20.1M views · Mar 19, 2019 · 1:00:36 · 10 HN recommenders · 20 mentions · discussed 2019–2024
A one-hour 2019 KOMO News documentary hosted by Eric Johnson on Seattle's homelessness and drug crisis, with interviews and looks at proposed solutions including a drug court program in Rhode Island. It argues addiction and mental illness are at the core of the problem.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN commenters cite it in homelessness threads about San Francisco and Seattle as an eye-opening, widely viewed argument for treatment-first policy, though some see it as pro-law-enforcement framing.
“Seattle Is Dying” is a great investigative report about the problems and potential solutions to homelessness.”HN comment, 2019
“Seattle Is Dying” is a great investigative report about the problems and potential solutions to homelessness.”
Investigative report on homelessness problems and potential solutions, applicable to SF.
“Seattle Is Dying” is a great investigative report about the problems and potential solutions to homelessness. Also applicable to SF. this video
“A local news station released a great documentary called "Seattle is Dying". It has 10 million views”
Great documentary behind a 'Rehab First' view; 10 million views.
I don't have any experience with the housing issue in California, but got involved a while back trying to find pragmatic solutions in Seattle. The situation is a mess and there is an entire "homeless industrial complex" complicating matters here, rife with fraud, misspending and cronyism. Every year it seems like many millions of dollars more are spent on this issue but it keeps getting visibly worse. At first I was in the "Housing First" crowd, but after my experiences I would say I more firmly believe in "Rehab First". A local news station released a great documentary called "Seattle is Dying". It has 10 million views since released a couple of years ago. this video The sequel is "The Fight For the Soul of Seattle". link
“A good video on the topic”
Documentary arguing homelessness is a symptom of drug epidemic.
A good video on the topic: this video It’s not a homelessness crisis. Homelessness is a symptom. Our cities are in the grips of a heroin & meth epidemic. Until we acknowledge that, it won’t get better.
“Here's a recent exposé about homelessness in Seattle”
Expose arguing addiction and mental illness are the real problems.
Here's a recent exposé about homelessness in Seattle: this video My takeaway: drug addiction and mental illness are the real problems. Homelessness is just a symptom of the disease. Why does that distinction matter? Building affordable housing without infrastructure and services to address addiction and mental health will not work.
“For helpful information on Rhode Island's program I recommend the last 20 min of this documentary”
Last 20 minutes cover Rhode Island's drug court program.
Rhode Island (where I used to live before Seattle) is a blue state with functioning prosecutors that actually prosecute charges for misdemeanors and crimes, but they offer sentenced individuals the alternative of entering the drug court system for mandatory interned rehab, or the mental health system. People going through the system say it saved their life. Intervention works. West coast states do have similar drug courts, but since crimes are not prosecuted and misdemeanor charges are routinely vacated there is no incentive for people to actually be helped. For helpful information on Rhode Island's program I recommend the last 20 min of this documentary: this video
“I agree it was very eye opening.”
Eye-opening documentary on Seattle homelessness with millions of views.
I was just thinking of that documentary. I agree it was very eye opening. Looks like it stands at 3.9M views currently. I read an article about it that the journalist brought a lot of ire his way producing that blunt exposition. If I remember correctly there was a PR campaign to undo his work or something along those lines. Direct YouTube link: this video
“The situation in this documentary is similar to SF.”
Documentary on a situation similar to San Francisco.
There is this documentary called "Seattle is dying" by KOMO news: this video The situation in this documentary is similar to SF.
“I recommend watching a documentary called "Seattle is Dying" [1] to see why just being nice is not a solution.”
Shows why just being nice is not a solution.
