The League of Women Voters has not answered the questions posed in Friday's article. Here is an email sent to the county commissioners and Dr. Berry today:
Dear Commissioners and Dr. Berry,
I’m writing to ask for clarification regarding the statement at the recent Board of Health meeting suggesting that volunteers cleaning up encampments may be committing “theft” by removing supplies. Specifically, I’d like to understand the basis for that claim, as groups like 4PA have consistently stated they follow protocols to ensure they are removing abandoned debris and hazardous waste—not personal property in active use. If there is documentation or evidence supporting the allegation, please provide it. If not, I believe the volunteers who have given countless hours to improving public spaces deserve either clarification or a public correction. I would appreciate your response so this can be addressed accurately and fairly.
Good governance is not about never making mistakes; it is about the courage to correct them publicly. Below is a modeled response for a Health Officer who chooses to prioritize Public Trust over Professional Ego—moving from a defensive posture on "theft" to a data-driven protocol for "stewardship."
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for writing to me directly. You asked for documentation regarding the suggestion that volunteers might be committing "theft" during encampment cleanups. You also asked for a public correction if no such evidence exists.
Your email is fair, accurate, and deserves a precise response. It also highlights a need for me to clarify how our government functions—and where I may have overstepped my role.
To be clear: There is no formal allegation, evidence, or documentation suggesting that 4PA or any specific volunteer group has committed theft or maliciously removed personal property. Under Washington criminal law, theft requires the wrongful taking of property with "intent to deprive" the owner (Revised Code of Washington [RCW] 9A.56.020, 2024). There is no evidence that volunteer stewards fit this definition.
If my comments at the Board of Health meeting implied a specific accusation against these volunteers, that was imprecise and incorrect. I apologize for the confusion and distress this caused.
Your email forces an important distinction between Public Health Authority and Judicial Authority:
-My Role (The Health Officer): My statutory duty is to "control and prevent the spread of any dangerous, contagious or infectious diseases" and to "abate nuisances" (RCW 70.05.070, 2024). My lane is Biological Risk. My job is to identify hazards (needles, bio-waste, contamination) and ensure they are removed to protect the living community.
-The Court’s Role (The Judiciary): Determining "ownership" of disputed items or adjudicating theft is the exclusive lane of Law Enforcement and the Courts.
By warning of "theft" regarding encampment debris, I inadvertently stepped out of my "Hazard" lane and into the "Judge" lane.
We must also address the tension between "Harm Reduction" supplies and "Environmental Health." For years, we have relied on data from urban centers like Seattle and Vancouver to justify distributing supplies (e.g., foil, glass pipes). However, applying 2008 urban data to 2026 Clallam County is an imperfect proxy.
Recent studies indicate that synthetic drugs create unique environmental waste management challenges in rural areas (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2024 and 2023) and that methamphetamine residues can persist in waterways, altering aquatic life behavior (Horký et al., 2021). Furthermore, the shift from heroin to fentanyl has exponentially increased the volume of waste generated, a variable not accounted for in older syringe exchange literature (Bluthenthal et al., 2007; Tempalski et al., 2008). Because we lack rural-specific studies proving these items are environmentally benign in a watershed, we must adhere to the Precautionary Principle.
Our shared goal is a healthy community. To align our policy with that goal, I am directing a shift in how we handle cleanup. We will stop debating "Theft" and start defining "Nuisance."
I am working with Environmental Health to issue a "Green Light Protocol" for volunteer groups. This will provide standing authorization to remove items that constitute an immediate health hazard, including:
-Bio-Hazards: Any item soiled with human waste or blood.
-Drug Paraphernalia: Loose needles, foil, and broken glass found in public rights-of-way.
-Environmental Threats: Leaching batteries or wet/moldy textiles in the watershed.
Thank you for holding your government accountable. Questions like yours help us course-correct toward the outcomes we all want.
Respectfully,
Health Officer
Clallam County Board of Health
References
Bluthenthal, R. N., Anderson, R., Flynn, N. M., & Kral, A. H. (2007). Higher syringe coverage is associated with lower odds of HIV risk and does not increase unsafe syringe disposal among syringe exchange program clients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 89(2-3), 214–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.12.035
Horký, P., Grabic, R., Grabicová, K., Brooks, B. W., Douda, K., Slavík, O., & Randák, T. (2021). Methamphetamine pollution elicits addiction in wild fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(13), jeb242145. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242145
Tempalski, B., Cooper, H. L. F., Friedman, S. R., Des Jarlais, D. C., Brady, J., & Gostnell, K. (2008). Correlates of syringe coverage for heroin injection in 35 large metropolitan areas in the US in which heroin is the dominant injected drug. International Journal of Drug Policy, 19(Suppl 1), S47–S58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2007.12.002
Constituent’s Recourse: How to Move from "Noise" to "Record"
If the Health Officer refuses to correct the "theft" allegation or fails to implement a "Green Light" cleanup protocol, citizens have specific administrative rights. Public comment is for persuasion; the following process is for accountability.
1. The Formal Complaint (Clallam County Policy 235)
Most citizens stop at public comment. To create a legal administrative record that the Board of Health must review, you should file a formal complaint citing County Personnel Policy 235.
1.1. The Policy: Clallam County Policy 235: Investigation of Complaints and Discipline
1.2. What to Cite: Do not complain about "politics." Cite specific conduct violations from the policy, such as:
1.2.1. "Discourteous treatment of the public" (Accusing volunteers of theft without evidence).
1.2.2. "Neglect of Duty" (Refusing to abate statutory nuisances).
1.3. Where to File: Submit your written complaint to the Clallam County Human Resources Director and the Board of Health. You can use the general submission form here as a starting point, but ensure you explicitly reference "Policy 235" in the subject line:
2.2. The Standard: A Health Officer may be removed only after Notice and a Hearing are provided, and Cause is established.
2.3. The Strategy: The "Green Light Protocol" acts as the test.
2.3.1. If the Health Officer refuses to authorize the cleanup of biohazards, she is potentially committing "Neglect of Duty" (refusing to enforce RCW 70.05.070).
2.3.2. Documenting this refusal via the Policy 235 process builds the "Cause" required for a removal hearing.
3. The Whistleblower Option (Improper Governmental Action)
If you believe the refusal to clean up hazardous waste constitutes a "gross waste of public funds" or a "substantial and specific danger to the public health," you may have standing to report Improper Governmental Action.
3.1. The Statute: RCW 42.41: Local Government Whistleblower Protection
3.2. The Application: If County employees or contractors are being ordered not to enforce sanitation laws, this statute may apply.
Summary for Readers:
Step 1: Ask for the "Green Light Protocol."
Step 2: If denied, file a Policy 235 Complaint citing "Neglect of Duty."
Step 3: If ignored, request a Removal Hearing under RCW 70.05.050 based on the documented neglect.
[Note to Commissioners: This "Green Light Protocol" does not currently exist. It is a modeled proposed administrative solution that could solve your liability concerns immediately. I invite you to steal this idea, and I will not consider it theft.]
Dr Sarah, I hold a lot of respect for you, but outlining how things should work doesn't ease my unease. I read what you write, great. Follow the rules, don't have emotions, listen to the music and go into the gas chamber.
The reality of it is, it ain't working the way it is suppose to in text books. I do apologize if I sound attacking, but when I'm given platitude I get upset. I want action, not words. Not how the Commissioners should respond because they haven't and are not.
It is not unreasonable to look around and say, “This isn’t working.” It is not unreasonable to want action instead of policy language. And it is not unreasonable to feel exhausted by systems that seem slow, insulated, or unresponsive.
Where I differ is not in the frustration — it’s in how we respond to it.
When I outline how things should work, I’m not offering platitudes. I’m showing the playbook. Because even if elected or appointed authorities don’t follow it, we still should.
If we abandon process, we abandon leverage.
Anger can spotlight a problem. But discipline is what forces change.
Here’s the hard truth:
Government rarely corrects itself because people yell.
It corrects itself when people document, measure, and demand outcomes.
You want action? So do I.
Action looks like this:
-Demand published encampment cleanup data.
-Demand environmental testing results.
-Demand quarterly overdose metrics.
-Demand treatment engagement numbers.
-Demand cost-per-outcome reporting for harm reduction programs.
If the data proves improvement, we acknowledge it.
