We Heart Seattle cleans up discarded needles that no one else will. Washington is investigating them.
We Heart Seattle cleans up discarded needles that no one else will. Washington is investigating them.
There is something deeply backwards about what is happening to We Heart Seattle. For nearly six years, the nonprofit’s team has gone into Seattle parks, greenbelts and neighborhoods to clean up abandoned tents, garbage, drug foil and used needles that the city government has ignored. Now the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is...
Release: New poll says two-thirds of Seattle voters disapprove of Mayor Katie Wilson; 60% say she should resign or be removed
Release: New poll says two-thirds of Seattle voters disapprove of Mayor Katie Wilson; 60% say she should resign or be removed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2026 Contact: contact@changewashington.org New poll: Two-thirds of Seattle voters disapprove of Mayor Katie Wilson; 60% say she should resign or be removed Majorities of Democrats and independents say Wilson should resign or be removed from office SEATTLE — A new poll of Seattle registered voters finds Mayor Katie Wilson facing widespread...
Washington Wanted a More Compassionate Drug Policy. Overdose Deaths Nearly Tripled.
Washington Wanted a More Compassionate Drug Policy. Overdose Deaths Nearly Tripled.
For years, Washingtonians have been asked to trust that growing public investments, new programs, and a less punitive approach to addiction would eventually reduce the suffering visible in communities across the state. Many people wanted that approach to succeed. They still do. But as the problem worsens here (homelessness increased by 9% in the last...
KCRHA Was Warned. Eina Kwon’s Family Says It Failed to Act.
KCRHA Was Warned. Eina Kwon’s Family Says It Failed to Act.
Three years after Eina Kwon and her unborn daughter, Evelyn, were killed in a random shooting in downtown Seattle, her husband has filed a lawsuit alleging that the tragedy followed a series of warnings the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) failed to adequately address. The wrongful-death and personal-injury lawsuit filed by Sung Kwon raises...
KCRHA Is Finally Being Held Accountable. But Will Anything Change?
KCRHA Is Finally Being Held Accountable. But Will Anything Change?
For years, Seattle and King County residents have been told that homelessness would improve if government spent more money, created new programs, and built larger bureaucracies to coordinate the response. Many people wanted to believe that approach would work. Instead, public spending has continued to climb while more people are living outside, often struggling with...
Aurora Residents Shouldn’t Have to March for Basic Safety
Aurora Residents Shouldn’t Have to March for Basic Safety
On Saturday night, hundreds of Seattle residents gathered along Aurora Avenue carrying a simple message: “Stop Sex Trafficking. No More Shootings.” That shouldn’t be a controversial demand. The people who showed up weren’t political activists looking for a fight. They were neighbors, parents, business owners, and community members frustrated by a reality that has been...
Snohomish County Debates a Smarter, Bolder Approach to Addiction
Snohomish County Debates a Smarter, Bolder Approach to Addiction
After a decade of steep increases in overdose deaths, Snohomish County officials are debating a new strategy to help those struggling with their drug addiction. The new methods promote treatment and recovery from drugs and are an alternative to the controversial “Harm Reduction” drug policies that have been in place while drug-related deaths skyrocketed. Snohomish...
Why Dow Constantine Bears Responsibility for Our Region’s Homelessness Crisis
Why Dow Constantine Bears Responsibility for Our Region’s Homelessness Crisis
Recent headlines paint a troubling picture of King County’s regional homelessness system — one in turmoil, riddled with financial mismanagement, and lacks accountability to taxpayers. “$13M missing: Seattle leaders call attention to ‘egregious’ regional homeless audit“ — KOMO News, April 23, 2026 “Councilmember Rivera, County Councilmember Dembowski call for KCRHA to be dissolved“ — Seattle...
Washington’s 2026 Session: Are We Getting What We’re Paying For?
Washington’s 2026 Session: Are We Getting What We’re Paying For?
A Tax Reversal That Raises Process Questions In 2024, the Washington State House of Representatives passed citizen’s initiative 2111 — an income tax ban — by a 76-21 vote. The Senate followed 38-11. Over 400,000 citizens had signed petitions to place the initiatives in front of the legislature. Yet, just two years later, the legislature...
The Issues Mayor Wilson Chose Not to Address
The Issues Mayor Wilson Chose Not to Address
On February 17, Mayor Wilson gave her first major speech since defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell in last November’s elections. From the moment she stepped on the stage at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, it was evident Wilson’s inexperienced team had failed to perform basic advance work as the new mayor had technical issues with...
Bill would impose Seattle-style encampments onto every Washington community
Bill would impose Seattle-style encampments onto every Washington community
New legislation authored by seven-term State Representative Mia Gregerson (D – Sea-Tac), would prohibit local governments from enforcing their anti-camping and loitering laws unless they navigate a series of nearly impossible state requirements. It would effectively return cities to the frustrating period before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Grants Pass v Johnson in June...
Interview with Ginny Burton on her new book The Gabriel Plan
Interview with Ginny Burton on her new book The Gabriel Plan
Ginny Burton has earned a spot in the debate on how we should respond to our region’s worsening homelessness and drug emergencies. She has overcome many tough life experiences and is now seeking to help others who are currently suffering due to failed policies. She first witnessed the problems as a drug addicted teenager who...
New Seattle mayor stumbles in her first days in office
New Seattle mayor stumbles in her first days in office
Within hours of being sworn into office, new Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson instantly stumbled into a major controversary over her administration imposing a significant change to how Seattle police officers handle incidents involving the possession and public use of lethal drugs. Seattle Police Chief Shon F. Barnes notified his officers of these changes in a...
WA officials file lawsuit to tragically keep failing homeless policies in place
WA officials file lawsuit to tragically keep failing homeless policies in place
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Attorney General Nick Brown announced that Washington State joined a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration to allow state and local governments to continue controversial “Housing First” homelessness policies. These ineffective measures, which disregard the role of mental illness and addiction in rising homelessness, have resulted in an 80% more people...