32 Comments
User's avatar
Eric Fehrmann's avatar

Motivation is what gives us the strength to change behavior. Accountability can be a source of motivation. Permissiveness and acceptance is not. As stated previously,I have been there. Thanks Chelsea.

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

Thanks for sharing that, Eric.

Expand full comment
Kirsten's avatar

Just curious if Mike French is ever out in Forks for these business meetings? or was he present for the Veterans Day event out there? I’m thinking not, but I’m still curious to know

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

Hi, Kristen! Commissioner French is almost always at the weekly WEBPA business meetings in Forks. I'm sure he also attended Veteran's Day events. He was at a Clallam Bay Sekiu School meeting on Monday and a Clallam Bay Sekiu Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday. Mike is engaged on the West End and I admire him for that.

We need to change the culture of our county government. That requires changing our current leadership. I think that our commissioners are attentive, they just don't share the vision that most citizens have for real solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our community.

Expand full comment
Jeff Tozzer's avatar

Mike is pretty good about attending the West End business meetings. As for Veterans' Day, he wasn't at the Forks event, but he may have been at a similar event in P.A.

Expand full comment
MK's avatar
2hEdited

Wow! What an episode to listen to. This is a long one, but very much worth listening to. Thank you J&J.

Chelsea speaks to the uncomfortable truths about addiction and homelessness. I'm not going to ruin any of it here other than to day that she confirms that the permissiveness and enabling policies are attracting people from outside the region to come to the area. It's an eye opener for sure.

We can turn a blind eye to the blight, or formulate policy that's effective instead of propping up the status quo machine that's holding people down.

The opioid settlement money is going to be spent one way or another. If our elected officials only listen to those who gain from other people's misery is it no wonder that these policies exist?

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

You're so right, MK. I hope that everyone listens to her...If anyone is short on time, fast forward to about 20 minutes and just listen to Chelsea's 30 minute portion.

Expand full comment
Jennifer's avatar

MK the Mat clinic should have never been built. The only hope I have is Trump defunding many of the programs that feed these types of clinics. There's not enough private citizens who could afford to pay for it themselves to keep it afloat or profitable. It would die on the vine without these "double dipping" programs and funds. I'm waiting like an expectant mother for it to happen!

Expand full comment
Evrita Romero's avatar

Chelsea and Eric, I could not agree more. I commend you for speaking the truth.

What these commissioners are doing is

Enabling, and in my opinion, causing more harm in not getting them the real help that they need.

Expand full comment
MK's avatar

I believe that harm reduction, is harm, and Chelsea so clearly described that from her personal experience.

Expand full comment
Susie Blake's avatar

Jefferson County is part of the same "health region" and has the same health officer as Clallam pushing "harm reduction"

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

Great point, Susie.

Expand full comment
Jennifer's avatar

Susie, Jefferson County has more to gain than Clallam County does. They can still be the good guys and support harm reduction but at the same time enforce loitering and no camping policies which pushes the problem into Clallam County. I don't blame them, they are trying to solve their crime problems, we aren't.

Expand full comment
MK's avatar

I can't help but wonder if the composition of the committees that Clallam County has is part of the problem. If you look at the people who are designated by position to be eligible in these positions you have to wonder where the alternative view is coming from. Something tells me that it's an echo chamber and if that's all the boccc is getting minutes no wonder that we have these policies.

Expand full comment
Eric Fehrmann's avatar

When opposing positions are presented they elites attempt to shut them out. Some try to abrogate the 2nd amendment.

Expand full comment
4 reasonable development's avatar

Allison Berry, worse doctor my husband & I ever had……IN OUR LIFE TIMES. Couldn’t wait for her to leave & move on but unfortunately her gain was even more loss for many many more people.

Expand full comment
Jennifer's avatar
2hEdited

I read the transcribed interview. I picked out the words and sentences that jumped out at me. The path to becoming free of alcohol and drug addiction is a long one and requires many elements that few can accomplish. The main element, is a reason to quit and the commitment to do it, without that, no matter what we do, it will not help.

YOU HAVE TO GET CLEAN : DRUG FREE TREATMENT

...you have to you have to get clean you have to get the drugs and the alcohol and everything out of your body so you can think clearly...The right people are more apt to help you if you're helping yourself...Treatment has to come first...There's not like the harm reduction, all of that just made it easier to get high

ACCOUNTABILITY

...if you don't have anyone holding people like me accountable..there's no progress. I didn't. I continued to use drugs.

ENABLING

...I had a roof over my head and they delivered all my drug using supplies right to my door. I didn't even have to go anywhere...It didn't help my substance use. It just enabled that. It made that super easy

DON’T GIVE ME CASH

...deep enough in my addiction to know I wasn't going to spend my money on food.

