4 ms·

When I was out there last fall, we stayed in Belltown and walked all over. I'm wondering, where was all this squalor you speak of? I came out with a very differ

When I was out there last fall, we stayed in Belltown and walked all over. I'm wondering, where was all this squalor you speak of? I came out with a very different impression of the city than you describe. Obviously you would know better, so I'm just wondering, did I get lucky?

fwip 7y ago
I live in Seattle and take the bus to work downtown every day. I think I've seen, maybe three needles in five years.
- thomasmeeks 7y ago
  I've lived in Seattle for 1.5 years. I became numb to the hyperbole around the homeless problem here in 6 months. One side is talking facts, experimentation, and trying new things. The other side is talking feelings, fears, and taking every misstep as an opportunity to abandon any notion of solving the problem in an ethical way. It is really interesting, especially on a site like HN, because the latter is directly contrary to the ethos of most startups.
  - exolymph 7y ago
    https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anythin...
tony_cannistra 7y ago
The geography of homelessness in Seattle still eludes me, but Belltown just isn't one of the high-concentration areas. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Pioneer Square and the International District are hotspots. This may be due to shelters and missions (places to get food and housing) being more concentrated there. Homelessness and drug use also comes in very different forms even within Seattle; I live in Ballard, and most of our homeless and drug-addicted community lives in beaten-up RVs parked on the side of the road.
prestonh 7y ago
Perhaps you got lucky. Belltown isnt as bad as some other areas, but in my one year of daily walking commutes through Belltown I saw 1. A person OD'd (presumably dead) at a bus stop 2. Someone passed out, face down in the gutter 3. Multiple people shooting up (usually pants down, shooting into leg) 4. A guy that would regularly walk around shouting and gesturing angrily, making everyone near by visibly anxious 5. One guy literally rolling around in the middle of the street during rush hour, holding up busses and cars 6. A fight, fortunately broken up caused by a homeless guy spitting on another guy 7. People selling stolen goods in the open 8. Finally, some guy got shot in an alley in the middle of broad daylight on like, a Tuesday a couple weeks back. Not offering suggestions, merely documenting my experiences. I am genuinely glad you had a good trip to Seattle, though

fwip 7y ago

I live in Seattle and take the bus to work downtown every day. I think I've seen, maybe three needles in five years.

thomasmeeks 7y ago
I've lived in Seattle for 1.5 years. I became numb to the hyperbole around the homeless problem here in 6 months. One side is talking facts, experimentation, and trying new things. The other side is talking feelings, fears, and taking every misstep as an opportunity to abandon any notion of solving the problem in an ethical way. It is really interesting, especially on a site like HN, because the latter is directly contrary to the ethos of most startups.
- exolymph 7y ago
  https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anythin...

tony_cannistra 7y ago

The geography of homelessness in Seattle still eludes me, but Belltown just isn't one of the high-concentration areas. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Pioneer Square and the International District are hotspots. This may be due to shelters and missions (places to get food and housing) being more concentrated there. Homelessness and drug use also comes in very different forms even within Seattle; I live in Ballard, and most of our homeless and drug-addicted community lives in beaten-up RVs parked on the side of the road.

prestonh 7y ago

Perhaps you got lucky. Belltown isnt as bad as some other areas, but in my one year of daily walking commutes through Belltown I saw 1. A person OD'd (presumably dead) at a bus stop 2. Someone passed out, face down in the gutter 3. Multiple people shooting up (usually pants down, shooting into leg) 4. A guy that would regularly walk around shouting and gesturing angrily, making everyone near by visibly anxious 5. One guy literally rolling around in the middle of the street during rush hour, holding up busses and cars 6. A fight, fortunately broken up caused by a homeless guy spitting on another guy 7. People selling stolen goods in the open 8. Finally, some guy got shot in an alley in the middle of broad daylight on like, a Tuesday a couple weeks back. Not offering suggestions, merely documenting my experiences. I am genuinely glad you had a good trip to Seattle, though