Seattle is a true, blue progressive city. They’ve elected democrat mayors time and time again. The current mayor, Ed Murray, is a die-hard proggie. In 2013, The Seattle Times recommended voting for Murray as he “offers a return of pragmatic, effective leadership to City Hall.”
How’s that “pragmatic, effective leadership” working out? Let’s take a look and see what’s happening in Seattle, shall we?
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray
SEATTLE’S GUN TAX
Thanks to democrats’ new tax in Seattle, a gun store is packing up and moving out of Seattle. Sergey Solyanik, owner of Precise Shooter, is closing his gun shop and moving it to Lynnwood (just north of Seattle) after a December 2015 court ruling gave Seattle approval to impose a tax on gun sales. See my post on that story here.
SEATTLE’S EFFECTIVENESS IN DEALING WITH CRIME
Last December I did a post about how some Seattle neighborhoods are hiring their own security because police are a rare sighting in their areas. A week later, I did another post on how Seattle neighborhoods started a petition for more police. The petition states that criminal activity has become an epidemic in the area, but police presence remains lacking, and response to 911 calls continues to be slow.
How did the good mayor respond?
Murray told KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz that the city is adequately staffing the police force, and is further expanding it. He also said, “I inherited a police department that had basically stopped policing.” (Gee, where have I heard that phrase before?)
Maybe the mayor should paint more “rainbow” sidewalks to prevent crime.
Ed Murray and his rainbow sidewalks to prevent crimes.
SEATTTLE’S HOMELESSNESS PROBLEMS
The mayor issued an emergency order on homelessness in November and opened “safe lots” for homeless people living in RVs. Many residents aren’t happy with that at all.
“The Jungle” homeless camp in Seattle/AP Photo
“The Jungle” is a homeless encampment area that is approximately 100 acres in size. From Wikipedia: “The Jungle increasingly became a haven for criminals in the 2000s. Criminal activity has included assaults, rapes, prostitution, and murders. Residences in the Beacon Hill neighborhood have been burglarized by those staying in The Jungle. Gang members basing drug trade in the woods also became a concern. The Jungle is generally considered unsafe at any hour.“ Just the other day, five people were shot (with two dead) at the The Jungle.
How did the good mayor respond?
He issued a statement (read his full statement here):
“Mayor Murray calls for end of divisive rhetoric on homelessness. But this is a national tragedy. It should be a national emergency and it needs a national response. So part of what I am asking today is that we challenge each other to do better without denigrating each other. Instead of cooperation and a shared voice, we have seen too much division and extreme rhetoric about who homeless people are and how to solve the crisis. The reality is, to provide emergency shelter to the almost 3,000 people that remain on our streets would cost us another 49 million dollars a year – or double our current investment.”
And without federal funding to find a solution for the homeless problem the mayor said, “We would have to slash programs throughout the city, layoff hundreds of employees to do that.”
Pragmatic! Effective!
DCG