It’s hard to trust any profession anymore. None of them would exist without the problem they fix. So, the homeless industrial complex cultivates homelessness, the mental health professionals cultivate mental unhealth, the medical health care industry cultivates sickness, the pharmaceutical industry cultivates drug dependency, the climate change lobby cultivates climate change, the prison system cultivates criminals, the drug addiction treatment centers cultivate addiction, the public school system cultivates ignorance, the harm reduction people cultivate harm, and on it goes.
The grift of our times is showing a need and getting a grant to address it. Unending tax money to address problems that never end.
I can't help but wonder how inefficient tax dollars are being used when multiple groups have their hands in the same pie. Everyone knows that non-profits spend the bulk of their money on overhead. The more individual groups in that space vs packing up into a single organization means we're wasting money that's propping up a bunch of little chiefs who are more focused on their own wealth than the stated goal.
Publicize those who are responsible. Demand accountability. Threaten, and reduce, funding for incompetency. Highlight the continuing need for resolving our homeless problems. No more free drugs. No more lack of law enforcement. Do the crime, do the time.
But now hundreds if not thousands of people in our little county alone make very good livings with retirement and benefits off problems, misery, and crime. It will never get fixed as long as they get paid to fix it.
That feeling when you realize the real primary employer in your town is the homeless/addiction industrial complex...
A large number of the incidents happen within a short walk of my home, in a neighborhood council seems to be targeting for more density and chaos. . Those of you who remember "Horace" on the streets of PA know he and many others have followed similar patterns of being frequent fliers on the scanner. Same with Justin Schabel who got tasered on my front lawn after not the last time he ran from police, was arrested and released again and again. Someone who had worked for the shelter once pointed out the one individual like Horace was a "job creator" for the homeless industry. I'd like someone to get the county and city to detail the number of full time paid "outreach" workers for tax funded NGOs in the county ( and their agency budgets), yet none of them seem to work nights or weekends. Sure daytime in PA is bad, but outside of banker hours is an outright free for all. This blog post is just a highlight reel and the sad fact is there are dozens like Heller in PA with severe mental illness and/or damage from hard drug use. It's defeating to drive or walk through downtown PA early in the morning and see all the strung out looking people wandering around, primarily physically mobile males of working age who are mentally not there, and realize you will probably have to work forever to continue paying escalating taxes to support "essential services" that contribute to their demise. Several of the local transient sex offenders hang out in central PA and potential victims also on the streets may not be aware. Sure there is some organic life long mental health issues, but the vast majority of the repeat disruptive behavior on the streets is tied to drugs. Addiction makes the otherwise innocent on the street more vulnerable to predators too.
Just last night walking to UNSafeway at 7:00 a crowd of at least 20 were gathered around the side of the store and in the alley, with a line waiting their turn to approach the sales window of the broke down RV and others huddled up together on the sidewalk to share a torch lighter for their foil, others swaying in a fetty fold on the sidewalk.. This has become so normalized that neighbors walking to the store just route back and forth across the sidewalk to avoid the drug party without noticing, walking distance from the police station and county jail. This has become so normalized that if I call non emergency to ask for welfare check on fetty folds or for patrol to check suspicious activity I can hear the Pencom operators roll their eyes at me.
Speaking of repeat offenders and the cost to the community, check the jail roster for bookings in the last couple days and search CCWD for the names and you will see Jeff tried to warn people. What is the cost to the child who was raped, and will the county be spending more on services for the offender than the victim?
Susan, thank you for your sharing your personal experiences. You are being victimized every day and our elected leaders laugh. Sorry to be so blunt, but when some commenters on this site criticize Jeff that he needs to bring more "information" in his posts when referring to crime or other community concerns, you know that there are real friends, neighbors, and family who like this chaos and thrive in it. I believe you, Susan, and Jeff, and many others do too, because we have seen it or experienced it. CRC Comm. Jim Stoffer receives special security treatment over nothing, but all the other CC citizens have to endure violet threats and actions.
So sorry this is the reality anyone must now endure. I can’t imagine living near this type of chaos/hell everyday outside my castle. Urban guettos in the making…..watch “Hillary’s America” this was all planned a long time ago & sadly it is working because democrats have been allowed to thrive in their destructive way of “helping”…….wake up, stand up, don’t bow down, and DON’T QUIT speaking or shouting out, keep FIGHTING FIGHTING FIGHTING as much as you can, however you can, write letters, vote for change and get rid of people who support more of the same…..
Susie, I just watched this harm reduction researcher and Washingtonian Ginny Burton a recovered addiction herself. What do you think about her take on a solution for maybe our community? Here is the YouTube link start watching at the 57:37 minutes mark: https://youtu.be/_Pc4xNqa9NM?si=bsR8xto1rJqbdrya
also her Modern America series on youtube is full of excellent interviews with community members and leaders AND those struggling and receiving services. I have sent some of her videos to city and county leaders but they do not respond. I have communicated with her via email and was thrilled to learn she is already running her O-UT program at Olympic Corrections https://www.vginnyburton.com/
I noticed that future state candidate Ted Bowen is interested in some of the same issues and mentioned the O UT program to him. He actually got in touch with her and had a conversation about some issues. I bought both her books of Amazon to check out and plan to buy a few copies to donate to local free libraries. I come from a long line of addicts, have my own lived experience, and have had an adult child seriously addicted to heroin, dealt with the damages of court enforced MAT in another state and state and federal judicial and prisons sytem because of it, so I am very passionate about supporting her work. I bought a hoodie supporting her O-UT program with the "No Victims" logo and often wear it as I walk through downtown, yoga mat on my back and mace in hand.
Wow, what an intense interview when you consider what it says about the system we have in place here in Clallam County. I think there are enough people out here who could drive a framework that changes the perspective of not only our BOCCC, but how those who claim to be helping should actually help.
If a soft hand off from prison to back on the streets is a good idea because it removes or keeps the recovering person from falling back into the lifestyle that got them into trouble in the first place, then how is it a good idea to allow current drug users to continue with being in that same lifestyle that causes high recidivism rates for recovering addicts?