If the data shows failure, we pivot.
But we don’t surrender to chaos, and we don’t surrender to apathy.
*You are right to want results.
*You are right to be uneasy.
What I’m modeling isn’t obedience to a broken system.
It’s how we hold a system accountable without becoming what we oppose.
*We can be frustrated and still be disciplined.
*We can demand action and still operate within law.
Thank you Dr Sarah for your clear calm reply. The action plan is exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much! Demanding goals that need to be met is a start, then taking the necessary actions when the goals are not met is a plan of attack. IMO, the demanded goals will not be met, based on past demands, so let's pivot on that ahead of time and have a Plan B ready.
Apparently, it will take decades to 'fix.' It took decades to create this highly inefficient, confusing, and disorganized administrative situation, with its excessive red tape, pointless procedures, and slow decision-making.
ABeetle, I truly believe, as Clallam County used to be the Bellwether for voting, we can take the county back and be a Bellwether for a citizen run county. It will happen but not by follow the leader, but by being the leader. I will start with Seegers!
Yes! This is the start. funny, I was just thinking about the news of Sequim being a Bellweather of who the next President would be. But the pundits got it wrong this last time. Seegers YAY!
A Health Officer is the Inspector of Hazards, not the Judge of Ownership. When the county protects the rot that threatens the public, it has not secured property rights; it has abdicated its duty to the living.
When a government prioritizes the inanimate (tents, needles, waste) over the animate (people, wildlife, waterways), it has committed a fundamental error in governance.
The Biological Duty (Protecting Life vs. Objects): Public Health's primary mandate is to prevent disease and injury. When a Health Officer halts a cleanup because crews might "steal" a moldy tarp, they are prioritizing the object over the biological risk (mold, rats, pathogens). The "living"—children playing nearby, the cleanup crew, and the person sleeping in the mold—are left exposed to harm.
The Environmental Duty (The "Living" Land): In Clallam County, "the living" includes our watershed. Allowing 400,000 lbs of toxic trash to fester near waterways under the guise of "compassion" is a death sentence for that ecosystem. A Health Officer who ignores leaching batteries in a creek has abdicated their duty to the living environment in favor of the rights of the debris.
The Social Duty (The "Living" Community): A community relies on safe streets and usable public spaces to function. When policy allows these spaces to become hazardous "dead zones," the government is slowly killing the civic life of the area.
The Bottom Line: Authority is not a blank check. The county has the authority to demand hygiene in encampments; it does not have the authority to criminalize the cleaning of them. To do so is to fight for the trash while the community fights for its life.
I am so sick and tired of people like Dr. Barry and Latricia Suggs, as well as other commissioners, turning blind eyes to this harm reduction problem.
I myself have been in healthcare since 2001 and I am appalled at what I see here. They pushed their BS agenda, saying this harm reduction business is helping. I have an idea. I believe it was the Olympia newspaper that came in and did a story on Day With The Sheriff.
I think maybe it’s time for a phone call to see if they’d like to do a story on this and really get the word out there. Harm reduction does not work. We need to get these folks into programs to get clean, proper housing,and help them get jobs. That’s the only thing that’s going to help. Dr. Barry and Latricia Sugg should be ashamed of themselves and any other commissioner that goes along with this crap.
Dr. Berry was the lead in quarantining people smart enough to not inject the COVID "vaccine" toxins. She banned people with natural immunity from public venues. Natural immunity was and remains far safer in the public domain than those who caved to injecting the COVID "vaccine" toxins. The injections were and remain undeniably toxic. Her leadership on our local Board of Health generated a 100% pandemic management failure rate. Not one effort made by our Board of Health was positive. From faulty testing to a lethal treatment protocol to forcing toxic injections to the denial of natural immunity to the abrogation of civil rights; all led by Dr. Berry and all wrong / failures. Now Dr. Berry maintains cleaning up trash is stealing from the indigent. Our Board of Health clearly needs new leadership.
Clallam County Democrat Corruption is rampant. It is in their DNA . It is who they are. Antifa Allison Berry and the rest of Clallam county government are essentially part of the Democrat Party. Their corruption defines them. All they care about is power and money. I would like people to understand that Allison Berry is not in it to help others just like Biden wasn't. The globalists are all communists as the democrats exist in party name only. Thieves, liars and worse. I give you today's Clallam county democrat party and its county leadership.
My company exclusively hires them. We work with them with any appointments they may have. Oxford House requirements are stay sober and hold a job.
I've spoken to them and they ALL laugh at harm reduction. They say it enables, it doesn't help, and keeps them on the vicious circle of being a zombie.
I've asked them what got you cleaned up? They said jail time. Being in jail for 5-10 days sobered them up enough and they could then see their current life choices were not right. They realized they were going to die and then made the choice to seek help.
Harm Reduction just kept them in a zombie state and they didn't have ability to think clearly to make the choice of help.
It's pretty sad that these so called experts know better than the actual users. Kinda like crazy white people telling people of color how they should feel.
It's the binary lens these people need to keep the discussion within because it keeps the money flow going. It always comes down to saving lives now without regard for the harm their instigating long term.
Years ago we used to care. Now they've created a multi billion dollar industry. These people just represent a dollar sign on their foreheads. They qualify their actions with coined phrases like caring and dignity. When in actuality is about $$$$.
Now as a society we have become we have become desensitized thanks to these actions of all these NGOs and government agencies.
All the money spent and nothing to show for it. They'll pat themselves on the back for helping less than 1% which will inturn justify spending more $$$$.
Wow as I was reading through the comments, right before I got to yours I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing. It's a money-making circus. The only explanation is that their jobs depend on this circus staying in business. And we're supporting the people enjoying the show while living under the bleachers in the trash pit.
Quite a few former addicts have made public comment at city and county meetings but they are ignored or dismissed most of the time. Public officials need to start listening to the voices of those who have overcome and rejoined community. It's ludicrous to imply someone on fentanyl or in meth psychosis is capable of making any decisions for their own well being, yet Berry claims most of her customers "work" and have their belongings stolen while at work.Maybe she is counting sex and narcotics trafficking as a job?
Thank you MW589, spot on. Any drug program would not suggest what wacko Berry pushes as harm reduction. It’s really a shame the one running the show is perpetuating their addictions. There are going to be less dying as long as more and more people turn to drugs & narcan, that is not success it’s a sore with a bandaid that never heals or gets better. It’s a pig with lipstick.
That is the point. There are no statistics involved in this - nothing to prove that harm reduction works; no proof that Dr Dingleberry's radical ideas work; it's all being forced upon the citizens as scientific proof. If we don't go along, we are MAGA. i am glad that 4PA is collecting info on the encampments and people living there. It appears that is all we have to go on right now, to make any decisions.
Mk, sometimes emotions drives a person to to get involved. It did me. I agree that emotions sometimes overrides intelligent responses, but emotions don't make someone less intelligent, it makes them less convincing to put their point across.
MK, the needle exchange did work to stem the epidemic. It was successful just as many grassroots (volunteer programs worked) then it turned into a money making business. Walk through a Goodwill "Store" now. It is a business with CEO's collecting ridiculous sums of money...money that was originally meant to help the poor and lower income. I checked some of the prices on items in Goodwill about 2 years ago. Some things were priced higher than Walmart! Yes, the Harm Reduction is just another money making machine.
“Camps deteriorate. Trash accumulates. Fires occur. Environmental damage spreads. When conditions become unlivable, individuals move to a new location .” Hmmm.
Is this what you mean by “stewardship?” Tell me about “sacred land” again please.
Explain to me how Judge Boldt could conclude your ancestors were too backward to understand the concept of “in common” with others.
@EricFehrmann, maybe here is the next book for your "voluntold" BOCC book club? I had the honor of working with Dr. Cooke during my doctoral program when I was learning about qualitative research methodology. Dr. Cooke's 2021 book, "Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People": NNLM Discovery | Canary in the Coal Mine, https://youtu.be/8EZgx_atjfo?si=BF-wfXIJ2xGFhh2H
Thank you, Dr. Sarah, good to see you at Beaver yesterday. This will be my next read of the book club. We need a name for our club.
I have not completed reading The Gabriel Plan, still working my way through the Ten Points. I am a slow reader and slow at digesting information. (I'll be finished reading tonight.) I also like to compare statements with results and personal experience. I believe that the Gabriel Plan shows the What, Why, and How for successful reform programs to address substance addiction. The book also points out the money trail, and why many advocate for MAT and Harm Reduction. Follow the money.
