Biting The Hand That Feeds You

Seattle City Council approved a 2022 budget  .....

Mayor Bruce Harrell Under Pressure ....

 ..... that cut police department spending by more than $7 million, and in all has cut the police budget by $36million since 2019 .... in short its de-funding of the Police makes it the capital of Woke, USA.

Now Seattle is also the headquarters of Amazon USA as well, and it has offices on Third Avenue and Pine Street, which employs 1,800 people (out of the 75,000 it employs in Seattle) ..... which has led to an embarrassing situation. 

Because the de-funding of the Seattle police, under the influence of the cancel culture, woke, BLM movements, has been accompanied by an upsurge in violent crimes such as assaults, and robberies, to the highest levels in 14 years, much of which has centred on the down-town area around the Amazon offices on Third Avenue and Pine Street. 

The crimes in the area have included major drug dealing and trafficking, multiple gun shootings, violent assaults and even a car-jacking, with a 15-year-old boy recently being shot and killed at the junction of Third Avenue and Pine Street.

This lawlessness led Amazon to decide in March 2022 to relocate its office staff in down-town Seattle to another site .... other businesses such as the cloud technology firm Qumulo, and several local McDonald's have also closed or relocated from Seattle's down-town area.

In its statement Amazon said that 'Given recent incidents near Third and Pine, we're providing employees currently at that location with alternative office space elsewhere. We are hopeful that conditions will improve and that we will be able to bring employees back to this location when it is safe to do so.'

Seattle's Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell, and city officials said in a statement that said 'While it will take time to reverse long-standing safety issues, Mayor Harrell's early efforts are critical first steps to address crime and improve safety through dedicated SPD officers, a mobile SPD precinct, and additional environmental changes. Mayor Harrell will continue to develop a comprehensive approach to public safety in collaboration with police and safety advocates, community members, service providers, and businesses, including Amazon, to activate, revitalize, and restore downtown for all.'

The previous Mayor, Jenny Durkan (Dem) had fallen out with the local council on the matter of public safety from the summer of 2020, many of whom (reportedly 6 of the 9), had even wanted "defunding of  the Seattle Police Department by 50% out of the box" ... the council rejected her pleas for more police funding, and basically ignored her Civil Emergency Order to add more Seattle Police Department retention and recruitment bonuses. Harrell had supported Durkan’s failed efforts to add police dollars in the last council-approved budget.

“I made it clear that during their budget debates that I was not sure if they were hearing what the voters wanted, as they still continue to talk about a defund (police) narrative. The fact of the matter is that the people want effective public safety and they want more eyes on the ground from a public safety perspective. So I will have to convince them (council members) and impress upon them that that’s what the voters want. So I will be aggressive there.” ... 

But apparently many of the local council members are not much interested in the voters safety concerns, well at least not the voters who aren't in their political, ethnic or social groups in their local districts/wards. The city is peculiarly one sided in its politics, with over 80% of the population voting Democrat and the majority of the city council in 2022-2023 is female (6 female and 3 male).

However, if the city starts to lose businesses, and jobs, and more importantly taxes because of businesses public safety concerns, then some of the more radical councillors may find themselves under pressure, although my observations of these sorts of people, is that often their personal political beliefs and agendas come above the general needs or common sense. 

But biting the hand that feeds you is a spectacularly stupid thing to do .... if Amazon upped and left, the city would likely crash under the economic shock, and these councillors who ignore that fact are just showing how blinded by their political agenda they are. So another major US city could go in to decline.

Premeditated, Violent Assault ......

This is what woke nonsense leads to, ignoring the reality of needing to police some groups criminal tendencies, just means that they run amok. A fact illustrated on a graphic surveillance video footage of 40 year old Alexander Jay committing an unprovoked multiple assault on 62 year old nurse Kim Hayes on March the 2nd 2022. 

No Help From These Witnesses ....

The assault occurred at the light rail Chinatown-International District station, near down-town, and was witnessed by two passer-bys who did nothing to help the woman ... its impossible to ignore the fact that the men in the video were all black, and the female victim was white .... BLM in action? 

Street Scum Alexander Jay

Mr Jay has been convicted 22 times in Washington state and California, including for burglary, theft, selling stolen property, drug possession, auto theft and multiple counts of domestic violence. In recent years the courts have issued more than 15 bench warrants to arrest him for failing to attend hearings. He was most recently convicted in 2021 for a house burglary.

His latest victim suffered a broken clavicle and three broken ribs after his punches and kicks on her body, and underwent surgery at Harborview Medical Center, where she had worked for 27 years. However Jay is also suspected of a stabbing that took place at a bus station at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street a short time after the assault on the nurse. He was arrested the next day and jailed on $150,000 bail (which no one has paid). In total, Jay has had seven court cases in King County in the last five years. There have been no riots in protest at his arrest, but also none in support of his victim.

During his trial in April, Jay was found to be incompetent and was ordered to receive three months of psychiatric treatment at an inpatient facility, but because he hasn't had that treatment since May the 9th, Washington State taxpayers have been footing the daily $250 paid in 'compensation' to Jay for each day he hasn't received treatment since then, and he could receive up to $17,000 from taxpayers if he didn’t get his court ordered mental health treatments.

Just one more small illustration of the society that's being created by the new woke world order.