Rantz: Seattle officials tap radical anti-police socialist to solve homelessness

The board of the Regional Homeless Authority for Seattle and King County has tapped social justice activist Marc Dones as the group’s director.

Dones is an outspoken socialist, anti-police, ideologically bigoted, race baiter who is quick to throw around claims of white supremacy (that include a bizarre claim that Dr. Ben Carson promotes white supremacist ideas). These extremist views may represent Seattle radicals. But it won’t bode well in the rest of the county.

Can someone with such radical views help end homelessness? Of course not. Dones wasn’t even the first choice for the position. The board’s first choice turned down the offer. So we’re stuck with a runner up with a Twitter history that is alarming.

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Marc Dones is a socialist

The Regional Homelessness Authority is meant to tackle the growing homelessness crisis, with an emphasis that will focus on Seattle. But to end homelessness, it seems clear a socialist won’t get the job done.

Dones proudly declares that they are a Socialist, though it’s not always clear they know what that means. In a November 2020 tweet, Dones argued that taxpayers keeping more of their own money so that they may become private property owners is socialism in action, because the mortgage they take out is government backed. That is not socialism.

It’s always people who benefit from socialist policies and don’t even know it who are in my mentions telling me that there’s no evidence that socialism works. Like ok bruh. Enjoy that tax subsidy on your government backed mortgage.

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) November 3, 2020

To Dones, socialism is a superior economic system that works. Indeed, socialism means “EVERYONE has access to nice things.” Sounds lovely. Perhaps it’s why this activist doesn’t quite understand people who say there’s “no evidence that socialism works.”

Perhaps a closer look at the socialist country of Venezuela is in order. There, citizens couldn’t find enough food to eat, let alone access to a new iPhone.

But to Dones, “housing is a human right” — a bumper sticker talking point masquerading as some heroic stance. Dones basically believes the government should guarantee you a subsidized home, which is a quick way to not just waste a budget away, but doesn’t actually get to the root causes of homelessness.

People aren’t born homeless. There’s a reason they end up living on the streets. Sometimes it’s due to purely unfortunate circumstances or a lack of job skills. Other times, it’s due to an untreated mental illness or an addiction. Giving these folks a home just gets them off the streets temporarily. It doesn’t address their underlying issue.

Are we to believe Dones will be able to manage a $130 million budget?

Anyway, it's shocking how literally every day in 2020 is committed to proving the absolute superiority of socialism as a system.

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) June 10, 2020

Every time I see this I think it’s incredibly funny that people think that socialism/communism means no one having nice things instead of EVERYONE has access to nice things https://t.co/NzqecvgF2F

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) November 15, 2020

Marc Dones hates the police

To tackle homelessness effectively, you need to partner with police.

Cities in Snohomish County, like Marysville, Monroe, and Everett have seen success in tackling the homelessness crisis because these cities understand law enforcement has a role to play, particularly when it comes to the intersection of people living on the streets and committing crimes.

Marysville has been a success story where police help connect homeless individuals with resources. If they are unwilling to accept offers of services, the police won’t sit back and let people commit crimes.

In Seattle, police partnership has been rejected. Consequently, the issue has gotten worse. Aggressive, violent homeless people have been able to get away with crimes, putting residents at risk.

Dones is extremely unlikely to work with police. To say Dones hates the police may be an understatement. Indeed, the activist even has “rage blackout[s]” when police spend money to help protect officers from COVID.

Our future homelessness authority believes police departments are instruments of white supremacy and state violence. They cannot be reformed, Dones says, so they must be defunded — though perhaps Dones can figure out what they do first? The anti-police activist isn’t afraid to admit a ignorance as to “the purpose of the police.” Perhaps that’s why Dones implies a refusal to ever even speak with cops.

I want to be clear that we’re calling for defunding the police and not reforming because there is no evidence those reforms will end the threat to Black lives.

The path to reducing the most harm in Black communities is synonymous with defunding the police. We cannot equivocate.

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) June 5, 2020

This is exhausting. You are exhausting.

This isn't about officers that "do or don't do" a job. This is about the nature and function of a white supremacist and oppressive system. There is no "right" job to do. https://t.co/keGiNF0kPv

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) June 6, 2020

Marc Dones thinks everything is white supremacy — including his new job?

Even a casual view of Dones’ Twitter feed shows an obsession with labeling as much as they can as white supremacist.

Police departments? White supremacist! All Republican policies? White supremacy! Trump supporters marching in D.C.? White supremacy! Not making Washington, D.C., a state? Yup. Even the New Yorker is white supremacy in action.

Dones has an obsessive preoccupation with identity politics.

But most shocking is that Dones believes “government and philanthropy” are “two incredibly white supremacist spaces.”

Perhaps leading a government authority that will, in part, serve as what is effectively a philanthropic organization isn’t the best job for this activist?

Often these attacks are rooted in the fact that we have different approaches. I work directly with government and philanthropy—two incredibly white supremacist spaces and so am often dragged for being “complicit”. 2/x

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) October 30, 2020

Maybe a bunch of 25-year-old white male slave owners were not the most brilliant systems designers to walk the planet. Maybe we should finally actually have that conversation.

Maybe some of us have spent our lives engineering better governance structures and have some thoughts

— Woke But Petty (@marcformarc) February 13, 2021

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