You temporarily put off the inevitable death of most people well kneecapping the true opportunity for those who are ready to stop using and going to treatment when the first thing you do is offer everyone the free kits. The service structures are helping people kill themselves.
We do not help people change their underlying circumstances or they're underlying causes
Drugs are not free which requires the users to commit crimes in order to get them which is where the accountability needs to start. It removes them from their destructive path.
NGOs push the policies that feed this problem.
We want to model the destruction of human life.
Housing first policy just sweeps the problem behind closed doors (free transit). Capacity equals funding. It forces the NGO's to meet capacity needs to continue with funding. NGO'S being similar now to capital cronyism. You keep people suspended in the problem that you're trying to remove them from.
Where's the abstinence based treatment?
Environments for people to come to when they want to get their life together.
There are a lot of people making a lot of money off of people being sick.
ABSOLUTELY! "What gets measured, gets managed." As I mentioned in a prior post on the latest board of health meeting, "behavioral science seems to be missing from behavioral health." Perhaps a reminder to the board of health and active public comment is warranted for these meetings, with attendance being imperative at this point. Thoughts? Here is what is posted on the county website (https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/677/Board-of-Health):
Overview
All Board of Health meetings are open to the public.
The purpose of the Clallam County Board of Health is to supervise all matters pertaining to the preservation of the life and health of the people of Clallam County and to comply fully with the requirements of all applicable chapters of Title 70, Revised Code of Washington.
The Board of Health shall:
1. Collect, analyze, and disseminate to the community in a timely manner, through the Clallam County Health and Human Services Department, information about community health conditions, risks, and resources, and the availability of resources to address identified problems.
2. Enact such rules, regulations, and policies as are necessary to preserve, promote, and improve the health and behavioral health status of Clallam County residents, and guide the allocation of appropriate and necessary public health resources.
3. Assure that necessary, high-quality, effective foundational public health services are available for the protection of the people of Clallam County, including the control and prevention of any dangerous, contagious, or infectious disease within the county.
4. Provide for the prevention, control, and abatement of nuisances detrimental to public health.
5. Enforce, through the Health Officer, the public health statutes of the state and county.
6. Establish fee schedules for issuing and renewing licenses and permits, or for such other services, as are authorized by the law and rules of the State Board of Health.
Assure that environmental health issues address clean water, septic systems, and clean air.
I am so sorry to hear your podcast. I live in Sequim and volunteer at the Ramen shop in downtown Sequim. A few years ago, Michael was always there and we would feed him. Unfortunately he became violent towards the high school students that come and get Ramenand kept harassing the young women telling them that he wanted to have sex with them. At one point, he stood on the Washington dressed in a skirt and leggings with a sign that said ‘marry me’. We can’t place on him numerous times, we also called Peninsula mental health. I had hoped that he had finally been put in a residential facility, which is what he needs. He self medicates with street drugs and cannot control his behavior. He hears voices that tell him to do things. I have had long crazy conversations with him. I have given him warm jackets… When I first met him 3 1/2 years ago, he was periodically lucid, however he has gone downhill. I am so sad to realize he’s still on the street and not in a facility. He absolutely needs to be committed. 😢
Exactly the point! Why is this guy not in a mental health facility? WTF are our Commissioners for if not for ordering that? Or Law enforcement to have a judge order that? Everyone looks the other way while this guy suffers and endangers the residents? All our politicians do is suck up our money but do EVERYTHING except for what we want them to do! Time for impeachment/recall/tar/feathers/......
Public safety is a thing of the past. This is a nationwide problem , not just county or state. We have put many in harm's way to protect the "rights" of individuals. Wa state has virtually no help for the mentally ill. Put them in a facility for approximately 2 weeks while they are stabilized on meds and turn them out to fend for themselves. They stop taking the mess and are in the same place as before. Mental institutions were obliterated, available only if someone kills a person. I have personal knowledge of several who need help and terrorize not just the public, but their own families.
With drug use, the problems are exacerbated. Police and judges have their hands tied. The answer? There doesn't seem to be one. As with all our broken systems, the only answer seems to be: tear it down and rebuild.
There is another problem... Gold plated neighbors. People who have moved into Sequim area in the past few years and brought their politics into their shiny new homes. These are people with shiny smiles and nice clothes that hide the base metal beneath the thin veneer. And the most amazing part of this short story is they come from parts of the country or state where the politics veered us into a cesspool of crime and poverty and can't see the reality before their eyes, ears... I'm afraid we are a tiny part of the community and I fear we are not enough to turn the tide and strip away the thin veneer of the haters both rich and poor and middle class. They have all the slogans... So far, I've yet to see a candidate step forward who esposes everything we hope for and who dreads what we see as our reality.
My husband and I decided 10 years ago to retire here. We moved from San Diego, CA. I understand the bitter frustration because we moved away from the horrible politics that turned our beautiful state into that cesspool. We noticed a 180 turn around in 2020 with the COVID lies, lockdowns, and mandates. Who brought in the. BLM and Antifa rioters and protesters? Probably the same people who put up the "Be Kind" banners around Sequim. This chaos is inbreed - look for the family tree.
I too moved here 14 years ago from So Cal after having been in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. Where I lived it became unsafe for me to even take a walk in my neighborhood or go shopping at the local stores without my head being on a swivel. I had family that had lived in Sequim for years (now passed) and loved the area. Well, now, guess what, my head back on a swivel. Just on the little road I live on, two dealers, and I can see the cars, folks on bikes getting their drugs. Just this morning on my early morning walk with my dog, barely light outside, saw a car parked at one of the houses, just waiting for the dealer. I cut my walk short as I wasn't going to walk by the car. House behind me had a search warrant, pulled drugs-meth a good quantity out and long guns. I even sit in my car a few minutes at Safeway in Sequim and scan the parking lot before going in. I've contacted OPNET and told them what I have seen. We are definintely headed down the wrong path, and at this point I don't know what can be done, I have suggestions but I don't see anything getting better....unfortunately. Not the retirement I had hoped for.....sigh...
