Recently the residents of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District held several protest rallies in opposition to a homeless megaplex proposed by King County Executive Dow Constantine that would house hundreds of people.

Unfortunately, Constantine seems determined to ram the project through regardless of public feedback. While protesters have put appropriate pressure on the Seattle City Council, it’s also up to Mayor Bruce Harrell to stand up for his constituents by withholding city funding and support for it.

The situation is a microcosm of many problems contributing to the homelessness crisis, namely a lack of accountability from publicly elected officials. Hardly any discussion, if at all, was held with residents prior to the proposal earlier this year, and that lack of communication is in part the reason for the intensity of these protests.

Make Your Voice Heard on Homelessness!

Contact Mayor Harrell’s office and the entire City Council and tell them to withdraw funding and support for King County’s homeless megaplex until public safety issues are addressed.

Contact King County Executive Dow Constantine and tell him you’re opposed to the homeless megaplex in Chinatown!

Another reason for the resistance is fear over increased crime at a time when the neighborhood is already suffering from it to the point where small businesses have closed shop and moved. While the homeless themselves aren’t a major source of crime, their substance addictions attract drug dealers and users. Should crime or drug activity increase as a direct or indirect result of this new shelter, the current police force is also inadequately staffed as it is.

The apprehensive of local residents is shared by Seattle Police Officers Guild president Mike Solan, who told Discovery Institute journalist Jonathan Choe “Can you imagine the number of 911 calls that are going to be produced from that area?”

Constantine and others involved in this project should have first consulted Chinatown residents before deciding to move forward with it. In nearby Bellevue, it took nearly a decade for a 100-person men’s homeless shelter to be approved by the City Council following extensive community outreach.

In contrast, the county is trying to ram this through in less than a year, and rather than address meaningful reservations they’re holding dog and pony show-style meetings.

As Chinatown community advocate Matt Chen told Choe:

“Who are they really inviting to these meetings that they claim represents the Chinatown-International district? That’s really a problem, because again (for) deep and meaningful engagement, you’ve got to get down to the street level. It’s called the international district because there’s a number of different groups. All those people have to have a voice.”

The problem is Chinatown is used to having its voice not heard when it comes to homelessness. In 2017 the community was kept in the dark regarding a city plan for a 24-hour living “Navigation Center,” and when meetings were finally held due to resident criticism, city officials effectively told them the project itself was not up for discussion.

On top of the police officer shortage, the county is shifting toward a “catch-and-release” policy when it comes to criminals. The King County Prosecutor’s Office has already set up a Restorative Community Pathways program for juveniles that allows first-time offenders to get social services rather than face jailtime, and it’s planning to roll out a similar program soon for adults. Between the two candidates seeking to replace Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Federal Way Mayor Jim Farrell wants to reform the RCP, while King County Prosecutor Chief of Staff Leesa Manion wants to invest further in “diversion” from prosecution. If there is more crime in Chinatown as a result of this shelter, whoever replaces Satterberg will decide whether those cases end up in court or a program completely independent of the judiciary.

Further, crime doesn’t have to go up significantly to alter Chinatown’s perception of a fun place to shop and eat, especially before and after sporting events. A handful of serious violent crimes connected to the homeless shelter could brand it as an unsafe neighborhood and tarnish it’s reputation for a long time. Also, as University of Delaware homelessness researcher Stephen Metraux told The Seattle Times, “it risks becoming a dumping ground for homeless people.” Just as a community doesn’t want to be known for its crime, it doesn’t want to be known as a congregating place for the homeless, whether in government-run shelters or those seeking handouts.  

Although Harrel has made public remarks that this is a county project, a county press release published in March announcing the megacomplex describes it as a “partnership” with the city, which is contributing $5 million to it. While that’s not much when compared to the $66.5 million the county intends to spend on the overall project, Harrell and the City Council should nevertheless pull funding and along with any participation from the city, at least until certain concerns are adequately addressed.

In his State of the City speech in January, Harrell talked about “going back to basics” when it comes to good governance. In our view, good governance means elected officials communicating frequently with residents on matters that affect them and consulting with them on ideas that could have negative ramifications before deciding whether to continue. Drumming up plans and then talking only if and when residents speak up is the precise opposite, yet that is what occurred in this instance.

For those who don’t live in Chinatown or near it and maybe wonder why they should care, the truth is that this debate is about more than a single homeless shelter project. This is about a way of governing at a regional level that has helped exacerbate the homelessness crisis, and it goes even further than that. This “better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission” leadership mentality has been applied to other matters including crime, another ongoing regional crisis that has wreaked havoc on both Chinatown as well as other places in King County.

With the project still not yet over and done, it’s critical to halt it now and allow meaningful dialogue to occur. This is as good an opportunity as ever to also set elected officials straight on how to approach these matters moving forward.

Contact Mayor Harrell’s office and the entire City Council and tell them to withdraw funding and support for King County’s homeless megaplex until the community is engaged (or listened to…) and public safety issues are addressed.

Contact King County Executive Dow Constantine and tell him you’re opposed to the homeless megaplex in Chinatown!