I hope to challenge Clallam County Commissioners and Administrator, one point at time, on the ten points of the Gabriel Plan. As we only have limited time at the monthly forums and the fact that our elected officials are so involved with all their boards and travels, I don’t want to overburden them all at once. I think they might be able to tackle the ideas one at a time. I also need time to counter their attacks when they dispute claims stated in the book. I am not fast on my feet with responses, getting slower by the day. Like the song says, “At the end of the day, you’re another day older”.
You're a rebel with a cause, Eric. Everything you bring to the podium is valuable and on point. I like your 10 point strategy. Good idea. I'll be listening.
Bravo, another perspective other than the John Hopkins graduate one….oh my there are other ways to skin a cat! Although you’re going to have to be creative because you only get 3 minutes but writing is free young man….Dr. Berry withheld my needed thyroid medication because I had not taken my yearly blood test yet she gives needles, pipes & foil out like candy. So happy when she left Jamestown after 5 years, got promoted to harm many more victims legally without any tests required, here you go it’s all free stuff to help yourself feel better. How did we get so lucky?
Our friend based in Lynnwood has a body shop and he had to move recently due to some tighter regulations on the chemicals and waste that couldn't be contained with the equipment he had. He is moving to reservation land where there are no restrictions. Anything goes. Grants will be available later to clean things up, I'll bet.
Great presentation, Jake! To the 99.99% of CC residents, these pictures show the desperate need to change current harm reduction policies. Only the rest of the population sees it differently because 4PA and volunteers like you are verifying the truth and making the difference that we can see in real time. Don't Dr. Berry and LaTrisha Suggs have ties to Tribal corporations? If JKT honestly believed in a genuine partnership, there would be more community efforts (which would garner resounding positive publicity) from multiple groups working towards one goal. Where is Tim Wheeler's group protesting the treatment of the "trash" tree?
So many agencies need to involved in this cleanup. This is a disgrace Jamestown Corporation, Clallam County and Port Angeles. You three will sqawk at each other "It's not my responsibility". But it is your responsibility. From needles to tarps, to poop, to shelter, to finances, to denial, it is your responsibility to keep this area free of this transient population. You are condone the homeless scenario by turning a blind eye. A problem does exist.
Although I have had limited success in using these links below, here are a few State and Federal agencies that need to know this watershed is being polluted,
We're paying Clallam Conservation District $200k annually with the new $5 fee forced upon us by the commissioners...they are supposed to be in the business of restoring salmon habitat...
Very good article. All I can say is I'm glad my daughter only got a master's at John's Hopkins...if she achieved a doctorates she might be that kind of stupid as Dr. Barry.
Unbelievable...makes me think of the old adage " you can't fix stupid".
I'm writing to the governor again to have her removed. The last response I got from that avenue was "what adverse reactions?"
I kid you not , they are all in on the plan to destroy this beautiful state of ours ...
Thanks Jeff and Jake I hope they'll open their eyes soon!
PLEASE STOP STEALING FROM THE HOMELESS AND ADDICTED PEOPLE!!!! If you find something on Public Property you must turn it into the Law enforcement organization that has jurisdiction as UNCLAIMED PROPERTY and let them deal with it!!!
If you pick up a wallet and take it home.....you've stolen it!!!!!!
If you pick up a wallet and take it PAPD and turn it in.....it becomes unclaimed property and becomes the city of PA's responsibility to find the owner and return it or dispose of it, and by law have to hold onto it for a long time. 4PA could satisfy Scarry Barry and place the disposal burden where it belongs!!!!!!
After what Dr. Allison Berry did to destroy the business sector of Port Angeles and all of Clallam County during the pandemic, after the fallout of an absolutely abysmal failure of a 'harm reduction' effort, after all of her failed policies, mandates, and foot stomping...you all still have her on speed dial for medical and moral decisions? She really thinks that filthy needles found hither and yon are "stolen property" from these illegal encampments and she's worried for her children? What a load of fecal matter. She's now doing exactly what a former hostile and very vocal group did to the previous town cleaners, who shall remain unnamed, who were charged with all sorts of ridiculous claims because they cleaned up after the addicts (no, not going to blame the homeless...they do their best with what little they have) and were blamed for theft and destroying private property. Why is she still even employed? What has she done to improve anything for anyone, including the addicts? Send her to Bhopal where she can oversee their cleanup efforts after failed government policies.
She is responsible for destroying businesses, for instigating an 'us vs. them' mentality, for mask hysteria and false information spewed. Why is she still here???? Yes, I certainly agree with you!
You went there also. First thing I thought of when I heard "Dr" Berry's comment. Second thought was who is whispering in her ear to make these accusations.
They are a repeat from before. Only thing missing is filing a police report for theft. ;)
yes, indeed. each overlapping NGO and for profit business serving homelessness and/or addiction has it's own set of paid adminsitration and CEO and much of it is redundant and overlapping, siphoning off much of the funding for such issues before it ever reaches the intended need
So naturally, that does mean that most of the harm reduction paraphernalia is handed out to drug addicts coming from elsewhere for freebees and to destroy our ecosystem. Great.
The housing waitlists of multiple agencies contain entries from out of town and out of state. Those with housing vouchers are encouraged to apply to multiple areas to increse their odds.An individual with more issues gets weighted for priority.
O M G really??? I could almost cry. this is not right, nor fair. Not that life is fair, but it is deliberately forcing taxpayers to pay for it all, along with those in power.
an addict who grew up here, lived homeless out of state about 20 years, did prison time for extreme DV, got a free buss ticket back to where he came from gifted by another state, came "home" got hooked up with medicaid and food stamps via support from PBH and bumped to top of list for housing due to the scoring system for prioritization under housing first. Working, sober struggling families wait in line behind users like that. System is broken
Washington State utilizes several vulnerability assessment tools to prioritize housing assistance for those most at risk, including the Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT), VI-SPDAT, and DSHS Pathways to Housing. These tools measure health, functioning, and safety to determine the severity of need, focusing on individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly those in high-cost areas.
Key components of Washington's housing assistance vulnerability assessment:
VAT (Vulnerability Assessment Tool): Developed by DESC, it evaluates a person's functioning level, health, and other factors to determine risk of harm on the streets.
VI-SPDAT (Vulnerability Index - Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool): A brief, self-reported survey used to categorize clients as having high, moderate, or low acuity.
DSHS Pathways to Housing (P2H): A resource for navigating housing, with tools to assess eligibility for subsidies.
Target Populations: Assessments often focus on individuals with behavioral health conditions (e.g., via King County CBRA), veterans (e.g., via HUD-VASH), and those needing Foundational Community Supports (FCS).
Regional Factors: High rents and a lack of affordable housing are major drivers of vulnerability, with Washington ranking 3rd in the U.S. for its homeless population.
jedj, we should start betting on it now. I give it 2 weeks for the first police calls. 2 months for interior drains to start clogging and broken window repairs. 4 months for repairs of pet damages. 5 months to repair appliances. 6 months to having to repair interior damages. 7 months for the EV station to be out of commission. 8 months for the Board of Commissioners to ask for increase funds for repairs....2 years for the Board of Commissioners to "revisit" PBH success. 3 years to realize it wasn't ever a good way to spend money and will find excuses why its not working (Just like the church parking lot escapade)...they just passed sports on line gambling for the casino, maybe they can run the betting part as this whole housing program is a gamble.
I believe you've forgotten copper theft. I think it's still a pretty lucrative past time to just rip the guts out of the plumbing and interior pipes so you can afford fentanyl and meth. I understand the prices have been skyrocketing since the borders were closed. And don't forget there will need to be a yearly study, for a nominal fee I'm sure, to study the "success" of the new digs.
You are right on. It probably already happened in construction. Only problem is the EC on this CC project was from out of area so I do not know, we build this with our money again going to out of area companies. When are our politicians going to wake up.