Same here moved 10 years ago to escape what California was becoming. Only to find out this is the same or worse than California. So all these liberals who say relocated Californians are the problem, I don’t believe that to be true. The state, county’s and cities in Washington are populated with far left extreme radicals just waiting to blame everyone else on the problems they themselves created and continue to defend…..same old story.
California's beginning of demise was under Governor Brown and the "realignment" plan to release those from state prison (as some said the prisons were too crowded and unfair) down to the local jails. The local jails could not handle the influx and released more people. It was a nightmare. So many people out and about that should not have been. Then came prop 47, which was name "safe schools project" (a nice title for a horrible prop), voters never read beyond the title and voted it in. It changed so many felonies into misdemeanors and gave the authority to cite and release with a date for those to just show up in court, which 97% never did. The system got so clogged, the courts could not handle, and by the way our previous VP heavily pushed prop 47. People that had warrants out for not showing up in court when located, that violation was now a misdemeanor and just cite released again and again, there was the revolving door going nowhere.
As I read more about how the state and court rulings tie the hands of local government I no longer believe anywhere is immune from this mess. The "everything we hope for" may be a chasm that cannot be bridged. I'm now more of the mind that if you don't embrace the suck, as the military saying goes, that however much longer we have on earth is going to be a grinder.
What I'm now more focused on is the efficienct use of tax dollars. How many more homeless can be houses with the same money vs the BOCCC backed PBH Taj Mahal as an example. How much more tax dollars can go to the "state mandated" cause if there are fewer individual organizations chasing the same dollars?
“lawlessness and dysfunction are being normalized”. The truth hurts. And how will it improve over the next five years? I am starting to feel like investing so much time and money into this community is not worth it.
TOTALLY agree & bless You for trying to make a change! It is not right for neighbors in our community to be fearful of going downtown, to the store. You, as us live away from downtown, as we feel "safer", but cringe going into town, picking our times. Does not have to be this way! Bad/lack of leadership has paralyzed our local gov't & hospitalf from making the "right", but hard decisions!
As a financial analyst, I look at everything from a ROI perspective. This could be the "return" on my time and effort. Or the return on value of my actual investments in the community. The benchmarks prove PA continues to underperform comparable cities. If Sequim and Port Angeles were publicly traded stocks, I know which one I would be long.
Your looking at the ROI from the wrong side. The people that are in charge of dealing with the drugs, addiction, homelessness, food insecurity, crimes, and mental health problems see a BIG ROI when those things are pervasive throughout Clallam County. They need those problems so you an I will fund their fat retirements with our taxes. The Ultimate ROI.
Agreed. That speaks to a much bigger issue. Our moral compass is broken. We have become too selfish - be it the insurance company denying claims or the so-called victims that want to extort or blame anyone who is successful. It is a sad state of affairs. What countries are still offering golden visas? Maybe I can find a way to pull the ripcord and land in New Zealand or Portugal or ???
Unfortunate, but you are correct. It is high time for successful people in WA state to reassess their situation and implement plan B. The real raping of businesses, high earners, and their estates has just begun. 2026 will bring maximum pain for those of us still propping up the system.
Not sure if there's anywhere to land outside the USA that's not dealing with the same or worse issues. I have friends in Spain that wish they were here. Best bet is to find a deep red states that has leadership who still believe in property rights, lower taxes, and 2nd amendment. Then disappear into the countryside, off the radar.
I hear you. If the downside to living here is more costly, both monetarily and emotionally, and makes our efforts to influence our 'leaders' mute, the ROI is negative. I think the investment of my time is worth the risk. I hope I'm right.
Thank you, Jeff. We are meeting the enemy and he/she ain’t us. Support Marolee Smith’s multiple camps. Defund NGOs. Make our leaders’ lives miserable any way we legally can.
"Doctors, professionals, and families are leaving our area—not because our schools are outdated, but because lawlessness and dysfunction are being normalized. Public safety, once a core government service, has become secondary to poetry readings, luxury homeless housing, and bureaucratic posturing."
Validate this before you go. Where is the perfect place to live? When examining crime statistics from the City of Sequim, which are sourced from the FBI, I'm not sure all is as described. Yes, there are problems with not having enough places to house the really mentally ill who need to be committed, and that is what needs fixing first.
The mental health departments do not appear to be a cure for the unfit.They appear to aid & abet the criminals thus keeping the lucrative jobs in place which helps support the liberal parties.The drug addict issues are growing because of support for them.Instead of building them brand new luxury housing to destroy and do drugs in maybe it is time to quit wasting tax $$$ and build new luxury permanent jail housing.No more catch n release get out of jail programs just go directly to luxury jail cell,and if some want to scream and holler like a libtard then you get a nice padded sound proof cell and no more synthetic drugs.Might as well invest taxpayer $$$ into something that will work for most.
When we have something broken, we should fix it. The question is how? Obviously we voters are not doing our job. We vote for incapable individuals, doing nothing to fix our problems, and expecting to not be replaced. Therefore, we must vote to remove these ineffective people. Meanwhile, make a noise and prod those who are responsible to FIX the problem. Mental health care is required, and incarceration needed to remove these threats.
You’re still under the impression they want to fix the problem. There’s no money in a solution. The money is in the continual fixing. The problem must continue to exist so they can get paid. And our tax dollars are paying them.
Sheldon, good suggestions. This was the problem I had about voting. I couldn't find the true facts or the over all picture of candidates past records (for anyone, not just CC) Then it started with nonpartisan, so there went some of the safety net of decisions. I felt like I was just throwing darts. I think CCWD has proven itself enough and has given me enough fact that I feel comfortable with whom I am voting for now. I wonder if other people feel the same way?
