The issue of homelessness and drug addiction is on the rise in cities throughout the country, but it is particularly noticeable in the northwest region.
Here, the problem has been allowed to thrive under the watch of progressive leaders.
Not long ago, it was reported that the Democrat mayor of Seattle is proposing to give ‘gift cards’ to homeless individuals battling drug addiction, which would enable them to seek treatment services.
This is the type of policy solution that is considered acceptable for progressive liberals.
On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council voted 5-4 to reject Council Bill 120586, which aimed to give the City Attorney’s office the power to prosecute cases related to drug possession and public drug use.
As a result, the responsibility for prosecuting drug-related offenses falls upon the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Prior to the city council’s vote, Leesa Manion, the Prosecutor for King County, wrote a letter to council members and Mayor Bruce Harrell, urging them to support and pass the proposed legislation.
The council vote’s outcome left Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison deeply outraged.
”I am outraged that today some City Councilmembers chose to take no action against the soaring opioid epidemic in Seattle,” stated Davison. ”Seattle will now be the only municipality in the State of Washington where it is legal to use hard drugs in public.”
As reported by KATV:
The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) provided KOMO News a statement regarding the city council vote:
”Seattle’s drug crisis is a public health emergency that is worsening by the day and one that demands urgent action. We see this emergency and its impacts daily in downtown. Allowing these conditions to persist is inhumane and unacceptable both for those in the throes of debilitating and life-threatening addiction and members of the public who are exposed to toxic fumes on our streets, in our parks and on our public transit systems. Our ambassador teams have been on the front lines of this epidemic, administering Narcan to 117 individuals since October 2022, including 91 people already this year.”
DSA’s statement went on to say that during what’s considered a ”critical time for recovery” in the downtown area, the use of drugs in public spaces is a significant factor in community members feeling unsafe in exploring the city or returning to work.
The statement also referenced a poll that indicated that 77% of voters agreed with the statement that ”Seattle’s hands-off approach to people using illegal drugs in public is contributing to rampant street crime and is making it much harder for downtown to recover.” According to DSA, 63% of those voters ”strongly agreed.”
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