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Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin
Seattle Crime ExaminerRob La Gatta is a Seattle-based writer who covers local crime at Seattle Crime Blog (www.seattlecrimeblog.com) with fellow journalist Mike Baldwin. They can be reached at seattlecrime@gmail.com.
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Making Seattle more livable, one homeless encampment at a time
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
News today of further progress in cleaning up Seattle's seedy underbelly:Seattle city workers expected to have a greenbelt on the west slope of Queen Anne Hill cleared of homeless encampments within a day. They found more stuff than they expected. [...] Within the first few hours of the city-mandated cleanup on Wednesday, crews filled a garbage truck with 4 ½ tons of debris before starting on a second truck.Combatting homelessness in a city where it is practically encouraged requires an iron fist approach. We may not be taking as many steps in that direction as we could, but the swift action towards eliminating encampments that we've seen recently shows that city is making progress.
Of course, there are complaints...and they aren't just coming from urban idealist Tim Harris:
"Homeless sweeps are not the answer," said the Rev. David Bloom, co-chairman of the local Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness.Having a "place to go" is by no means a guarantee in our country; that's something you have to earn by contributing in one way or another to the greater society (though how long it will take some of us to realize this remains to be seen). And making political decisions based on how "humane" their outcomes are is a surefire way to hinder urban progress.
"There's no place for people to go, and they're just trying to survive," he said. "To wipe out these encampments when people don't have a place to go is ludicrous. It's not humane."
There's a camp out at City Hall on June 8 aimed at protesting Seattle's approach to stopping homelessness. Let's hope some reason-minded folk take it upon themselves to make an appearance and show Mayor Nickels that not everyone in Seattle is ungrateful for the city's attempts to make our community livable. Hell, I may even drop by myself.
Topics: Politicians , Commentary
More from Seattle Crime Examiner
Slain sheriff's deputy killed after trying to help
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
Anne Jackson, the 40-year-old Skagit County Seriff's Deputy who was killed by Isaac Zamora during his murderous rampage earlier this week, was apparently responding to Zamora's actions out of sympathy for his family.As police begin to piece together... Read More
Topics: Murder , Isaac Zamora , Anne Jackson , Shooting Spree
$5 million bail for Skagit County killer
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
The man police believe was responsible for a killing spree that left six dead and two injured in Skagit County is being held on $5 million bail.Isaac Zamora, the mentally-ill suspect, apparently said nothing as he was arraigned in court today.Zamora's... Read More
Topics: Murder , Isaac Zamora , Skagit County , Shooting Spre
Skagit shooting a showcase in true terror
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
A mentally ill "known-criminal" has apparently carried out a murderous shooting spree in Skagit County, killing six people, including a Skagit County Sheriff's Deputy, and injured two more.Isaac Zamora of Alger appears to have walked through... Read More
Topics: Murder , Isaac Zamora , Skagit County , Shooting Spre
Time served for Folklife shooter
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
The man police say brought a loaded gun to the Folklife Festival at Seattle Center and accidentallly shot two people will serve no further jailtime.Clinton Chad Grainger, 22, pled guilty to two counts of third-degree assault and was... Read More
Topics: folk-life shooting , concealed weapons , gun ban
Child killer rightfully sentenced to death
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
True psycho Joseph Edward Duncan III has been sentenced to death by an Idaho jury.It's not Seattle news, but its northwest and I have to write about a truly sick man like Duncan. Duncan kidnapped a pair of children after murdering the... Read More
Topics: Murder , Joseph Edward Duncan III , Death Sentence
City Councilman Richard McIver: A study in stupidity
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
It's hard to say what happened to Richard McIver. Just a few months ago, he seemed to be a respectable member of the City Council. Then there was the incident with the wife, then the fines for awarding no-bid contracts, and now the... Read More
Topics: City of Seattle , Richard McIver
Let me call you back: I have to arrest a guy for talking on his phone
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
The state has made it so that you can't talk on your phone while driving. Pretty much unless you are currently on fire and your cars breaks have gone out while you hit speeds over 100 mph on a direct course with an orphanage and you... Read More
Topics: Commentary , Bizarre , Washington Law , Traffic , Seattle Crime , cell-phone law
Judge says no way to release of Paroline murder video
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
A King County judge has decided that releasing the video that allegedly shows Brian Keith Brown delivering a fatal punch to James Paroline, puts too many people at risk due to the volatile feelings surrounding the case.The July 9 video was... Read More
Topics: Murder , Justice System , Washington Law , James Paroline , Seattle Crime , Brian Keith Brown
Weed as a profitable crop
Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin - Seattle Crime Examiner
There was a time when weed busts consisted of federal agents swarming someone's suburban home to find 300 plants in their basement. It was the ultimate "getting the drugs out of our neighborhood" moment.Well, lately, it seems... Read More
Topics: Commentary , Drugs , Washington Law , Seattle Crime