Your point is well taken, Sheldon. The problem, as I see it is....whoever we elect needs to put forth bills to increase taxes to cover mental health services. No candidate wants to touch that fact b/c the public hates new taxes and the people who complain the most just want to pass blame and kick the can down the road. We haven't had good mental health care in this country since the 70's and then it all started getting cut and tossed. Yet, you all cry about the homeless, the mentally challenged and the problems they cause. This crisis always gets swept under the carpet b/c no one wants to face the needs, or the help they need (No not in my neighborhood) or lastly the financial commitment needed to help these people. ("Get them out of my neighborhood, town, county but don't ask me to contribute or help in any way". POLITICS REIGN!
Plenty of money wasted on NGO admin and passing out needles foil and pipes that could be redirected to better use without taking more from working people.
My family has been dealing with this for years. My brother is an addict and is part of this screwed up system in Oregon. When Oregon decriminalized drugs against the the will of common sense, my addict brother basically became a mental case. He is finally locked up only because he finally pissed of the judge (no bail judge) because he just basically said F-OFF I am not following what you want me to do and gave him 60 days, when in all reality he needs to be put in a mental facility for awhile.
I watched the downfall of people throughout my career and all I wii say is that what we are seeing is a planned downfall for the POLITICAL APPARATUS to milk the taxpayers. Get rid of the mental hospitals, quit enforcing the laws that are on the books.
I could go on ranting for a long time about this subject, but like I said I have seen too much of this crap in my life Professionally and personally.
John, yours is a real life testimony. What we get, read and hear now, is not the reality. Thank you for sharing. It re enforces to not believe what we are fed.
Isn't this what the Tribe's "Healing Center" was sold to us for? Why aren't they sequestering this guy from being a danger to the public and collecting their $Billion/day from government doles?
Michael. Is this the fella with the shopping cart, balloons, junk collection, dragging a skate board, sometimes wears a dress, hangs out at Carrie Blake? Plays around children at the playground, visits and sits at the pickleball courts, obstructs the sidewalks, sleeps somewhere near 1st Security Bank? Interacts with the tourists in the summer months? Michael Michael Michael where have you been? Keep your eyes peeled Sequimites he’s not the only vagrant. Three motorhomes constantly moving to different parking lots. A few immigrant families (w/children) sleeping in vehicles, the red Ford overloaded pickup sleeping at various spots, suspicious vehicles at the ODT trailheads at early hours. Keep your eyes open and know your surroundings.
Going to Dollar Store in Sequim yesterday was an uneasy walk from parked car…..a couple of dark hooded backpacking young males looking homeless standing on sidewalk in front of door exchanging small items while watching the going and coming of customers to the store. Had to watch my back at all times when out of car or not in store…..beginning to feel like I did during the Covid pandemic except it’s homeless criminals pandemic.
One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....
What a horrible carbon footprint...calling dispatch that many times for one guy all those years. I would have no problem extending my Nautical mile tax to a Naughty mile tax.
If he can't pay I would make him help paint the Bridge over The River Qui. If your not gonna let Johny Sweat chase him to Tacoma or Let Dally Maynard sit on him at the transient center..You gotta do something..The blue page Smatterchew Assistance systems aren't working.
He'll leave a turd on your doorstep and kill your dog, cause that's what psychopaths do...remember he is a Brother-In-Christ who has lost his way...peace, love, amphetamines and Bobbie Sherman!🤪
And lock your doors and windows and leave all your lights on!😎
We are circling the drain and the macabre humor is right on time for All Hallows Eve, originally a 3 day Christian Holiday, including prayers and fasting, for All Saints Day and then prayers followed by those who weren't saints 'All Souls Day'...together called All Hallow Tide...the gates of heaven are open to those who choose that path and the rest of us get to ride it out for another year!🤣
So, now we celebrate the ghouls and death and stuff ourselves full of liquor and sugar and games...how interesting!🤔P.S. I'm not a Catholic but all the Protestants are still under the umbrella of Catholicism...you know the Church of the Inquisition?🤪People used to make a lot of noise to scare off the demonic but now we make a lot of noise to celebrate the demonic...not everyone of course...some still sit quietly in the dark and pray for an end to the madness!😎
Personal responsibility has become a thing of the past. It’s time to get back to it. It goes hand in hand with holding people accountable. Can’t have one without the other.
It’s hard to trust any profession anymore. None of them would exist without the problem they fix. So, the homeless industrial complex cultivates homelessness, the mental health professionals cultivate mental unhealth, the medical health care industry cultivates sickness, the pharmaceutical industry cultivates drug dependency, the climate change lobby cultivates climate change, the prison system cultivates criminals, the drug addiction treatment centers cultivate addiction, the public school system cultivates ignorance, the harm reduction people cultivate harm, and on it goes.
The grift of our times is showing a need and getting a grant to address it. Unending tax money to address problems that never end.
I can't help but wonder how inefficient tax dollars are being used when multiple groups have their hands in the same pie. Everyone knows that non-profits spend the bulk of their money on overhead. The more individual groups in that space vs packing up into a single organization means we're wasting money that's propping up a bunch of little chiefs who are more focused on their own wealth than the stated goal.
Publicize those who are responsible. Demand accountability. Threaten, and reduce, funding for incompetency. Highlight the continuing need for resolving our homeless problems. No more free drugs. No more lack of law enforcement. Do the crime, do the time.
That’s how it used to work.
But now hundreds if not thousands of people in our little county alone make very good livings with retirement and benefits off problems, misery, and crime. It will never get fixed as long as they get paid to fix it.
and they will keep voting for the taxes to fund themselves
Exactly. Built in voting block for the politicians that push the “fixes” for the problems.
Been there; done that. The only thing they understand is to be defeated in elections...elections that are already rigged in their direction.
Bingo!
TJ that's the best summary of CC problems I've heard. Now I need a minute alone...or a shot of whiskey ; )
Both. And I'll join you.
Denise, I'll bring the bottle, you bring the Kleenex. By the end of both we will have solved the problems of the world ; )
we should get together IRL soon.
Susie, I'm so far behind on the times I had to look up IRL! Thank you!
IRL
abbreviation
1. in real life (used in video games, online contexts, etc. to refer to social interaction in the physical world)
LOL, Jennifer! Sounds like a plan!
Thumbs up big hugh time, double thumbs up for you buddy! 👍👍
On purpose..