Neely has the construction contract. A majority of the union workers are local here. They always jump on any local project in hopes of not having to commute. I know that the first few weeks of the project they were dealing with man made holes in the fencing surrounding the work site and trash
The EC on this job are not union. Bird Electric out of Polusbo low
balled this job. They were 400 k lower because they designed this
job incorrectly. I am sure they change ordered it quite well. The locals did not bid equal to equal. Neeley is a good general and do have a local presence. They do try to use local ECs on their projects
I believe they have the Pacific Marine project and are looking at some local companies. On the school jobs in PA most of the union
electricians are out of area. Sare Electric is the EC and use most of their guys. The Middle School was a shady process with the general. I could explain but not on this thread.
Our politicians are plenty 'woke'. The problem is that it's the exact antithesis of what we are, which is awake. This is pure theft and to call it anything else is disingenuous.
Representatives from many of the state’s tribes testified in support of the legislation during a Jan. 22 committee hearing. RON ALLEN, CHAIR OF THE JAMESTOWN S’KLALLAM TRIBE, told members of the Senate Business Committee that similar bets are already allowed in the state through commodity future trading markets.
“That’s a separate matter, but this makes it legal for Washington state,” said Allen, who chairs the Washington Indian Gaming Association. Allen said the association, which represents the state’s 29 tribes, also supports the legislation.
The casino does not even own the Sports betting operation at 7/ Cedars.
It is run by a Vegas company that kicks back money to the Tribe.i gamble with a bookie in Seattle and he said the PBH is no action. In other words it is a sure thing to happen. Jennifer you forgot the one thing to happen. They will steal all the copper wire and have no power. Of course then they would feel at home. Guaranteed FAILURE in a short time.
If elected officials in clallam county does not implement new county & city ordinances that makes encampments specifically illegal and all materials onsite disposable this issue is going to get much worse.Wa states highest elected libtards are in the process of protecting encampments by 'a new law'.I do not expect C.C. elected will do squat because they are controlled by higher elected state incompetent ignorants.When elected officials join as many NGO's as possible they get empowered by deranged brainwashers that have very little competent common sense.Clallam co is getting brand new schools and look what's coming to set up camp around them.
Tumwater Tour: If a slide show of these encampments, both occupied and abandoned, were allowed to be presented as a visual preamble before each Commissioners meeting, it certainly would dampen all the “progress” of Harm Reduction claims. Or would it be explained away as false reporting?
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is an adage in multiple languages meaning that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description.
The Gabriel Plan a book touted as a must read by Eric Fehrmann and Susie Blake offers solutions, not bandages.
See things from a whole new perspective “We are funding helplessness instead of teaching self sufficiency. We're managing decline instead of building capacity. We're treating people like permanent victims instead of future warriors”
4PA Founder Warns Encampment Cleanup Is Falling Behind as Scale of Problem Grows
PORT ANGELES — The founder of 4PA told Port Angeles city leaders this week that while his team continues to clean up abandoned homeless encampments, the scale of the problem is growing — and THE CITY NEEDS A CLEARER PLAN.
Joe DeScala told the City Council that over the past four and a half years, 4PA has removed more than 400,000 pounds of trash from abandoned camps on city property.
They are falling behind because the word is out. PA is the place to come to because you can live your zombie lifestyle knowing they'll support your life choices 😁 😁
Harm Reduction+NGOs=$$$$
Follow the money who's banking on this?
Well the PBH luxury apartment building is a good place to start
MW589, the best place to start is with the Board of County Commissioners. They passed the MAT clinic, they passed funding Harm Reduction, they passed so many things that has gotten this county into a downfall.
I would say, besides following the money, follow the political advantages they gain...yes, that is part of the money!
The commisoners are worthless unless new blood gets on to shake things up
French is a progressive dumbass who wants a hire office and is on the NGOs that fund this shit
Ozias is in the back pocket of the tribes and continues to reap the benefits of that relationship
Johnson should've retired a long time ago. He used to be reasonable but that ship has sailed along time ago
Nothing will change unless the county commissioners and city council change with common sense people. Unfortunately most of those folks have moved away and we are left with one dumbass after another.
I hear that Jake Seeger is a god fearing reasonable person. I hope he wins and shake a few things up.
I get it. Tumwater creek runs a wonderful 105 degrees this time of year...
",,,they prefer Tumwater Creek to Serenity House, citing past conflicts with staff and claiming the showers are consistently ice cold."
Is human sewage a natural food source for salmon? Hadn't heard that before but it MUST be or these very people wouldn't take millions for salmon runs and then pollute our streams and rivers.
The League of Women Voters has not answered the questions posed in Friday's article. Here is an email sent to the county commissioners and Dr. Berry today:
Dear Commissioners and Dr. Berry,
I’m writing to ask for clarification regarding the statement at the recent Board of Health meeting suggesting that volunteers cleaning up encampments may be committing “theft” by removing supplies. Specifically, I’d like to understand the basis for that claim, as groups like 4PA have consistently stated they follow protocols to ensure they are removing abandoned debris and hazardous waste—not personal property in active use. If there is documentation or evidence supporting the allegation, please provide it. If not, I believe the volunteers who have given countless hours to improving public spaces deserve either clarification or a public correction. I would appreciate your response so this can be addressed accurately and fairly.
Good governance is not about never making mistakes; it is about the courage to correct them publicly. Below is a modeled response for a Health Officer who chooses to prioritize Public Trust over Professional Ego—moving from a defensive posture on "theft" to a data-driven protocol for "stewardship."
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for writing to me directly. You asked for documentation regarding the suggestion that volunteers might be committing "theft" during encampment cleanups. You also asked for a public correction if no such evidence exists.
Your email is fair, accurate, and deserves a precise response. It also highlights a need for me to clarify how our government functions—and where I may have overstepped my role.
To be clear: There is no formal allegation, evidence, or documentation suggesting that 4PA or any specific volunteer group has committed theft or maliciously removed personal property. Under Washington criminal law, theft requires the wrongful taking of property with "intent to deprive" the owner (Revised Code of Washington [RCW] 9A.56.020, 2024). There is no evidence that volunteer stewards fit this definition.
If my comments at the Board of Health meeting implied a specific accusation against these volunteers, that was imprecise and incorrect. I apologize for the confusion and distress this caused.
Your email forces an important distinction between Public Health Authority and Judicial Authority:
-My Role (The Health Officer): My statutory duty is to "control and prevent the spread of any dangerous, contagious or infectious diseases" and to "abate nuisances" (RCW 70.05.070, 2024). My lane is Biological Risk. My job is to identify hazards (needles, bio-waste, contamination) and ensure they are removed to protect the living community.
-The Court’s Role (The Judiciary): Determining "ownership" of disputed items or adjudicating theft is the exclusive lane of Law Enforcement and the Courts.
By warning of "theft" regarding encampment debris, I inadvertently stepped out of my "Hazard" lane and into the "Judge" lane.
We must also address the tension between "Harm Reduction" supplies and "Environmental Health." For years, we have relied on data from urban centers like Seattle and Vancouver to justify distributing supplies (e.g., foil, glass pipes). However, applying 2008 urban data to 2026 Clallam County is an imperfect proxy.
Recent studies indicate that synthetic drugs create unique environmental waste management challenges in rural areas (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2024 and 2023) and that methamphetamine residues can persist in waterways, altering aquatic life behavior (Horký et al., 2021). Furthermore, the shift from heroin to fentanyl has exponentially increased the volume of waste generated, a variable not accounted for in older syringe exchange literature (Bluthenthal et al., 2007; Tempalski et al., 2008). Because we lack rural-specific studies proving these items are environmentally benign in a watershed, we must adhere to the Precautionary Principle.
Our shared goal is a healthy community. To align our policy with that goal, I am directing a shift in how we handle cleanup. We will stop debating "Theft" and start defining "Nuisance."
I am working with Environmental Health to issue a "Green Light Protocol" for volunteer groups. This will provide standing authorization to remove items that constitute an immediate health hazard, including:
-Bio-Hazards: Any item soiled with human waste or blood.
-Drug Paraphernalia: Loose needles, foil, and broken glass found in public rights-of-way.
-Environmental Threats: Leaching batteries or wet/moldy textiles in the watershed.
Thank you for holding your government accountable. Questions like yours help us course-correct toward the outcomes we all want.
