XPost: alt.society.homeless, seattle.politics, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: sac.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: leroysoetoro@americans-first.com   
      
   https://komonews.com/news/local/lake-city-double-homicide-encampment-   
   clearing-safety-concerns-homeless-unhoused-tents-crime-gun-violence-   
   public-safety-police#   
      
   SEATTLE — A double homicide at a Seattle park became the tipping point for   
   a community overwhelmed by the impacts of homeless camps.   
      
   On Friday, people in Lake City called for community-led solutions to the   
   crisis, saying elected leaders have failed them too many times. They have   
   enlisted the help of We Heart Seattle, a nonprofit outreach group, who   
   will have ambassadors walking the streets looking to make a difference.   
      
   Organizers told KOMO News they feel the Lake City neighborhood has been   
   abandoned by the city and their parks have been overtaken by encampments   
   where open drug use is prevalent.   
      
   "We need help, we need support, and maybe it’s time for a reboot because   
   we are not getting the results that we need. We have problems with drug   
   addiction, homelessness, and we continue to have tragedy in our public   
   spaces,” said Linda Pruitt, one of the community members.   
      
   The deadly shootings happened Monday night at Virgil Flaim Park on NE   
   123rd Street and sent bystanders running for cover.   
      
   Seattle police said two men were shot and found by officers amid a cluster   
   of tents, which were next to a skate park and children’s playground. The   
   gunman took off running and is still being sought.   
      
   Seattle’s Unified Care Team (UCT) posted notices the next day that the   
   camp would be cleared, then arrived Wednesday morning to remove any   
   remaining tents and the trash that had been left behind.   
      
   A spokesperson said there had been dozens of attempts at outreach and   
   offers of shelter in recent months prior to the shooting.   
      
   “We know that the encampment that was here just moved a couple blocks down   
   into another park,” said Tim Gaydos, a Lake City resident.   
      
   We Heart Seattle, a privately-funded outreach group, said its ambassadors   
   will fan out through the neighborhood to discourage camping, refer people   
   to drug treatment services and remove trash.   
      
   “It's time to put our foot down and restore our parks for equitable access   
   for all, restore them to the intended use as Mayor Harrell promised," said   
   Andrea Suarez, the founder of We Heart Seattle.   
      
   Many said what's needed is a new approach to the drug abuse and homeless   
   crisis that plays out on Lake City's streets.   
      
   “Somebody has to be accountable, and the people who have to be accountable   
   are the homeless folks themselves,” said Richard Ridout, who used to live   
   on the streets himself but now owns Lil’ Tiger Ice Cream in Lake City.   
      
   Andrew Constantino spoke of his own prior drug addiction and what   
   convinced him turn his life around.   
      
   “One of the things that helped me get control over my life was friction,   
   the friction of being arrested or being held accountable for some of my   
   antisocial behaviors, of which there were many,” Constantino said. “It   
   gave me time, some sober time, to reflect on the choices I was making and   
   then that led me to seek treatment."   
      
   Rachael Savage, a candidate for the District 8 at-large seat on the   
   Seattle City Council, is pushing for a citywide camping ban.   
      
   “We need to ban camping in Seattle, and I believe the citizens of Seattle   
   are with me. They're ready to do it,” Savage said. “These are failed   
   policies, allowing camping all over the city. We have to change it, and we   
   can."   
      
   A spokesperson for Seattle’s Unified Care Team (UCT), which oversees   
   encampment outreach and removals, said Lake City parks will be inspected   
   three times a week to discourage camping as well as to remove trash. UCT-   
   coordinated outreach workers will also continue to follow up with the   
   homeless who moved their tents after Virgil Flaim park was cleared.   
      
   According to UCT, “many individuals who outreach has interacted with at   
   Virgil Flaim since June have either accepted offers for shelter or are   
   actively working with providers to prepare for specialized placements or   
   permanent housing. Outreach workers also indicated that some individuals   
   present at these sites were already housed.”   
      
   The city spokesperson pointed out that from 2022 to 2024, there was a 62%   
   decrease in shots-fired incidents related to encampments or involving a   
   person experiencing homelessness, and fires at encampments decreased by   
   45% during that same timeframe.   
      
   Lake City residents said they’ve heard these kinds of assurances before,   
   which is why they have partnered with We Heart Seattle.   
      
   “We're going to come out and put an emphasis on this forgotten community,"   
   Suarez said.   
      
      
   --   
   November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump.  We look   
   forward to America being great again.   
      
   We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that   
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   Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.   
      
   Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama   
   / Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.   
      
   Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the   
   The World According To Garp.  Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood   
   queer liberal democrat donors.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)