Everyone needs their own social worker.
In the news:
March 22, 2023 Sequim Gazette
Church, merchants seek solutions for downtown nuisance concerns
Sequim Police Chief Sheri Crain talks with a crowd at the Sequim Business Merchants Meeting on March 15. She encouraged people to call police if they see something suspicious. “We’re not going to turn into Seattle because I want you to call everyday,” she said. “And every time we’ll go. Every time social services people will go. That’s how we’re trying to keep our community safe.”
WWII Generation had a modern society up and running. Now this:
“There’s a lot of case law [that] we can’t remove people because they’re just sitting there; or because they smell bad; or because they talk to themselves.”
“So we really work with our partners to help folks find housing, services and meet their needs.”
“A host of concerns, mostly about a few individuals in Seal Street Park or outside Calvary Chapel Sequim, have led business owners to call police. Some of their calls included reports of loitering, shouting, littering, items being thrown at them and customers, being threatened, and/or intimidating actions, such as being purposefully blocked from their vehicles.”
“There’s been some very freaky stuff,” said Caitlyn Knapple, owner of Pacific Mist books, in an interview.
Repeat calls to police by the same business. Social worker approach not working:
While some actions may be illegal, Crain said the issues people face aren’t easy problems.
“Every time social services people will go. That’s how we’re trying to keep our community safe.”
“Asked about encampments and recreational vehicles, Crain said if they’re on private property then people should talk to the owner about a possible eviction process.”
Spring Break Weekend
Try this over at the State Park: Skip the reservation and fee for an assigned space. Pick your own spot when you are ready. If anyone asks you to move, tell them you are living in your home. Have the Police Chief and social workers come out and talk to you. Have Park Rangers try to reassign people who paid for a reserved spot months in advance. See if you can be a squatter for weeks at a time.
“If they’re on public property, Hill said, case laws cover them differently.”
“The problem is [the RV or tent] is their home and we can’t evict people from their home,” Crain said. “We have to go through certain processes to evict them.”
“As the RVs or tents are often temporarily in public places, Crain said they’ll either move before it goes far in the process and/or the towing company doesn’t have space or the time to move a vehicle so the process starts over.”
“Crain said they’re continuing to work on solutions for a few errant RVs in the city.”
“They are thorny, ugly, and are not going smoothly,” she said.
“We document pattern behavior and what we’ve done. Eventually you can get around to doing something.”
If you are confronted inside a business- respond with good customer service:
Police Chief:
Good people are advised to step aside and yield the right of way to violators. Take down your fence and landscaping plants:
Theresa Rubens, owner of Forage Gifts and Northwest Treasures
“Rubens said with some businesses operating with one employee/owner at a time, she recommends a buddy system, leaving lights on, and removing obstructions, i.e. shrubbery and fencing.”
“With lighting and cameras, Crain said it could help capture a potential crime in action.”
Where are the success stories?
Whatever issues there are in WA, 49 other states have experience with what works and what doesn’t. Go out a pick a few jurisdictions that have had success and go with it. The WWII Generation had success. What were they doing? Seattle has had problems for years, what did they learn from it? How much public money was spent to make improvements in Seattle?
What I see now from various city and county governments is about collecting tax money to pay for affordable housing, converted motels and hotels for housing. Housing Housing Housing. A spaced out and incoherent drug addict is going to get along in what version of housing? Who is the landlord?
Not against public assistance here. When the experts have had several years to work a problem with public funds and that problem does not seem to improve, newspeople should be asking tough questions.
20 years ago, comment sections on local newspaper websites were more open and available to use. Various papers have now eliminated comment sections. Elsewhere on the web, comment sections may be hard to find, eliminated, or more restricted than ever. Bad people might break the rules, so we all face information suppression and restrictions. More in the way of open comment sections might also be an embarrassment to newspeople and elected officials. Government programs that are failing (War in Afghanistan) would invite comments and questions from the public that newspeople and public officials may want to be avoid.
Related:
Closed – WA Interstate 5 Rest Areas
From 2018:
A few towns obviously have people who work together to set priorities and make a positive impression for visitors.
Watching news on TV:
Photo-
Symbol of a culture that was once strong (Man On The Moon in ’69). A culture that is now weak. A culture that will yield the right of way to violators while pushing good citizens to the side & collecting big tax money all along the way.