Respectfully,
Health Officer
Clallam County Board of Health
References
Bluthenthal, R. N., Anderson, R., Flynn, N. M., & Kral, A. H. (2007). Higher syringe coverage is associated with lower odds of HIV risk and does not increase unsafe syringe disposal among syringe exchange program clients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 89(2-3), 214–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.12.035
Horký, P., Grabic, R., Grabicová, K., Brooks, B. W., Douda, K., Slavík, O., & Randák, T. (2021). Methamphetamine pollution elicits addiction in wild fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(13), jeb242145. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242145
Revised Code of Washington § 9A.56.020. (2024). Theft—Definition, defense. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.56.020
Revised Code of Washington § 70.05.070. (2024). Local health officer—Powers and duties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.05.070
Tempalski, B., Cooper, H. L. F., Friedman, S. R., Des Jarlais, D. C., Brady, J., & Gostnell, K. (2008). Correlates of syringe coverage for heroin injection in 35 large metropolitan areas in the US in which heroin is the dominant injected drug. International Journal of Drug Policy, 19(Suppl 1), S47–S58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2007.12.002
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2023). UN toolkit on synthetic drugs: Safe handling and disposal. https://syntheticdrugs.unodc.org/syntheticdrugs/en/safe-handling-and-disposal/index.html
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2024). World drug report 2024: Contemporary issues on drugs (Special points of interest). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2024.html
Constituent’s Recourse: How to Move from "Noise" to "Record"
If the Health Officer refuses to correct the "theft" allegation or fails to implement a "Green Light" cleanup protocol, citizens have specific administrative rights. Public comment is for persuasion; the following process is for accountability.
1. The Formal Complaint (Clallam County Policy 235)
Most citizens stop at public comment. To create a legal administrative record that the Board of Health must review, you should file a formal complaint citing County Personnel Policy 235.
1.1. The Policy: Clallam County Policy 235: Investigation of Complaints and Discipline
1.2. What to Cite: Do not complain about "politics." Cite specific conduct violations from the policy, such as:
1.2.1. "Discourteous treatment of the public" (Accusing volunteers of theft without evidence).
1.2.2. "Neglect of Duty" (Refusing to abate statutory nuisances).
1.3. Where to File: Submit your written complaint to the Clallam County Human Resources Director and the Board of Health. You can use the general submission form here as a starting point, but ensure you explicitly reference "Policy 235" in the subject line:
1.3.1. Submit a Complaint or Request Information Form: https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/FormCenter/Contact-Forms-4/Submit-a-Complaint-or-Request-Informatio-88
2. The Removal Process (RCW 70.05.050)
A Local Health Officer is protected from "political" firing, but they are not immune from "cause-based" removal.
2.1. The Statute: RCW 70.05.050: Removal of Local Health Officer https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.05.050
2.2. The Standard: A Health Officer may be removed only after Notice and a Hearing are provided, and Cause is established.
2.3. The Strategy: The "Green Light Protocol" acts as the test.
2.3.1. If the Health Officer refuses to authorize the cleanup of biohazards, she is potentially committing "Neglect of Duty" (refusing to enforce RCW 70.05.070).
2.3.2. Documenting this refusal via the Policy 235 process builds the "Cause" required for a removal hearing.
3. The Whistleblower Option (Improper Governmental Action)
If you believe the refusal to clean up hazardous waste constitutes a "gross waste of public funds" or a "substantial and specific danger to the public health," you may have standing to report Improper Governmental Action.
3.1. The Statute: RCW 42.41: Local Government Whistleblower Protection
3.2. The Application: If County employees or contractors are being ordered not to enforce sanitation laws, this statute may apply.
Summary for Readers:
Step 1: Ask for the "Green Light Protocol."
Step 2: If denied, file a Policy 235 Complaint citing "Neglect of Duty."
Step 3: If ignored, request a Removal Hearing under RCW 70.05.050 based on the documented neglect.
[Note to Commissioners: This "Green Light Protocol" does not currently exist. It is a modeled proposed administrative solution that could solve your liability concerns immediately. I invite you to steal this idea, and I will not consider it theft.]
Thank you Dr. Sarah
Dr Sarah, I hold a lot of respect for you, but outlining how things should work doesn't ease my unease. I read what you write, great. Follow the rules, don't have emotions, listen to the music and go into the gas chamber.
The reality of it is, it ain't working the way it is suppose to in text books. I do apologize if I sound attacking, but when I'm given platitude I get upset. I want action, not words. Not how the Commissioners should respond because they haven't and are not.
@Jennifer,
I stand with you in this.
It is not unreasonable to look around and say, “This isn’t working.” It is not unreasonable to want action instead of policy language. And it is not unreasonable to feel exhausted by systems that seem slow, insulated, or unresponsive.
Where I differ is not in the frustration — it’s in how we respond to it.
When I outline how things should work, I’m not offering platitudes. I’m showing the playbook. Because even if elected or appointed authorities don’t follow it, we still should.
If we abandon process, we abandon leverage.
Anger can spotlight a problem. But discipline is what forces change.
Here’s the hard truth:
Government rarely corrects itself because people yell.
It corrects itself when people document, measure, and demand outcomes.
You want action? So do I.
Action looks like this:
-Demand published encampment cleanup data.
-Demand environmental testing results.
-Demand quarterly overdose metrics.
-Demand treatment engagement numbers.
-Demand cost-per-outcome reporting for harm reduction programs.
If the data proves improvement, we acknowledge it.
If the data shows failure, we pivot.
But we don’t surrender to chaos, and we don’t surrender to apathy.
*You are right to want results.
*You are right to be uneasy.
What I’m modeling isn’t obedience to a broken system.
It’s how we hold a system accountable without becoming what we oppose.
*We can be frustrated and still be disciplined.
*We can demand action and still operate within law.
*We can stand together and still think clearly.
That’s not platitude.
That’s power.
Thank you Dr Sarah for your clear calm reply. The action plan is exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much! Demanding goals that need to be met is a start, then taking the necessary actions when the goals are not met is a plan of attack. IMO, the demanded goals will not be met, based on past demands, so let's pivot on that ahead of time and have a Plan B ready.
Apparently, it will take decades to 'fix.' It took decades to create this highly inefficient, confusing, and disorganized administrative situation, with its excessive red tape, pointless procedures, and slow decision-making.
ABeetle, I truly believe, as Clallam County used to be the Bellwether for voting, we can take the county back and be a Bellwether for a citizen run county. It will happen but not by follow the leader, but by being the leader. I will start with Seegers!
Yes! This is the start. funny, I was just thinking about the news of Sequim being a Bellweather of who the next President would be. But the pundits got it wrong this last time. Seegers YAY!
Everything in Washington state is run like the Circumlocution Office of Charles Dickens...
Good Governance Daily Proverb:
A Health Officer is the Inspector of Hazards, not the Judge of Ownership. When the county protects the rot that threatens the public, it has not secured property rights; it has abdicated its duty to the living.
When a government prioritizes the inanimate (tents, needles, waste) over the animate (people, wildlife, waterways), it has committed a fundamental error in governance.
The Biological Duty (Protecting Life vs. Objects): Public Health's primary mandate is to prevent disease and injury. When a Health Officer halts a cleanup because crews might "steal" a moldy tarp, they are prioritizing the object over the biological risk (mold, rats, pathogens). The "living"—children playing nearby, the cleanup crew, and the person sleeping in the mold—are left exposed to harm.
The Environmental Duty (The "Living" Land): In Clallam County, "the living" includes our watershed. Allowing 400,000 lbs of toxic trash to fester near waterways under the guise of "compassion" is a death sentence for that ecosystem. A Health Officer who ignores leaching batteries in a creek has abdicated their duty to the living environment in favor of the rights of the debris.
The Social Duty (The "Living" Community): A community relies on safe streets and usable public spaces to function. When policy allows these spaces to become hazardous "dead zones," the government is slowly killing the civic life of the area.
The Bottom Line: Authority is not a blank check. The county has the authority to demand hygiene in encampments; it does not have the authority to criminalize the cleaning of them. To do so is to fight for the trash while the community fights for its life.
References
Clallam County, WA Code. (2024). Chapter 41.11: Solid waste regulations. https://clallam.county.codes/CCC/41.11
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, 603 U.S. 520 (2024). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-175_19m2.pdf
City of Seattle v. Long, 198 Wn. 2d 136 (2021). https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/988242.pdf
Wash. Rev. Code § 70.05.070 (2023). Local health officer—Powers and duties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.05.070
I am so sick and tired of people like Dr. Barry and Latricia Suggs, as well as other commissioners, turning blind eyes to this harm reduction problem.