> This is GP's entire point. Given the freedom to choose what to do, "do nothing" is not a common choice. In a world where everyone has the option to say, "I don't want to work", most won't actually say that, especially in the long term. Absolutely wrong? The U-3 unemployment rate always lags 3-7% behind the U-6: link To suggest up to 7% of people just not looking for a job is "not a common choice" is terribly misleading. Even during good periods for the economy, the number sits around 4%. I don't expect that number to get smaller by adding UBI. Do you? > Why fairness? The system we have now is incredibly unfair. UBI would at least provide more fairness by removing wage slavery. Why not fairness? How many individuals can you speak to who have done _literally anything_ to invest in their career skills who are earning "wage slavery" levels of pay? If you're 30 years old, and the best thing you can do is make Subway sandwiches... what are you doing with your life? > 2. Addictions are already putting people in poverty, and the best solution is recovery from those addictions. That recovery requires access to healthcare. Access to healthcare and UBI are different discussions entirely. And often "access to healthcare" by itself is not sufficient to get people to stop being addicted. You actually have to hold them accountable. I recommend watching a documentary called "Seattle is Dying" [1] to see why just being nice is not a solution. > 3. Children are people who can't really mana
“A good overview of the Seattle situation can be found in a couple documentaries”
Good overview of Seattle's crime and homelessness situation.
Some jurisdictions do, particularly in smaller cities like suburbs, where police staff aren't fully occupied with higher priority calls. However, many bigger cities are simply too understaffed compared to the past, and ignore property crimes as you say. This is especially true in West Coast cities like SF, Portland, and Seattle. For example Seattle has lost hundreds of police officers in the last year due to the push for defunding, hostile attitudes towards police from activists/local politicians, and the opportunity to have a less stressful/better paying job elsewhere after a very rough year dealing with near-daily rioting. At present, the city has only around 1000 officers and it is expected to lose some more due to the vaccine mandate. This is around half of what the average city has per capita, and in the last decade the effects of a lenient city attorney, crime-friendly local government focused on "restorative justice", and falling per capita officer counts has led to a massive increase in crimes. Just like in SF, people have given up on even reporting them since even if someone is arrested, the city attorney will just release them anyways, and insurance claims require a deductible. Even businesses have given up on crime reporting (example: link ). A good overview of the Seattle situation can be found in a couple documentaries, "Seattle is Dying" ( this video ) and "The Fight for the Soul of Seattle" ( link ). The city's transformation from a safe clean city to what it
“Here is thorough documentary outlining over and over again police prevented from enforcing law by politicians”
Thorough documentary on police prevented from enforcing law by politicians.
I don't understand how any of you can see this as a lack of will from police rather than political policy coming from above them. Here is thorough documentary outlining over and over again police prevented from enforcing law by politicians, who also don't charge or incarcerate criminals who cops arrest repeatedly. this video Similar policies exist in other cities like San Francisco.
It's honestly an epidemic and people have to admit it's mostly due to meth and heroin--it's not all due to housing prices. Yes, housing affordability is absolutely a real issue and there are people being displaced and actually are homeless from it--but that's not the real source if this crisis. We literally have THOUSANDS of mentally ill and criminally insane drug addicts all over the city in a constant state of anarchy. For example, I live in a decent area (near Noe Valley) and constantly have homeless people in our carport area of our building. The landlord refuses to install a security camera, and actually removed the dummy security cameras which is now making the problem worse. I have had my car broken into like 8 times in 5 years. Every single night there are 2-3 of the same tweakers and addicts down there doing drugs, screaming all night, leaving needles and feces all over. I call the cops 2-3x a day and the cops show up probably 1/50 times but they never actually do anything but shoo them along and then they come back in 2 hours. I've left messages for the local SFPD Sergeant, I've gone to community meetings and asking for more patrols, I've written my supervisor. NOTHING has changed. This is a miserable way to live when you already have a stressful job and have hard work. I truly do not want to live my life in a city like this. The cops do nothing, DAs don't prosecute, juries don't convict, and judges don't sentence--yet housing prices are $2.5M for the privilege of h
“Is KOMO News also a "right wing hackjob of a publication"?”
Cites KOMO as another outlet, rhetorically.
The article is by KIRO7 news staff. Is KOMO News also a "right wing hackjob of a publication"? this video
Yeah, I guess FL and TX are more conservative which I lean... However, I think my view of what a conservative is and some others differ a bit.. I heard some people are running as Republicans just because they feel that’s what will give them the votes even if they aren’t really truly aligned. Then again I even disagree with a few ideas too. I guess you have to pick a label though. I’m for smaller government, leaving people alone if they aren’t harming anyone else, so personal freedoms and spending where they break even so spending within their means. I know the governor here raised the gas taxes, and people on Facebook were commenting saying he isn't even a real Republican... Not sure how true that is or not. Not sure about the more spread out part. I know a lot of places are designed around the car but I hear that’s even a problem in Los Angeles. Miami is supposed to be a walkable city, then Austin too... but been looking at Austin as an area to move to once I start having some success but it seems only downtown is really walkable. So seems like having a car would be useful unless using Uber or Lyft if you rarely go outside of the downtown area. If money wasn’t an issue I’m not really sure where I’d want to live... Maybe Austin but not sure if forever would want to live there. One of the largest cities with unsynchronized traffic lights apparently as traffic is really bad there. But I guess they are a growing city with growing pains, some statistic says 100 people a day move
“This assumes everyone wants to get better. As demonstrated here, not everyone does”
Shows people who don't want to get better.