That feeling when you realize the real primary employer in your town is the homeless/addiction industrial complex...
A large number of the incidents happen within a short walk of my home, in a neighborhood council seems to be targeting for more density and chaos. . Those of you who remember "Horace" on the streets of PA know he and many others have followed similar patterns of being frequent fliers on the scanner. Same with Justin Schabel who got tasered on my front lawn after not the last time he ran from police, was arrested and released again and again. Someone who had worked for the shelter once pointed out the one individual like Horace was a "job creator" for the homeless industry. I'd like someone to get the county and city to detail the number of full time paid "outreach" workers for tax funded NGOs in the county ( and their agency budgets), yet none of them seem to work nights or weekends. Sure daytime in PA is bad, but outside of banker hours is an outright free for all. This blog post is just a highlight reel and the sad fact is there are dozens like Heller in PA with severe mental illness and/or damage from hard drug use. It's defeating to drive or walk through downtown PA early in the morning and see all the strung out looking people wandering around, primarily physically mobile males of working age who are mentally not there, and realize you will probably have to work forever to continue paying escalating taxes to support "essential services" that contribute to their demise. Several of the local transient sex offenders hang out in central PA and potential victims also on the streets may not be aware. Sure there is some organic life long mental health issues, but the vast majority of the repeat disruptive behavior on the streets is tied to drugs. Addiction makes the otherwise innocent on the street more vulnerable to predators too.
Just last night walking to UNSafeway at 7:00 a crowd of at least 20 were gathered around the side of the store and in the alley, with a line waiting their turn to approach the sales window of the broke down RV and others huddled up together on the sidewalk to share a torch lighter for their foil, others swaying in a fetty fold on the sidewalk.. This has become so normalized that neighbors walking to the store just route back and forth across the sidewalk to avoid the drug party without noticing, walking distance from the police station and county jail. This has become so normalized that if I call non emergency to ask for welfare check on fetty folds or for patrol to check suspicious activity I can hear the Pencom operators roll their eyes at me.
Speaking of repeat offenders and the cost to the community, check the jail roster for bookings in the last couple days and search CCWD for the names and you will see Jeff tried to warn people. What is the cost to the child who was raped, and will the county be spending more on services for the offender than the victim?
Susan, thank you for your sharing your personal experiences. You are being victimized every day and our elected leaders laugh. Sorry to be so blunt, but when some commenters on this site criticize Jeff that he needs to bring more "information" in his posts when referring to crime or other community concerns, you know that there are real friends, neighbors, and family who like this chaos and thrive in it. I believe you, Susan, and Jeff, and many others do too, because we have seen it or experienced it. CRC Comm. Jim Stoffer receives special security treatment over nothing, but all the other CC citizens have to endure violet threats and actions.
Jim Stoffer gets private security, a child gets raped by a transient repeat offender
I'm at my boiling point. All those who are responsible will one day face the consequences.
Denise, I'm so angry I'm just waiting like a spider for one of our local online trolls to say anything. I need the outlet! ; )
I love spiders
To bad stuffer doesn't get raped, maybe then his attitude might change.
I understand being upset but maybe you'd consider dialing that back a bit.
Jim stoffer is a spineless weasel!
So sorry this is the reality anyone must now endure. I can’t imagine living near this type of chaos/hell everyday outside my castle. Urban guettos in the making…..watch “Hillary’s America” this was all planned a long time ago & sadly it is working because democrats have been allowed to thrive in their destructive way of “helping”…….wake up, stand up, don’t bow down, and DON’T QUIT speaking or shouting out, keep FIGHTING FIGHTING FIGHTING as much as you can, however you can, write letters, vote for change and get rid of people who support more of the same…..
Susie, I just watched this harm reduction researcher and Washingtonian Ginny Burton a recovered addiction herself. What do you think about her take on a solution for maybe our community? Here is the YouTube link start watching at the 57:37 minutes mark: https://youtu.be/_Pc4xNqa9NM?si=bsR8xto1rJqbdrya
Sarah yes I am a huge fan of Ginny. This video is my favorite interview with her https://youtu.be/383rzhC1EKE?si=4SrJKjirxehc-jW5
also her Modern America series on youtube is full of excellent interviews with community members and leaders AND those struggling and receiving services. I have sent some of her videos to city and county leaders but they do not respond. I have communicated with her via email and was thrilled to learn she is already running her O-UT program at Olympic Corrections https://www.vginnyburton.com/
I noticed that future state candidate Ted Bowen is interested in some of the same issues and mentioned the O UT program to him. He actually got in touch with her and had a conversation about some issues. I bought both her books of Amazon to check out and plan to buy a few copies to donate to local free libraries. I come from a long line of addicts, have my own lived experience, and have had an adult child seriously addicted to heroin, dealt with the damages of court enforced MAT in another state and state and federal judicial and prisons sytem because of it, so I am very passionate about supporting her work. I bought a hoodie supporting her O-UT program with the "No Victims" logo and often wear it as I walk through downtown, yoga mat on my back and mace in hand.
You're awesome. Thank you for providing all of this excellent information
Have you considered serving on the county voluntary board that deals with these problems? Board of Health or Homelessness Task Force.
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/636/Boards-Committees-and-Commissions
Wow, what an intense interview when you consider what it says about the system we have in place here in Clallam County. I think there are enough people out here who could drive a framework that changes the perspective of not only our BOCCC, but how those who claim to be helping should actually help.
OMG, she is already out here in Forks! Starting at the 39 minute mark she is working at OCC: https://youtu.be/0-b3OqD2Eyk?si=GjAcnRUpAUT0r1vt
Are the stars aligning?
Here are some notes I took from the interview.
---------------------------------------
Harm reduction, is harm.
If a soft hand off from prison to back on the streets is a good idea because it removes or keeps the recovering person from falling back into the lifestyle that got them into trouble in the first place, then how is it a good idea to allow current drug users to continue with being in that same lifestyle that causes high recidivism rates for recovering addicts?
