XPost: seattle.politics, talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.society.liberalism, or.politics   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Signs and shouts filled Seattle City Council chambers Tuesday night as   
   councilmembers voted to approve an ordinance making the use or possession   
   of illicit drugs a gross misdemeanor.   
      
   "You have blood on your hands," activists can be heard shouting after the   
   6-3 vote in a video by journalist Jonathan Choe.   
      
   Critics call it a War on Drugs 2.0, but supporters hope enforcement will   
   improve public safety and help push addicts into treatment.   
      
   SEATTLE BUS DRIVERS GETTING SICK FROM FENTANYL SMOKE ON CITY BUSES AMID   
   DRUG, HOMELESSNESS CRISIS: REPORT   
      
   Those who use or possess illegal drugs in the Emerald City can be subject   
   to gross misdemeanor charges, although the ordinance does encourage police   
   to prioritize diversion. A gross misdemeanor allows a judge to impose more   
   jail time than under a regular misdemeanor.   
      
   But the council's bill recommends arrests only when an individual   
   "presents a threat of harm to others," The Seattle Times reported.   
      
   "I hope that we see a measurable increase in the number of people who are   
   getting well, who are taking advantage of services and who are getting off   
   the street," Councilmember Andrew Lewis said, according to KING 5. "And I   
   hope that we see accountability for people who are declining those   
   services, who continue to disrupt public services on our streets by not   
   taking advantage of them."   
      
   Lewis and Councilmember Lisa Herbold both voted in favor of the revised   
   ordinance after originally voting against it in June.   
      
   'THEY WERE LAUGHING': WOMAN VICIOUSLY BEATEN AT SEATTLE-AREA GAS STATION   
   OVER CASH, CIGS AND CANDY   
      
   The city ordinance mirrors Washington state's misdemeanor drug possession   
   law passed earlier this year after the state's supreme court ruled its   
   previous felony drug law was unconstitutional. The state law makes drug   
   use and knowing possession punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a $1,000   
   fine, or both.   
      
   Councilmember Tammy Morales, who voted against the ordinance twice, called   
   the bill "ineffective."   
      
   "It adds potential racial harm and makes false promises at a time when   
   folks are desperate for solutions," Morales said. "This bill is   
   unnecessary, dare I say performative."   
      
   The bill will take effect 30 days after Mayor Bruce Harrell signs it,   
   which he pledged to do in a statement after the vote.   
      
   "As soon as this bill reaches my desk, I will sign it," Harrell wrote,   
   calling the vote a "needed step forward" to address Seattle's drug   
   epidemic.   
      
   WASHINGTON MAYOR CLAIMS SHE’S BEING HARASSED AFTER CALLING 911 ON ‘FAR   
   RIGHT’ ACTIVISTS AT WALMART   
      
   There have been 761 fatal overdoses involving fentanyl so far this year in   
   King County, already surpassing last year's fentanyl deaths, according to   
   public health data.   
      
   "Fentanyl is tragically killing thousands in our city and around the   
   country, and we need urgency and innovative solutions to make change,"   
   Harrell said.   
      
   About a dozen people lined the back of council chambers, holding signs   
   listing "reasons why we cannot allow [Seattle Police Department] to use   
   their discretion." One sign referenced a recently released video showing   
   an officer joking and laughing about a woman who was struck and killed by   
   a patrol car.   
      
   "Our police department doesn’t care about the law," community member   
   Alexander Mayben said, according to the Times. "Our police department   
   appears to be inconvenienced at best by the need to ensure public safety."   
      
   knights-who-say-ni   
   14 hours ago   
      
   So the Democrat's said lets decriminalize drug use as it's unfair to put   
   drug users in jail.   
      
   Let's give them clean needles to use to enable their drug use.   
      
   Let's give them a safe place they can shoot up their drugs.   
      
   Let's ignore open air drugs deals on our streets so they can get their   
   next high.   
      
   Let's enable them by allowing them to sleep and leave human waste on our   
   streets.   
      
   Let's enable them by passing out free food and cash handouts.   
      
   Let's enable them by making shoplifting legal so they can steal to support   
   their addiction.   
      
   Let's show empathy by allowing them to slowly poison themselves to death   
   on our streets.   
      
   jimmyhornblower   
   14 hours ago   
      
   What's perplexing to me is how all of these people survived the PANDEMIC   
   with no medical care, masks, vaccines or social distancing.   
      
   If Covid were a real health risk, wouldn't there have been scores of dead   
   people in the streets?  Yet the homeless population just continued to   
   grow.   
      
   Odd.   
      
   https://www.foxnews.com/us/blood-hands-activists-decry-ban-public-drug-   
   use-passed-blue-city-leaders   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)