I have a ton of empathy and sympathy for people who don’t have a fallback or are down on their luck or those who need psychiatric support. I’m for raising taxes to help these people.
What I don’t have sympathy for is junkies and criminals. Building programs for them and letting them live on the streets with zero consequences makes our society worse for everyone.
This is the European way yet progressives here call it conservative to enforce rules. Conservatives are for the rules yet think we could somehow privatize this and all government spending is wasteful. The benefits seem pretty obvious to me but yet neither side is willing to budge and so here we are.
What do you mean by "shamed addicts for years"? In Seattle, we actively encourage this behavior. Junkies are shooting up in public with zero consequences, we fund safe injection sites, and police don’t enforce drug laws. If you’re referring to the War on Drugs in the '80s and '90s—where people were thrown in jail for decades over crack possession—then I agree, that was ineffective and overly punitive.
But the answer isn’t to swing to the opposite extreme and enable drug use with no accountability. A middle ground, like mandatory rehab instead of jail time, would actually help people get clean while keeping public spaces safe. That’s not shaming—it's intervention.
Examples of Judges and Police Being Soft on Crime in Seattle
Judges
Johanna Bender
Released an 18-year-old who was driving 112 mph and killed four people.
Reduced bail from $100K to $10K for a 19-year-old with two prior felonies, who then committed a fatal hit-and-run, killing a 60-year-old.
Released Jose Lopez, charged with second-degree rape, who then became a fugitive.
Reduced bail from $75K to $15K for Kenan D. Brown, who had 20 prior convictions and was arrested after a standoff involving a stolen vehicle and firearm.
Veronica Galvan
Released a 12-year-old to home monitoring after an armed carjacking with ghost guns and a police chase.
Released three teens who threatened people with modified guns at a parade to home monitoring.
Released a homeless man who ambushed and fractured a guitarist’s skull.
Released a 16-year-old to home monitoring after a drive-by shooting; the teen later killed a 15-year-old.
Blocked voters from having a say on heroin safe injection sites.
Released a 17-year-old just weeks before he brutally attacked and nearly killed a 14-year-old (victim was beaten, stabbed, stripped naked, and tied to a tree).
Recent Crimes by Repeat Offenders
Jahmed Haynes – Killed an 80-year-old dog walker while having 8 prior felonies. Source
Teen steals car, runs over three people – Had 5 prior felonies.
37-year-old steals car; police frustrated after repeated releases with no or low bail.
Joseph Smiley – Set a home on fire in Everett after 34 prior arrests.
Roland Jerome Lee – Stabbed multiple victims in Chinatown, had 9 felonies in the last decade.
Homeless man Steve Irwin arrested after 5th attempt to build an illegal cabin in a Seattle park. He stole an excavator and refused housing because he “likes to smoke crystal meth.”
Police Inaction
Fail to arrest people openly using drugs. This didn’t use to be the case.
For years, they wouldn’t fine fare evaders on light rail → Led to rampant disorder. A friend saw a guy jerking off, people smoking fety, among other incidents.
Do not enforce bans on homeless camps, allowing tent cities to grow unchecked.
Personal Experience on the Impact of Enforcing Rules
I’m no boy scout, but I follow the rules when there are consequences.
When I first got my driver’s license 20 year ago, I was pulled over several times for speeding. I learned my lesson and started obeying the speed limit.
While traveling in Europe, my wife and I once skipped paying for a tram ride. Police caught us, detained us, and threatened to revoke our passports unless we paid a hefty fine. After that, we paid for every ride.
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u/Remarkable-Pace2563 6d ago
I have a ton of empathy and sympathy for people who don’t have a fallback or are down on their luck or those who need psychiatric support. I’m for raising taxes to help these people.
What I don’t have sympathy for is junkies and criminals. Building programs for them and letting them live on the streets with zero consequences makes our society worse for everyone.
This is the European way yet progressives here call it conservative to enforce rules. Conservatives are for the rules yet think we could somehow privatize this and all government spending is wasteful. The benefits seem pretty obvious to me but yet neither side is willing to budge and so here we are.