You temporarily put off the inevitable death of most people well kneecapping the true opportunity for those who are ready to stop using and going to treatment when the first thing you do is offer everyone the free kits. The service structures are helping people kill themselves.
We do not help people change their underlying circumstances or they're underlying causes
Drugs are not free which requires the users to commit crimes in order to get them which is where the accountability needs to start. It removes them from their destructive path.
NGOs push the policies that feed this problem.
We want to model the destruction of human life.
Housing first policy just sweeps the problem behind closed doors (free transit). Capacity equals funding. It forces the NGO's to meet capacity needs to continue with funding. NGO'S being similar now to capital cronyism. You keep people suspended in the problem that you're trying to remove them from.
Where's the abstinence based treatment?
Environments for people to come to when they want to get their life together.
There are a lot of people making a lot of money off of people being sick.
People are capable
Sobriety needs to be the goal.
What gets measured gets done.
ABSOLUTELY! "What gets measured, gets managed." As I mentioned in a prior post on the latest board of health meeting, "behavioral science seems to be missing from behavioral health." Perhaps a reminder to the board of health and active public comment is warranted for these meetings, with attendance being imperative at this point. Thoughts? Here is what is posted on the county website (https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/677/Board-of-Health):
Overview
All Board of Health meetings are open to the public.
The purpose of the Clallam County Board of Health is to supervise all matters pertaining to the preservation of the life and health of the people of Clallam County and to comply fully with the requirements of all applicable chapters of Title 70, Revised Code of Washington.
The Board of Health shall:
1. Collect, analyze, and disseminate to the community in a timely manner, through the Clallam County Health and Human Services Department, information about community health conditions, risks, and resources, and the availability of resources to address identified problems.
2. Enact such rules, regulations, and policies as are necessary to preserve, promote, and improve the health and behavioral health status of Clallam County residents, and guide the allocation of appropriate and necessary public health resources.
3. Assure that necessary, high-quality, effective foundational public health services are available for the protection of the people of Clallam County, including the control and prevention of any dangerous, contagious, or infectious disease within the county.
4. Provide for the prevention, control, and abatement of nuisances detrimental to public health.
5. Enforce, through the Health Officer, the public health statutes of the state and county.
6. Establish fee schedules for issuing and renewing licenses and permits, or for such other services, as are authorized by the law and rules of the State Board of Health.
Assure that environmental health issues address clean water, septic systems, and clean air.
I'm thinking....
I'll watch this later.
Susie you have, what my father use to call, good ole fashion horse sense.
I am so sorry to hear your podcast. I live in Sequim and volunteer at the Ramen shop in downtown Sequim. A few years ago, Michael was always there and we would feed him. Unfortunately he became violent towards the high school students that come and get Ramenand kept harassing the young women telling them that he wanted to have sex with them. At one point, he stood on the Washington dressed in a skirt and leggings with a sign that said ‘marry me’. We can’t place on him numerous times, we also called Peninsula mental health. I had hoped that he had finally been put in a residential facility, which is what he needs. He self medicates with street drugs and cannot control his behavior. He hears voices that tell him to do things. I have had long crazy conversations with him. I have given him warm jackets… When I first met him 3 1/2 years ago, he was periodically lucid, however he has gone downhill. I am so sad to realize he’s still on the street and not in a facility. He absolutely needs to be committed. 😢
Thanks for sharing this in the comments. We appreciate it.
Exactly the point! Why is this guy not in a mental health facility? WTF are our Commissioners for if not for ordering that? Or Law enforcement to have a judge order that? Everyone looks the other way while this guy suffers and endangers the residents? All our politicians do is suck up our money but do EVERYTHING except for what we want them to do! Time for impeachment/recall/tar/feathers/......
Public safety is a thing of the past. This is a nationwide problem , not just county or state. We have put many in harm's way to protect the "rights" of individuals. Wa state has virtually no help for the mentally ill. Put them in a facility for approximately 2 weeks while they are stabilized on meds and turn them out to fend for themselves. They stop taking the mess and are in the same place as before. Mental institutions were obliterated, available only if someone kills a person. I have personal knowledge of several who need help and terrorize not just the public, but their own families.
With drug use, the problems are exacerbated. Police and judges have their hands tied. The answer? There doesn't seem to be one. As with all our broken systems, the only answer seems to be: tear it down and rebuild.
No it's a red state red county red city problem. Hugs are not working.
There is another problem... Gold plated neighbors. People who have moved into Sequim area in the past few years and brought their politics into their shiny new homes. These are people with shiny smiles and nice clothes that hide the base metal beneath the thin veneer. And the most amazing part of this short story is they come from parts of the country or state where the politics veered us into a cesspool of crime and poverty and can't see the reality before their eyes, ears... I'm afraid we are a tiny part of the community and I fear we are not enough to turn the tide and strip away the thin veneer of the haters both rich and poor and middle class. They have all the slogans... So far, I've yet to see a candidate step forward who esposes everything we hope for and who dreads what we see as our reality.
My husband and I decided 10 years ago to retire here. We moved from San Diego, CA. I understand the bitter frustration because we moved away from the horrible politics that turned our beautiful state into that cesspool. We noticed a 180 turn around in 2020 with the COVID lies, lockdowns, and mandates. Who brought in the. BLM and Antifa rioters and protesters? Probably the same people who put up the "Be Kind" banners around Sequim. This chaos is inbreed - look for the family tree.
I too moved here 14 years ago from So Cal after having been in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. Where I lived it became unsafe for me to even take a walk in my neighborhood or go shopping at the local stores without my head being on a swivel. I had family that had lived in Sequim for years (now passed) and loved the area. Well, now, guess what, my head back on a swivel. Just on the little road I live on, two dealers, and I can see the cars, folks on bikes getting their drugs. Just this morning on my early morning walk with my dog, barely light outside, saw a car parked at one of the houses, just waiting for the dealer. I cut my walk short as I wasn't going to walk by the car. House behind me had a search warrant, pulled drugs-meth a good quantity out and long guns. I even sit in my car a few minutes at Safeway in Sequim and scan the parking lot before going in. I've contacted OPNET and told them what I have seen. We are definintely headed down the wrong path, and at this point I don't know what can be done, I have suggestions but I don't see anything getting better....unfortunately. Not the retirement I had hoped for.....sigh...
