Robyn Desimone is getting Valentine’s Day arrangements ready for the big day coming up at her Burien, Washington, flower shop on Main Street, but she says her city’s homelessness crisis is keeping customers away.
“People don’t walk along the street and just come shopping anymore. Right now, this place should be busy. It’s two days before Valentine’s Day. There should be a line,” she said.
Burien is a suburb just south of Seattle, with a population of 50,000. It’s right now in the middle of a homelessness crisis that many places like it across the country are finding themselves in, where solutions that make everyone happy are hard to come by.
The florist says she has invested in garbage locks, security cameras and defense training for employees. And while she snips and arranges flowers, she carries a gun to ensure the safety of herself, her staff and her customers.
“I don’t work at a pot shop. I don’t work at a bar. I work at a flower shop on Main Street in a small little town. And when our city government isn’t doing enough to help make us feel safe in our place of business, and when the news is telling citizens they’re not safe if they come to Burien, it puts us in a real tough spot,” said Desimone.