This assumes everyone wants to get better. As demonstrated here, not everyone does: this video What do you do in cases like that if prison is off the table?
“The vast bulk of the Seattle homeless are homeless due to drug and alcohol addiction.”
Cited as evidence that addiction underlies Seattle homelessness.
> the negative externality of rising housing prices forcing people onto the streets The vast bulk of the Seattle homeless are homeless due to drug and alcohol addiction. this video Even "60 Minutes" did a segment on it in the last year, and they kept finding drug and alcohol addiction underlying the problems of the Seattle homeless they profiled.
“KOMO in particular did the Seattle is Dying[1] documentary that was ultimately pro law-enforcement”
Example of KOMO's pro-law-enforcement framing.
While The Stranger is obviously pretty left-wing, KOMO, KIRO and MyNorthWest are pretty right-wing, actually. KOMO in particular did the Seattle is Dying[1] documentary that was ultimately pro law-enforcement (framing the homelessness debate largely as a problem with judges not sentencing detained criminals, leading to a reduction in arrests as police felt they were useless). Jason Rantz[2] gets a fair bit of publicity out here as well for his conservative coverage of this stuff. Now I'd say your statement about "extremely biased and partisan" is accurate, but the implication was that it's exclusively in a pro-protestor sense, and that's really not the case. I say this as someone who lives on the political fringes and generally disagrees with both sides of the partisanship. [1] this video [2] link ?
“Checkout these interviews on Youtube”
Interview cited as evidence addicts must commit to change.
> Have you actually talked to them? yes. Everyone has their own story. Checkout these interviews on Youtube: LA - link Seattle - this video The homeless I talked with in Boulder romanticize camping forever along the creeks and being free from society, while trying to leach off of public services. > Do you know why they prefer their lifestyle? Drug addiction, mental health, and in some cases lack of family support. > that drug addiction is a lifestyle choice Drug addiction is a choice. Based on my very limited personal experiences, you gotta commit to making a change (see above videos). Many addicts just aren't ready to leave their vices for a better life. No amount of rehab will help someone if they aren't ready to commit to a change. > society failed them. Sorry if this sounds conservative, but trying to blame other people for your problems doesn't really get you any where. Society throws problems at everyone, some more than others. Laying around complaining or rejecting it doesn't improve anyone's situation. People need to apply critical thinking skills and tackle their own issues (hence the need for an addict needing to commit to the idea of solving the problem of their addiction). Ex-homeless/addicts getting together to correct "society failed" them problems via AA meetings is an excellent example of people that apply critical thinking skills and try to help.
“Check out how many extreme repeat offenders are immediately released without punishment”
Cited for repeat offenders released without punishment.
> ...effectively pulling a depolicing strike in response to criticism and legislative action trying to hold them responsible for their failings. That is a vast overgeneralization. Check out how many extreme repeat offenders are immediately released without punishment: this video Seattle Police officers are literally reduced to _bribing criminals with candy_: this video
“This documentary on Seattle's homeless problem[0] says that homelessness and drug addiction are the same thing.”
Documentary claiming homelessness and drug addiction are the same thing.
This documentary on Seattle's homeless problem[0] says that homelessness and drug addiction are the same thing. It claims that almost every homeless person is addicted, and that society as a whole is ignoring the connection for some reason. [0]: this video
“Criminals with 34 cases since 2014 including allegations of attempted rape out on the streets.”
Cited for repeat offenders left on the streets.
In Seattle at least, this wouldn't be surprising. Criminals with 34 cases since 2014 including allegations of attempted rape out on the streets. Why book someone when the cases go nowhere? this video Another highlight: this video They finally created a program last year to address repeat offenders: link