I myself have been in healthcare since 2001 and I am appalled at what I see here. They pushed their BS agenda, saying this harm reduction business is helping. I have an idea. I believe it was the Olympia newspaper that came in and did a story on Day With The Sheriff.
I think maybe it’s time for a phone call to see if they’d like to do a story on this and really get the word out there. Harm reduction does not work. We need to get these folks into programs to get clean, proper housing,and help them get jobs. That’s the only thing that’s going to help. Dr. Barry and Latricia Sugg should be ashamed of themselves and any other commissioner that goes along with this crap.
Dr. Berry was the lead in quarantining people smart enough to not inject the COVID "vaccine" toxins. She banned people with natural immunity from public venues. Natural immunity was and remains far safer in the public domain than those who caved to injecting the COVID "vaccine" toxins. The injections were and remain undeniably toxic. Her leadership on our local Board of Health generated a 100% pandemic management failure rate. Not one effort made by our Board of Health was positive. From faulty testing to a lethal treatment protocol to forcing toxic injections to the denial of natural immunity to the abrogation of civil rights; all led by Dr. Berry and all wrong / failures. Now Dr. Berry maintains cleaning up trash is stealing from the indigent. Our Board of Health clearly needs new leadership.
Clallam County Democrat Corruption is rampant. It is in their DNA . It is who they are. Antifa Allison Berry and the rest of Clallam county government are essentially part of the Democrat Party. Their corruption defines them. All they care about is power and money. I would like people to understand that Allison Berry is not in it to help others just like Biden wasn't. The globalists are all communists as the democrats exist in party name only. Thieves, liars and worse. I give you today's Clallam county democrat party and its county leadership.
Yes Russell, I agree. Plant a potato you will get a potato.
How many people graduate from addiction into sustained sobriety?
How many transition from homelessness and dependency into stable housing and self-sufficiency?
THIS, otherwise the outside observer would conclude that those assisting the homeless don’t want them to escape homelessness
Oxford House has a program and has the receipts
My company exclusively hires them. We work with them with any appointments they may have. Oxford House requirements are stay sober and hold a job.
I've spoken to them and they ALL laugh at harm reduction. They say it enables, it doesn't help, and keeps them on the vicious circle of being a zombie.
I've asked them what got you cleaned up? They said jail time. Being in jail for 5-10 days sobered them up enough and they could then see their current life choices were not right. They realized they were going to die and then made the choice to seek help.
Harm Reduction just kept them in a zombie state and they didn't have ability to think clearly to make the choice of help.
It's pretty sad that these so called experts know better than the actual users. Kinda like crazy white people telling people of color how they should feel.
It's the binary lens these people need to keep the discussion within because it keeps the money flow going. It always comes down to saving lives now without regard for the harm their instigating long term.
Years ago we used to care. Now they've created a multi billion dollar industry. These people just represent a dollar sign on their foreheads. They qualify their actions with coined phrases like caring and dignity. When in actuality is about $$$$.
Now as a society we have become we have become desensitized thanks to these actions of all these NGOs and government agencies.
All the money spent and nothing to show for it. They'll pat themselves on the back for helping less than 1% which will inturn justify spending more $$$$.
We as a society have failed our humanity
That's the galling part, how little of the money actually goes to the cause.
Wow as I was reading through the comments, right before I got to yours I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing. It's a money-making circus. The only explanation is that their jobs depend on this circus staying in business. And we're supporting the people enjoying the show while living under the bleachers in the trash pit.
Look at California and their $24B (that we know of) spent on their homeless issue. As far as anyone knows, the only people that made out were the NGOs
King County has estimates of $10B spent.
The money keeps flowing to these NGOs. They support yes men and women in political positions and the circle continues.
Just those numbers alone they could've given each homeless person $100K or more each.
Sickening that we can even take care of our veterans.
IMHO the homelessness and the climate change agenda are the two biggest grifts to happen.
Makes Madoff look like bush league.
Quite a few former addicts have made public comment at city and county meetings but they are ignored or dismissed most of the time. Public officials need to start listening to the voices of those who have overcome and rejoined community. It's ludicrous to imply someone on fentanyl or in meth psychosis is capable of making any decisions for their own well being, yet Berry claims most of her customers "work" and have their belongings stolen while at work.Maybe she is counting sex and narcotics trafficking as a job?
Wait -- she believes that? Hmm I've never heard THAT one before from an addict.
Thank you MW589, spot on. Any drug program would not suggest what wacko Berry pushes as harm reduction. It’s really a shame the one running the show is perpetuating their addictions. There are going to be less dying as long as more and more people turn to drugs & narcan, that is not success it’s a sore with a bandaid that never heals or gets better. It’s a pig with lipstick.
That is the point. There are no statistics involved in this - nothing to prove that harm reduction works; no proof that Dr Dingleberry's radical ideas work; it's all being forced upon the citizens as scientific proof. If we don't go along, we are MAGA. i am glad that 4PA is collecting info on the encampments and people living there. It appears that is all we have to go on right now, to make any decisions.
It's leveraged practice from the HIV/AIDS epedemic. Because it had results there it must be valid now, in their minds. I don't see it their way.
I also see the COVID epidemic as similar. Not much proof.
Good catch. Emotions have no intelligence.
Mk, sometimes emotions drives a person to to get involved. It did me. I agree that emotions sometimes overrides intelligent responses, but emotions don't make someone less intelligent, it makes them less convincing to put their point across.
MK, the needle exchange did work to stem the epidemic. It was successful just as many grassroots (volunteer programs worked) then it turned into a money making business. Walk through a Goodwill "Store" now. It is a business with CEO's collecting ridiculous sums of money...money that was originally meant to help the poor and lower income. I checked some of the prices on items in Goodwill about 2 years ago. Some things were priced higher than Walmart! Yes, the Harm Reduction is just another money making machine.
Hey, LaTrisha! “Let them live that way,” eh?
“Camps deteriorate. Trash accumulates. Fires occur. Environmental damage spreads. When conditions become unlivable, individuals move to a new location .” Hmmm.
Is this what you mean by “stewardship?” Tell me about “sacred land” again please.
Explain to me how Judge Boldt could conclude your ancestors were too backward to understand the concept of “in common” with others.
Here we are, guests on sovereign land, stealing Harm Reduction supplies and trash from abandoned illegal "homeless" encampments.
@EricFehrmann, maybe here is the next book for your "voluntold" BOCC book club? I had the honor of working with Dr. Cooke during my doctoral program when I was learning about qualitative research methodology. Dr. Cooke's 2021 book, "Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People": NNLM Discovery | Canary in the Coal Mine, https://youtu.be/8EZgx_atjfo?si=BF-wfXIJ2xGFhh2H
Thank you, Dr. Sarah, good to see you at Beaver yesterday. This will be my next read of the book club. We need a name for our club.
I have not completed reading The Gabriel Plan, still working my way through the Ten Points. I am a slow reader and slow at digesting information. (I'll be finished reading tonight.) I also like to compare statements with results and personal experience. I believe that the Gabriel Plan shows the What, Why, and How for successful reform programs to address substance addiction. The book also points out the money trail, and why many advocate for MAT and Harm Reduction. Follow the money.
I hope to challenge Clallam County Commissioners and Administrator, one point at time, on the ten points of the Gabriel Plan. As we only have limited time at the monthly forums and the fact that our elected officials are so involved with all their boards and travels, I don’t want to overburden them all at once. I think they might be able to tackle the ideas one at a time. I also need time to counter their attacks when they dispute claims stated in the book. I am not fast on my feet with responses, getting slower by the day. Like the song says, “At the end of the day, you’re another day older”.
It was great to see you, too, Eric! Here are a few options for the book club acronym:
1. The C.O.R.E. Group
(Citizens for Oversight, Reform, and Enforcement)
2. The A.U.D.I.T. Club
(Accountability Under Direct Investigation Team)
3. The R.E.A.D. Committee
(Residents Expecting Accountability & Data)
4. The P.E.E.R. Review
(Public Evaluation of Elected Representatives)
5. N.O.T.C.
(North Olympic Transparency Coalition)
It's the oppositions favorite name for those they dis-agree with!!