CONSISTENCY AND COMMITMENT

...what those people did that truly helped you along the way?...And so she made me her, her like priority.. And for two years from 2023 to I went to treatment in 2024...What helped is her being consistent and showing up and telling me that she cares about me

A REASON TO GET CLEAN

...if you go there short term, (28 days) you won't get her (her daughter) placed back with you until you get out...needed that five months… (short term treatment) I probably wouldn't have stayed clean when I got out.

PRIORITIES

...Except my priorities are just different now. Instead of working to get high, I'm working to keep the roof over our head

NO OBLIGATIONS OR ACCOUNTABILITY

...all of a sudden given an apartment and you didn't have a rent or any kind of obligations.

There's nothing to hold you accountable...You just get a tiny home...I destroyed our, the tiny homes get destroyed by the first, usually the first tenant in it... Ours was destroyed.

GRATITUDE

...I wasn't grateful for the tiny home.

WHY THIS LOCATION

...It's out of town people. They're all out of town people. We're all from out of town...They heard the same thing I did

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

...Some kind of case management at least, like where you meet with somebody and you have goals and they have expectations of you that you need to meet

Expand full comment
Donna Huswick's avatar

Addiction is brutal. It rewires the brain and changes a person, turning them into a stranger. There are no "one size fits all" solutions. An addict must decide to change and do whatever it takes to make that happen. They are never "recovered"; it is a day by day, forever struggle. It seems insurmountable, but people like you, Chelsea, have the best answer. We must do what we can to support those working at recovery and for recovery. BUT, the final answer is prevention and that comes from education. And the Chelsea's hold the answer to that. Let's move toward the what can be and not get mired down in the what is.

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

Donna, "Let's move toward the what can be and not get mired down in the what is."

I love that.

Expand full comment
Brian Hilderman's avatar

Solutions come from people like Chelsea.

Expand full comment
Jake Seegers's avatar

Absolutely, Brian.

Expand full comment
Gay Rutter's avatar

Accountability- treatment and housing come after that. “Harm reduction “ is just another term for enabling the addiction.

Expand full comment
Garry Blankenship's avatar

Commissioner Johnson deferring to our local Board of Health is infuriating. Aside from not having or taking a position, AKA doing his job,, he deferred to the very Board that instigated Marshall Law against any Jefferson and Clallam County citizen smart enough to NOT inject experimental "vaccines". The Board's justification for penalizing those skeptical of the injections was public safety. They forced people out of jobs, travel and public spaces for not injecting toxic chemical concoctions that neither stopped transmission of the targeted disease nor acquiring that disease - - - that Board. Regarding drug addition and treatment, I believe in second chances. Anything beyond that, goes to the penal system; not rehabilitation. Habitual offenders are a societal drain, repeat habitual offenders should be removed from society.

Expand full comment
4 reasonable development's avatar

Again Allison Berry at the helm, running the show….worse far left liberal doctor we ever had. It can’t really get much worse with a doctor like her in charge!

Expand full comment
Eric Fehrmann's avatar

We need to change the Clallam County Commissioners board room to room 101.

Expand full comment
Michael Heath's avatar

The Clallam County Commissioners and others who have their hands in our pockets are very clearly already devising their excuse for THEIR failures and/or the Intentional harm that they know that they are causing~! They are deviously building their own so-called "plausible" legal defense, because they know that what they are doing is not working, has NEVER worked, and is in fact causing tremendous harm... Comments like "That is not our specialty" are obviously carefully crafted because these failed public servants know that they have violated the public trust, misspent countless taxpayer dollars, supported negative & destructive solutions, and Intentionally NOT done the right things. It is all part of the sick "government machine" that supports and protects itself over all others. Why would these Commissioners COMPLETELY ignore their constituents, their victims, and the truth~? Is it logical that the Commissioners NEVER make the right decisions and ALWAYS go against the will of the vast majority of folks and common-sense reasoning itself? Yes, these failed public servants are only listening to the clown show that depends upon "failure" to receive more & more money and to survive. Actually solving a problem that you are paid to solve, will eventually result in you being unemployed~! These Commissioners have always had the opportunity to open their eyes, to see the results of their actions and inactions, and they COMPLETELY refused to do so. Why? Why do these Commissioners even exist? I sure don't support ANYONE in government management who throws up their hands and says "That is not our specialty"~! The only reason that government even exists is to serve the will and best interests of the people, which specifically makes them "specialists" in problem solving by the very description of their employment~! I understand that they need to reach out for help sometimes, especially those who are not too bright, but why do they ignore the will of the vast majority of "us" because "WE" are the ones that they by law and duty MUST ask for help from first and foremost??? We are the ones who know the most because we are constantly forced to live with these public servants' screw ups~! Also, what really is their "specialty" if it is not understanding how to successfully deal with our communities most important issues? Have these Commissioners just fallen off the turnip truck and they never heard of the homeless problem that to some degree always exists everywhere? The homeless problem is all across the US today, worse than ever, and constantly driven to be worse by the very failed policies that these same public servants love to claim that they know nothing about~! HA~! Steve Urkle was funny on the TV sitcom, but we DEFINITELY can't allow that sick incompetent mentality to exist in our government~!!! What a load of bullshit~! Lie, deceive, duck responsibility, blame others, and above all NEVER admit to causing the very problems that you made worse and/or created~! HA~! That should be boldly emblazoned on the Clallam County Commissioners letterhead~! Obviously, these failed servants of ours will NEVER change their ways, so it is long past time to remove them from office so we can find "specialists" in problem solving that actually know what to do~!