Same here moved 10 years ago to escape what California was becoming. Only to find out this is the same or worse than California. So all these liberals who say relocated Californians are the problem, I don’t believe that to be true. The state, county’s and cities in Washington are populated with far left extreme radicals just waiting to blame everyone else on the problems they themselves created and continue to defend…..same old story.
Agreed, I actually believe WA is getting worse than CA. Didn't see that one coming.
California's beginning of demise was under Governor Brown and the "realignment" plan to release those from state prison (as some said the prisons were too crowded and unfair) down to the local jails. The local jails could not handle the influx and released more people. It was a nightmare. So many people out and about that should not have been. Then came prop 47, which was name "safe schools project" (a nice title for a horrible prop), voters never read beyond the title and voted it in. It changed so many felonies into misdemeanors and gave the authority to cite and release with a date for those to just show up in court, which 97% never did. The system got so clogged, the courts could not handle, and by the way our previous VP heavily pushed prop 47. People that had warrants out for not showing up in court when located, that violation was now a misdemeanor and just cite released again and again, there was the revolving door going nowhere.
I think you are correct, 2020 and the Covid lies. Lockdowns, shut outs, doxing, cancel culture...
Tiger King Joe Exotic (we were all in a cage watching about cages)
As I read more about how the state and court rulings tie the hands of local government I no longer believe anywhere is immune from this mess. The "everything we hope for" may be a chasm that cannot be bridged. I'm now more of the mind that if you don't embrace the suck, as the military saying goes, that however much longer we have on earth is going to be a grinder.
What I'm now more focused on is the efficienct use of tax dollars. How many more homeless can be houses with the same money vs the BOCCC backed PBH Taj Mahal as an example. How much more tax dollars can go to the "state mandated" cause if there are fewer individual organizations chasing the same dollars?
“lawlessness and dysfunction are being normalized”. The truth hurts. And how will it improve over the next five years? I am starting to feel like investing so much time and money into this community is not worth it.
The community can't afford to lose any more contributing people like you
TOTALLY agree & bless You for trying to make a change! It is not right for neighbors in our community to be fearful of going downtown, to the store. You, as us live away from downtown, as we feel "safer", but cringe going into town, picking our times. Does not have to be this way! Bad/lack of leadership has paralyzed our local gov't & hospitalf from making the "right", but hard decisions!
You can run, but you can't hide. Whatever you run from will follow.
As a financial analyst, I look at everything from a ROI perspective. This could be the "return" on my time and effort. Or the return on value of my actual investments in the community. The benchmarks prove PA continues to underperform comparable cities. If Sequim and Port Angeles were publicly traded stocks, I know which one I would be long.
Your looking at the ROI from the wrong side. The people that are in charge of dealing with the drugs, addiction, homelessness, food insecurity, crimes, and mental health problems see a BIG ROI when those things are pervasive throughout Clallam County. They need those problems so you an I will fund their fat retirements with our taxes. The Ultimate ROI.
Agreed. That speaks to a much bigger issue. Our moral compass is broken. We have become too selfish - be it the insurance company denying claims or the so-called victims that want to extort or blame anyone who is successful. It is a sad state of affairs. What countries are still offering golden visas? Maybe I can find a way to pull the ripcord and land in New Zealand or Portugal or ???
Unfortunate, but you are correct. It is high time for successful people in WA state to reassess their situation and implement plan B. The real raping of businesses, high earners, and their estates has just begun. 2026 will bring maximum pain for those of us still propping up the system.
Not sure if there's anywhere to land outside the USA that's not dealing with the same or worse issues. I have friends in Spain that wish they were here. Best bet is to find a deep red states that has leadership who still believe in property rights, lower taxes, and 2nd amendment. Then disappear into the countryside, off the radar.
I hear you. If the downside to living here is more costly, both monetarily and emotionally, and makes our efforts to influence our 'leaders' mute, the ROI is negative. I think the investment of my time is worth the risk. I hope I'm right.
Thank you, Jeff. We are meeting the enemy and he/she ain’t us. Support Marolee Smith’s multiple camps. Defund NGOs. Make our leaders’ lives miserable any way we legally can.
You're welcome, Don :)
Yes defund NGOs...
"Doctors, professionals, and families are leaving our area—not because our schools are outdated, but because lawlessness and dysfunction are being normalized. Public safety, once a core government service, has become secondary to poetry readings, luxury homeless housing, and bureaucratic posturing."
...also thinking exit strategy...
Validate this before you go. Where is the perfect place to live? When examining crime statistics from the City of Sequim, which are sourced from the FBI, I'm not sure all is as described. Yes, there are problems with not having enough places to house the really mentally ill who need to be committed, and that is what needs fixing first.
The mental health departments do not appear to be a cure for the unfit.They appear to aid & abet the criminals thus keeping the lucrative jobs in place which helps support the liberal parties.The drug addict issues are growing because of support for them.Instead of building them brand new luxury housing to destroy and do drugs in maybe it is time to quit wasting tax $$$ and build new luxury permanent jail housing.No more catch n release get out of jail programs just go directly to luxury jail cell,and if some want to scream and holler like a libtard then you get a nice padded sound proof cell and no more synthetic drugs.Might as well invest taxpayer $$$ into something that will work for most.
Thank you CCWD for the article.
When we have something broken, we should fix it. The question is how? Obviously we voters are not doing our job. We vote for incapable individuals, doing nothing to fix our problems, and expecting to not be replaced. Therefore, we must vote to remove these ineffective people. Meanwhile, make a noise and prod those who are responsible to FIX the problem. Mental health care is required, and incarceration needed to remove these threats.
You’re still under the impression they want to fix the problem. There’s no money in a solution. The money is in the continual fixing. The problem must continue to exist so they can get paid. And our tax dollars are paying them.
