Stanton On… Seattle Business?

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By Rick Stanton

As everyone’s acutely aware, Seattle’s worsening homeless/drug/crime scene is getting lots of attention. Unfortunately, the attention given these issues is being mismanaged, ignored or polished like the proverbial turd by the seemingly clueless Mayor.

Ms. Durkan seems to think all is well in the Emerald City, and that KOMO’s amazing documentary overlooked the positive aspects of the city and unfairly focused on a few trouble spots. I’d suggest that her Mayorness get out of her ivory tower and walk around without an entourage. It’s everywhere, you poor delusional dear.

On March 28, I came into Seattle to have lunch with a friend. Walking off the ferry, through the pedestrian overpass, I was greeted by several passed out “homeless,” the smell of urine and feces and piles of garbage strewn everywhere.

Once through the overpass and on First Avenue, I encountered three shopping-cart camps, featuring more garbage and people who looked like they might kill you. Not an exaggeration, sports fans.

And speaking of sports, did I mention it was Opening Day for baseball? I wonder what was going through the minds of all those people wearing Red Sox gear, as they made their way to T-Mobile Park? It probably wasn’t, “I can’t wait to come back.”
Upon my return to Bainbridge Island., I went to the mail box (we’re rural) and, coincidentally, there was my new copy of Seattle Business. On page seven was an ad for the Washington State Convention Center. The headline read, “When we do business, so do you.”—with these body-copy highlights:

“The WSCC knows that when our event attendees walk out the door, they come to you. Whether they’re looking for a classic souvenir, high-end fashion, world-class entertainment, or an award-winning restaurant, they depend on you to make their visit memorable. Thank you for working together to make Seattle a premier location to gather.”

What do you suppose the first impressions are when someone charged with checking Seattle out as a convention site takes a taxi from SeaTac and sees that virtually every freeway ramp in Seattle features a homeless camp. And, upon arrival at the hotel, sees a guy standing on the street corner with his pants down around his knees.

There also was an article on page 19 of Seattle Business that challenged the city’s spirit and identity, saying that it doesn’t really stand for anything specific. Portland is weird, Las Vegas is decadent, New Orleans is celebratory. But the writer ponders—what’s Seattle?

As a creative director-writer-idea guy, I’ve got a suggestion: Seattle is a &^%$#@! mess. And if you asked the people trying to do business downtown today, they’d probably suggest some additional adjectives, beyond my dingbats above.

https://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/

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