Harger: Mayor Harrell curbed graffiti. Now he should focus on public drug use

Time for a new commentary segment: The Seattle Give and Take. What local leaders are doing that deserve a pat on the back, and areas that need improvement. This week, it’s Mayor Bruce Harrell’s time to shine.

For the third time in the past year, graffiti crews have cleaned up the I-5 Mercer ramp tunnels. Now it’s sparkly when I drive through it.

That’s worthy of a big high-five. That tunnel was an embarrassment for years. It’s the entrance to the city that many tourists see as they flock to the Space Needle — and it was a hot mess. Prosecutors are targeting vandals who tag and deface our public spaces, and the mayor’s coordination between cleanup crews and law enforcement is actually working. It feels like, for once, we’re taking this seriously, unlike so many previous city leaders.

So Mayor Harrell, credit where credit’s due: You’re making Seattle look like a city that actually cares about first impressions. Too bad he can’t power-wash away downtown’s drug problems as easily.

Curbing public drug use throughout the city

Remember six months ago when Third Avenue and Pine Street actually showed improvement? Patrols were increased, dealers were scattered, and you could walk through without gagging on drug smoke mixed with the stench of sidewalk pee.

Well, I swung by after the show yesterday, and we’re right back where we started. That familiar toxic cloud is back. The dealers are brazen again. I counted at least 34 people in different states of stupor at lunchtime. Welcome to Seattle.

Here’s what happened: The city let up. The moment the pressure eased, the crisis returned. Unlike the consistent graffiti cleanups, Third Avenue gets attention in spurts: A week of enforcement here, a month of patrols there, then back to tolerance and chaos.

Right now, we’re handing out unlimited supplies with zero expectation of change. No push toward treatment. No requirements. No consequences. We’ve made street addiction comfortable enough to last forever.

Other blue cities are starting to figure this out. In San Francisco now, groups that hand out safe supplies must also offer treatment referrals.

But Seattle? We enable without expectations. We literally give out needles, pipes, and foils on the taxpayer’s dime. And we never proactively say, “Hey buddy, this is going to kill you. Let’s get you some real help.”

And here’s the reason this matters. These are real people with real potential. They are our friends. Our family. We cannot just watch them be disregarded, hunched over, stoned on the sidewalk. They have a future. We could stop making it easier to stay addicted and start making treatment the path of least resistance.

When someone hits rock bottom, we should be there. With detox beds. With rehab programs. With mental health care. Not just more supplies and no judgment to keep the cycle going. People deserve a real choice: Get help, or go to jail.

Because the status quo, letting the addiction fester with no consequences, cannot be acceptable.

Mr. Mayor, you’ve shown us what happens when you commit: those tunnels shine. Now bring that same energy to Third and Pine. Graffiti may be ugly, but what’s happening there is deadly. And that’s The Seattle Give and Take.

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Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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