You're a rebel with a cause, Eric. Everything you bring to the podium is valuable and on point. I like your 10 point strategy. Good idea. I'll be listening.
Bravo, another perspective other than the John Hopkins graduate one….oh my there are other ways to skin a cat! Although you’re going to have to be creative because you only get 3 minutes but writing is free young man….Dr. Berry withheld my needed thyroid medication because I had not taken my yearly blood test yet she gives needles, pipes & foil out like candy. So happy when she left Jamestown after 5 years, got promoted to harm many more victims legally without any tests required, here you go it’s all free stuff to help yourself feel better. How did we get so lucky?
Yeah, three minutes is short, but plenty if electeds are prepared and limited to three minutes also?
I like R .E.A.D. Goes good with voluntold.
Our friend based in Lynnwood has a body shop and he had to move recently due to some tighter regulations on the chemicals and waste that couldn't be contained with the equipment he had. He is moving to reservation land where there are no restrictions. Anything goes. Grants will be available later to clean things up, I'll bet.
Great presentation, Jake! To the 99.99% of CC residents, these pictures show the desperate need to change current harm reduction policies. Only the rest of the population sees it differently because 4PA and volunteers like you are verifying the truth and making the difference that we can see in real time. Don't Dr. Berry and LaTrisha Suggs have ties to Tribal corporations? If JKT honestly believed in a genuine partnership, there would be more community efforts (which would garner resounding positive publicity) from multiple groups working towards one goal. Where is Tim Wheeler's group protesting the treatment of the "trash" tree?
Oh, that's a good point. The Troublemakers and The Earth Law Center should take issue with this.
Maybe the goal is to make the area so bad that decent people will leave, opening up more land to be incorporated into tribal property
Always a possibility, Kathy.
Kathy, kinda seems that way, no?
So many agencies need to involved in this cleanup. This is a disgrace Jamestown Corporation, Clallam County and Port Angeles. You three will sqawk at each other "It's not my responsibility". But it is your responsibility. From needles to tarps, to poop, to shelter, to finances, to denial, it is your responsibility to keep this area free of this transient population. You are condone the homeless scenario by turning a blind eye. A problem does exist.
Although I have had limited success in using these links below, here are a few State and Federal agencies that need to know this watershed is being polluted,
EPA Hot Line ECHO https://www.epa.gov/report-violation
Washington Department of Ecology ERTC https://ecology.wa.gov/footer-pages/report-an-environmental-issue/statewide-reporting-form-erts
Puget Soundkeepers Report Pollution https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/pollution-reporting-form/
It may take using a different browser, EPA site is down. Keep reporting, keep trying.
The Puget Soundkeepers looks to b the ideal reporting agency for such pollution.Thank you 4PA and all the volunteers making a difference.
Here comes the outside agencies Clallam County!
We're paying Clallam Conservation District $200k annually with the new $5 fee forced upon us by the commissioners...they are supposed to be in the business of restoring salmon habitat...
Good morning Jeff and Jake,
Very good article. All I can say is I'm glad my daughter only got a master's at John's Hopkins...if she achieved a doctorates she might be that kind of stupid as Dr. Barry.
Unbelievable...makes me think of the old adage " you can't fix stupid".
I'm writing to the governor again to have her removed. The last response I got from that avenue was "what adverse reactions?"
I kid you not , they are all in on the plan to destroy this beautiful state of ours ...
Thanks Jeff and Jake I hope they'll open their eyes soon!
Have a great day all!
You're welcome, Glen!
Thank you, Glen.
PLEASE STOP STEALING FROM THE HOMELESS AND ADDICTED PEOPLE!!!! If you find something on Public Property you must turn it into the Law enforcement organization that has jurisdiction as UNCLAIMED PROPERTY and let them deal with it!!!
Should the volunteers start returning the buckets of stolen property to Dr. Berry and the Commissioners?
WOW, you just gave me a good visual metric with biohazard barrels labeled "stolen property" lined up in the board county meeting room.
Pictures of Piles of unclaimed garbage coming out the PAPD or Sheriffs doors would make a good visual for an article!!
John Lee, I actually can't believe you made that statement. Stealing from the homeless? Give me a break!
If you pick up a wallet and take it home.....you've stolen it!!!!!!
If you pick up a wallet and take it PAPD and turn it in.....it becomes unclaimed property and becomes the city of PA's responsibility to find the owner and return it or dispose of it, and by law have to hold onto it for a long time. 4PA could satisfy Scarry Barry and place the disposal burden where it belongs!!!!!!
Did Dr. Berry or any of her lackeys intercept your letter? Seriously, you have to wonder who reads them first.
After what Dr. Allison Berry did to destroy the business sector of Port Angeles and all of Clallam County during the pandemic, after the fallout of an absolutely abysmal failure of a 'harm reduction' effort, after all of her failed policies, mandates, and foot stomping...you all still have her on speed dial for medical and moral decisions? She really thinks that filthy needles found hither and yon are "stolen property" from these illegal encampments and she's worried for her children? What a load of fecal matter. She's now doing exactly what a former hostile and very vocal group did to the previous town cleaners, who shall remain unnamed, who were charged with all sorts of ridiculous claims because they cleaned up after the addicts (no, not going to blame the homeless...they do their best with what little they have) and were blamed for theft and destroying private property. Why is she still even employed? What has she done to improve anything for anyone, including the addicts? Send her to Bhopal where she can oversee their cleanup efforts after failed government policies.
She is responsible for destroying businesses, for instigating an 'us vs. them' mentality, for mask hysteria and false information spewed. Why is she still here???? Yes, I certainly agree with you!
You went there also. First thing I thought of when I heard "Dr" Berry's comment. Second thought was who is whispering in her ear to make these accusations.
They are a repeat from before. Only thing missing is filing a police report for theft. ;)
whisperer LSW is likely still lurking
ROFL and the Mrs.
Berry doubles down every time, you can double your COME bet every time based on her history!
Do not worry! In a couple months vagrants will be trashing their new $12.6m home
at PBH. I wonder how long that facility will remain livable.
I still think someone is making a load of money somewhere...
yes, indeed. each overlapping NGO and for profit business serving homelessness and/or addiction has it's own set of paid adminsitration and CEO and much of it is redundant and overlapping, siphoning off much of the funding for such issues before it ever reaches the intended need
It is, as some have stated here, a money-laundering scheme.
I do hope that they are not going to house people from out-of-town... these drug migrants need to get treatment or go some where else.
They already are.
Maybe a good metric to nail down (pun intended) is to define residency. Measure residents vs nonresidents, if that makes sense?
Mark Hodgson and Derick Eberle would not qualify 😜
Did you see the application for the CCD position? Why isn't that the language in Clallam County committee positions?
MK, comparison?
Any metric is a good metric at this point.
Don't let CCBOC here that. You know how they measure success.😕🔛
Mr. Fehrman, please define "success".
So naturally, that does mean that most of the harm reduction paraphernalia is handed out to drug addicts coming from elsewhere for freebees and to destroy our ecosystem. Great.
The housing waitlists of multiple agencies contain entries from out of town and out of state. Those with housing vouchers are encouraged to apply to multiple areas to increse their odds.An individual with more issues gets weighted for priority.
O M G really??? I could almost cry. this is not right, nor fair. Not that life is fair, but it is deliberately forcing taxpayers to pay for it all, along with those in power.
an addict who grew up here, lived homeless out of state about 20 years, did prison time for extreme DV, got a free buss ticket back to where he came from gifted by another state, came "home" got hooked up with medicaid and food stamps via support from PBH and bumped to top of list for housing due to the scoring system for prioritization under housing first. Working, sober struggling families wait in line behind users like that. System is broken
Where can we see a screen shot of this so-called scoring system? Just wondering...
here +7
Washington State utilizes several vulnerability assessment tools to prioritize housing assistance for those most at risk, including the Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT), VI-SPDAT, and DSHS Pathways to Housing. These tools measure health, functioning, and safety to determine the severity of need, focusing on individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly those in high-cost areas.
www.desc.org
www.desc.org
+5
Key components of Washington's housing assistance vulnerability assessment:
VAT (Vulnerability Assessment Tool): Developed by DESC, it evaluates a person's functioning level, health, and other factors to determine risk of harm on the streets.
VI-SPDAT (Vulnerability Index - Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool): A brief, self-reported survey used to categorize clients as having high, moderate, or low acuity.
