalia.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) opened two inspections after a complaint alleging improper handling and collection of hypodermic needles and fentanyl residue, and investigators are now asking for safety plans, training, and hepatitis B vaccination forms from We Heart Seattle.

Co-hosts Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin discussed the investigation on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, where Gee challenged the idea that an L&I inquiry is being seen as an attack and argued that accountability should be welcomed by any organization doing the work right.

“If everything is done safely and by the book, then this is something that can easily be rectified and move on and keep doing the work,” Gee said. “I have noticed something, but let’s say, Ursula, you own a beauty salon, and I come into your beauty salon, and I just want to make sure that you have a license. Me asking you for your license is accountability. You want to know when I thought I was being attacked? When I couldn’t show being accountable. When my paperwork is good, here you go. Boom, boom, boom, boom.”

Gee and Ursula call for broader nonprofit accountability

Ursula said any organization handling hazardous materials should want its volunteers protected and that complying with L&I’s request should be simple if safety protocols are already in place.

“All they need to do is just say, ‘Hey, this is what we have,'” Ursula said. “And if there are things that are not being followed under state law, then rectify it, because I would imagine that an organization that does the work that it does would want to make sure that everyone who volunteers is protected.”

Ursula then dug into the group’s finances, with We Heart Seattle reporting nearly $800,000 in expenses last year, according to ProPublica. Andrea Suarez, the organization’s only paid employee, received about $148,000 in total compensation. The rest included $282,000 for “other fees for services,” about $74,000 for “civic engagement,” roughly $59,000 for management contractors, $45,000 in other program expenses, and $37,000 for housing, lodging, and storage.

During the same period, trash collected dropped from 315,000 pounds to 270,000 pounds, and cleanup events fell from 60 to 52.

“I’m starting to look at every one of these, whether it’s We Heart Seattle, whether it is Red Cross, any volunteer organization; you start breaking down the numbers, it’s like, wait a minute,” Ursula said.

Gee demanded that the scrutiny should extend well beyond one group.

“Don’t just pick on one or two organizations; let’s bring it all,” Gee said. “Let’s get some audits. Let’s see some audits continuing. Let’s do this for everyone. The truth of the matter is, there’s a lot of folks out there with inflated expenses in these organizations.”

“We often talk about the homeless industrial complex, and the money being made in there, and all of it goes around,” Ursula replied.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.