It’s the merry-go-round, the roundy poundy, the circle jerk, hampster wheel, revolving door……you nailed it
“THE MONEY IS IN THE CONTINUAL FIXING” yep couldn’t have said any truer words!
We all are mearly a cog in the wheel, enough cogs stops the wheel.
Thank you Jeff for another exposing article….
Sheldon, good suggestions. This was the problem I had about voting. I couldn't find the true facts or the over all picture of candidates past records (for anyone, not just CC) Then it started with nonpartisan, so there went some of the safety net of decisions. I felt like I was just throwing darts. I think CCWD has proven itself enough and has given me enough fact that I feel comfortable with whom I am voting for now. I wonder if other people feel the same way?
Your point is well taken, Sheldon. The problem, as I see it is....whoever we elect needs to put forth bills to increase taxes to cover mental health services. No candidate wants to touch that fact b/c the public hates new taxes and the people who complain the most just want to pass blame and kick the can down the road. We haven't had good mental health care in this country since the 70's and then it all started getting cut and tossed. Yet, you all cry about the homeless, the mentally challenged and the problems they cause. This crisis always gets swept under the carpet b/c no one wants to face the needs, or the help they need (No not in my neighborhood) or lastly the financial commitment needed to help these people. ("Get them out of my neighborhood, town, county but don't ask me to contribute or help in any way". POLITICS REIGN!
Plenty of money wasted on NGO admin and passing out needles foil and pipes that could be redirected to better use without taking more from working people.
My family has been dealing with this for years. My brother is an addict and is part of this screwed up system in Oregon. When Oregon decriminalized drugs against the the will of common sense, my addict brother basically became a mental case. He is finally locked up only because he finally pissed of the judge (no bail judge) because he just basically said F-OFF I am not following what you want me to do and gave him 60 days, when in all reality he needs to be put in a mental facility for awhile.
I watched the downfall of people throughout my career and all I wii say is that what we are seeing is a planned downfall for the POLITICAL APPARATUS to milk the taxpayers. Get rid of the mental hospitals, quit enforcing the laws that are on the books.
I could go on ranting for a long time about this subject, but like I said I have seen too much of this crap in my life Professionally and personally.
John, yours is a real life testimony. What we get, read and hear now, is not the reality. Thank you for sharing. It re enforces to not believe what we are fed.
👍
Isn't this what the Tribe's "Healing Center" was sold to us for? Why aren't they sequestering this guy from being a danger to the public and collecting their $Billion/day from government doles?
Michael. Is this the fella with the shopping cart, balloons, junk collection, dragging a skate board, sometimes wears a dress, hangs out at Carrie Blake? Plays around children at the playground, visits and sits at the pickleball courts, obstructs the sidewalks, sleeps somewhere near 1st Security Bank? Interacts with the tourists in the summer months? Michael Michael Michael where have you been? Keep your eyes peeled Sequimites he’s not the only vagrant. Three motorhomes constantly moving to different parking lots. A few immigrant families (w/children) sleeping in vehicles, the red Ford overloaded pickup sleeping at various spots, suspicious vehicles at the ODT trailheads at early hours. Keep your eyes open and know your surroundings.
Going to Dollar Store in Sequim yesterday was an uneasy walk from parked car…..a couple of dark hooded backpacking young males looking homeless standing on sidewalk in front of door exchanging small items while watching the going and coming of customers to the store. Had to watch my back at all times when out of car or not in store…..beginning to feel like I did during the Covid pandemic except it’s homeless criminals pandemic.
That “cubby” breezeway next to the Dollar Tree was a hangout for the kids out of school this past summer.
One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....
One Adam 12....One Adam 12....One Adam 12....
What a horrible carbon footprint...calling dispatch that many times for one guy all those years. I would have no problem extending my Nautical mile tax to a Naughty mile tax.
If he can't pay I would make him help paint the Bridge over The River Qui. If your not gonna let Johny Sweat chase him to Tacoma or Let Dally Maynard sit on him at the transient center..You gotta do something..The blue page Smatterchew Assistance systems aren't working.
Heller is just ONE of many in a repeat cycle on PA. And they all likely get faster and free access to limited health care resources
Will he hold a swastika sign and cut DNR Ribbons??
He'll leave a turd on your doorstep and kill your dog, cause that's what psychopaths do...remember he is a Brother-In-Christ who has lost his way...peace, love, amphetamines and Bobbie Sherman!🤪
And lock your doors and windows and leave all your lights on!😎
We're WAAAY out at the edge of the cosmos now!🤣
Keeping 'em propped up through modern chemistry!🧪⚛️😂
Car 54, Where Are You?
If this song gets stuck in your head (like it is for me now) I know how old you are
There's a holdup in the Bronx,
Brooklyn's broken out in fights;
There's a traffic jam in Harlem
That's backed up to Jackson Heights;
There's a Scout troop short a child,
Khrushchev's due at Idlewild;
Car 54, Where Are You?
Happy Halloween
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/1910s-keystone-cops-piling-into-squad-car-outside-stock-video-footage/2004-243
We are circling the drain and the macabre humor is right on time for All Hallows Eve, originally a 3 day Christian Holiday, including prayers and fasting, for All Saints Day and then prayers followed by those who weren't saints 'All Souls Day'...together called All Hallow Tide...the gates of heaven are open to those who choose that path and the rest of us get to ride it out for another year!🤣
So, now we celebrate the ghouls and death and stuff ourselves full of liquor and sugar and games...how interesting!🤔P.S. I'm not a Catholic but all the Protestants are still under the umbrella of Catholicism...you know the Church of the Inquisition?🤪People used to make a lot of noise to scare off the demonic but now we make a lot of noise to celebrate the demonic...not everyone of course...some still sit quietly in the dark and pray for an end to the madness!😎
I'm attending a 'boofing' incident...I won't be available for a-while!🤣
Personal responsibility has become a thing of the past. It’s time to get back to it. It goes hand in hand with holding people accountable. Can’t have one without the other.
Right to the point, Ron! What a world we 'inhabitate'!😎