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Timothy Harris
Executive Director |
If you missed the Mayor’s State of the City address last week, you may be surprised to hear that while saving the planet, creating
jobs, and preserving housing affordability (!) are among his administration’s top accomplishments, his obsession with harassing the visible poor out of town by destroying their campsites did not make the list.
He did, however, praise our city’s spirit of innovation.
“Every good idea must run a gauntlet of skepticism,” he said. “The people of Seattle are a feisty bunch. They are protective of all that makes this city a great place to live, work and raise a family. We don’t change for change’s sake. Innovation must have a purpose — to make a difference in people’s lives.”
This from the man who initiated and pursued a draconian policy shift toward the city’s homeless in secret, and has avoided public accountability by formulating public policy through an internal administrative rules change process. They had their 15-day comment period, got thoroughly blasted at the public hearing, and will now let us know what they decide, thank you very much.
So good ideas run a “gauntlet of skepticism,” but bad ideas — and apparently the worse the idea, the more this holds true — get developed under deep bureaucratic cover.
Seattle’s “consistent and compassionate” policy on homeless encampments makes sleeping on any public city land a crime and trashes people’s survival gear while steadfastly refusing to answer the obvious question: Where are they supposed to go?
This March 13, Real Change needs you to help us fight the mayor’s very bad idea. Teams of feisty skeptics will spread through downtown
in shifts, offering a spirited gauntlet to the Mayor’s latest innovation. We will then camp overnight on City Hall Plaza and be joined by a final shift for morning rush-hour visibility. Turnout is everything. Make a commitment,
and bring your friends. More information at natalien@realchangenews.org. |