Sincerely, Mike

Expand full comment
G M Joyner's avatar

Since accountability is the only thing we haven’t tried and the problems just keep getting worse, the answer to the poll is pretty obvious.

Expand full comment
John Worthington's avatar

I want to spend tax money on a Forks–Blyn Aqueduct (78 miles, 150 cfs firm yield) using BPA power-line ROW Then build Jimmycomelately-style fixed-meander coils to double salmon returns and double irrigated acres in the Sequim rain-shadow (Dungeness Valley + Blyn ETJ).

These are major civil projects that help us and America. I have tried for 5 years to move the needle and have had zero bites from either party. Revenue would be spilling out our ears well beyond my lifetime. First to build it then to reap the revenue from salmon and agriculture profits. Plenty of bridges for the addicts to paint.

Both parties have committed to an international economy for cheap labor. Both parties hide the shipping emissions. Its not an Ideological blind spot, its a commitment back to the tyrants 3000 miles away, who have cheap labor.

One side is punishing us for being colonizers to redistribute property owners taxes to those "harmed" by a treaty and 100 years of BIA payments. They can't get America where it needs to be.

The other is a Nash theory of profit driven by a Orange haired Monty Hall... He just wanted a bigger cut from the word economy... Both parties like it when we just stay a park...If our government goes broke or is open only 30 hours a week..it doesn't effect them.

Expand full comment
John Worthington's avatar

But if we required her to help paint the bridge on the River Quai like all the walking war wounded had to..she might have gotten tired of painting the bridge over the River Quai every 5 days. or..A property tax wouldn't be needed...I see her... She could paint for 4 hours. Some of these people would have that option instead of stealing the chainsaw in your garage.

Perfection is just not there. Its preferable..but the property tax goes up if we have to incarcerate them for drug abuse. Been there... seen that.. a whole bunch. It just doesn't work. That said, I am all for the blue page job if it means requiring them to do 3-4 hours of meaningful work.

But my ideas build America..Socialists and Communists only want to destroy America.

The Smatterchew is a losing argument for Republicans and just creates a blue vote. Your tax dollars should only be going to the Nuttinyoucando's..for Steilacoom to open back up...She is not a Nuttinyoucando's.

Expand full comment
Don Beeman's avatar

Consider what we are witnessing not just as a mess, a “Field of Nightmares,” that needs to be cleaned up. View it as part of the depopulation movement and global war against America.

Opioid Settlement Funds, oh, right! Drug money used to subsidize and enable more addiction. Nothing to see here. Many years ago, a Dr. Jones, who had headed PBH and later became a force at OMC was interviewed on KONP. He did a opioid mea culpa for all doctors and then added, “the government made us do it.” There was no follow up as to how that was so. Really? I understand Jones had some military background and should grasp what an illegal order is. How did the government make it happen? I believe it did, and I believe it may have been started by the CDC in 1995 when they told us to treat violence as a health issue. But it wasn’t just violence. Remember when anger was criminalized? Not feeling right?

“Just following orders.” Heard that somewhere.

What better use of opioid funds than ruining more lives. I recall it was the time a child had a run in with a syringe at the Dream Park. I made signs telling the then County Heath Director and Jones to depart. One did almost immediately, the other didn’t. Considering the health witch that was the replacement, my effort was probably worse than in vain, so I’m submitting my mea culpa. The government drove me to it. I believe Jones has moved on. The exit details should be fascinating. How much was OMC paying him?

I was contemplating adding my piece, “Time to Revisit Nuremberg.” You’ve been granted a stay.

Expand full comment
4 reasonable development's avatar

I would have to be a strung out drug addict to see harm reduction & all the freebies are helping me. What an oxymoron.

Expand full comment