DSHS Pathways to Housing (P2H): A resource for navigating housing, with tools to assess eligibility for subsidies.
Target Populations: Assessments often focus on individuals with behavioral health conditions (e.g., via King County CBRA), veterans (e.g., via HUD-VASH), and those needing Foundational Community Supports (FCS).
Regional Factors: High rents and a lack of affordable housing are major drivers of vulnerability, with Washington ranking 3rd in the U.S. for its homeless population.
www.desc.org
www.desc.org
+7
The goal of these assessments is to match, as quickly as possible, the most vulnerable individuals with available, appropriate housing
Found these in a quick search: https://depts.washington.edu/harrtlab/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Housing-First-state-of-the-science-8.30.2025-1.pdf
https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/program/fact-sheet-housing-first.pdf
And this, which is long past the point, almost ridiculous: https://leg.wa.gov/jlarc/reports/2019/homelessness/documents/Clallam.pdf
ABeetle, not to mention the residents that allow people to "crash" there, bath there and use to the toilet. Water bills?
yes, it is going to be a mess. I doubt it lasts for 2 weeks, as you say. A mess. More $$ to clean up and wasted recources...
jedj, we should start betting on it now. I give it 2 weeks for the first police calls. 2 months for interior drains to start clogging and broken window repairs. 4 months for repairs of pet damages. 5 months to repair appliances. 6 months to having to repair interior damages. 7 months for the EV station to be out of commission. 8 months for the Board of Commissioners to ask for increase funds for repairs....2 years for the Board of Commissioners to "revisit" PBH success. 3 years to realize it wasn't ever a good way to spend money and will find excuses why its not working (Just like the church parking lot escapade)...they just passed sports on line gambling for the casino, maybe they can run the betting part as this whole housing program is a gamble.
I believe you've forgotten copper theft. I think it's still a pretty lucrative past time to just rip the guts out of the plumbing and interior pipes so you can afford fentanyl and meth. I understand the prices have been skyrocketing since the borders were closed. And don't forget there will need to be a yearly study, for a nominal fee I'm sure, to study the "success" of the new digs.
With claims from PBH that no neighbors have called the police for any reason.
..."neighbors"? What does that encompass? If they call, will they be harassed? Targeted? Identified for retaliation? ..riiight...
Mark Lane will have to ask for a debatable budget emergency.
You are right on. It probably already happened in construction. Only problem is the EC on this CC project was from out of area so I do not know, we build this with our money again going to out of area companies. When are our politicians going to wake up.
Neely has the construction contract. A majority of the union workers are local here. They always jump on any local project in hopes of not having to commute. I know that the first few weeks of the project they were dealing with man made holes in the fencing surrounding the work site and trash
The EC on this job are not union. Bird Electric out of Polusbo low
balled this job. They were 400 k lower because they designed this
job incorrectly. I am sure they change ordered it quite well. The locals did not bid equal to equal. Neeley is a good general and do have a local presence. They do try to use local ECs on their projects
I believe they have the Pacific Marine project and are looking at some local companies. On the school jobs in PA most of the union
electricians are out of area. Sare Electric is the EC and use most of their guys. The Middle School was a shady process with the general. I could explain but not on this thread.
Jedj, I believe you.
SC, would love to have some facts!
Our politicians are plenty 'woke'. The problem is that it's the exact antithesis of what we are, which is awake. This is pure theft and to call it anything else is disingenuous.
yes! You mean our 'nonpartisan' representatives??? ha
They won't until we get rid of them
That's part of why the last PBH project was so over budget, material theft during construction.
Washington Senate OKs betting on in-state collegiate sports teams amid fears of athlete harassment
Feb. 12, 2026 Updated Thu., Feb. 12, 2026 at 10:12 p.m.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/feb/12/wa-senate-oks-betting-on-in-state-collegiate-sport/
Representatives from many of the state’s tribes testified in support of the legislation during a Jan. 22 committee hearing. RON ALLEN, CHAIR OF THE JAMESTOWN S’KLALLAM TRIBE, told members of the Senate Business Committee that similar bets are already allowed in the state through commodity future trading markets.
“That’s a separate matter, but this makes it legal for Washington state,” said Allen, who chairs the Washington Indian Gaming Association. Allen said the association, which represents the state’s 29 tribes, also supports the legislation.
The casino does not even own the Sports betting operation at 7/ Cedars.
It is run by a Vegas company that kicks back money to the Tribe.i gamble with a bookie in Seattle and he said the PBH is no action. In other words it is a sure thing to happen. Jennifer you forgot the one thing to happen. They will steal all the copper wire and have no power. Of course then they would feel at home. Guaranteed FAILURE in a short time.
jedj, how much copper is in an EV station? First to go?
and a partridge in a pear tree?
If elected officials in clallam county does not implement new county & city ordinances that makes encampments specifically illegal and all materials onsite disposable this issue is going to get much worse.Wa states highest elected libtards are in the process of protecting encampments by 'a new law'.I do not expect C.C. elected will do squat because they are controlled by higher elected state incompetent ignorants.When elected officials join as many NGO's as possible they get empowered by deranged brainwashers that have very little competent common sense.Clallam co is getting brand new schools and look what's coming to set up camp around them.
Tumwater Tour: If a slide show of these encampments, both occupied and abandoned, were allowed to be presented as a visual preamble before each Commissioners meeting, it certainly would dampen all the “progress” of Harm Reduction claims. Or would it be explained away as false reporting?
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is an adage in multiple languages meaning that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description.
The Gabriel Plan a book touted as a must read by Eric Fehrmann and Susie Blake offers solutions, not bandages.
See things from a whole new perspective “We are funding helplessness instead of teaching self sufficiency. We're managing decline instead of building capacity. We're treating people like permanent victims instead of future warriors”
https://www.vginnyburton.com/
https://youtube.com/@modernamerica-ginnyburton?si=uFnYOUWOIcqk6Ddx
4PA Founder Warns Encampment Cleanup Is Falling Behind as Scale of Problem Grows
PORT ANGELES — The founder of 4PA told Port Angeles city leaders this week that while his team continues to clean up abandoned homeless encampments, the scale of the problem is growing — and THE CITY NEEDS A CLEARER PLAN.
Joe DeScala told the City Council that over the past four and a half years, 4PA has removed more than 400,000 pounds of trash from abandoned camps on city property.
https://www.myclallamcounty.com/2026/02/20/4pa-founder-warns-encampment-cleanup-is-falling-behind-as-scale-of-problem-grows/
They are falling behind because the word is out. PA is the place to come to because you can live your zombie lifestyle knowing they'll support your life choices 😁 😁
Harm Reduction+NGOs=$$$$
Follow the money who's banking on this?
Well the PBH luxury apartment building is a good place to start
MW589, the best place to start is with the Board of County Commissioners. They passed the MAT clinic, they passed funding Harm Reduction, they passed so many things that has gotten this county into a downfall.
I would say, besides following the money, follow the political advantages they gain...yes, that is part of the money!
The commisoners are worthless unless new blood gets on to shake things up
French is a progressive dumbass who wants a hire office and is on the NGOs that fund this shit
Ozias is in the back pocket of the tribes and continues to reap the benefits of that relationship
Johnson should've retired a long time ago. He used to be reasonable but that ship has sailed along time ago
Nothing will change unless the county commissioners and city council change with common sense people. Unfortunately most of those folks have moved away and we are left with one dumbass after another.
I hear that Jake Seeger is a god fearing reasonable person. I hope he wins and shake a few things up.
WOW!
Excellent book.
What if we brought the pictures to a BOCC meeting , handed them out and stood up showing them to the Commissioners?
Sarah, they would proceed to play on their government funded laptops and chew fingernails or call for police protection.
Dr. Berry should go by "Dr. Dingleberry Dingbat". "Cleaning up garbage is stealing from the homeless"??? That woman is batshit crazy!
She is ! Why is she still here???
I get it. Tumwater creek runs a wonderful 105 degrees this time of year...
",,,they prefer Tumwater Creek to Serenity House, citing past conflicts with staff and claiming the showers are consistently ice cold."
Is human sewage a natural food source for salmon? Hadn't heard that before but it MUST be or these very people wouldn't take millions for salmon runs and then pollute our streams and rivers.