I’ve written often about the social disorder, crime, and drug use in Seattle. I’ve come to the conclusion that the northwest Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, where we live, must have a higher degree of such problems than many other parts of the city.
We lived for 25 years in the Columbia City neighborhood of southeast Seattle and never experienced anything close to this. Judging from correspondence received from readers in Laurelhurst, Wedgewood, Capitol Hill, Montake/Madison Park, among others, Ballard seems to be an outlier to which city government and Seattle Police seem indifferent. Yes, “Little Saigon” may be worse, and I’m sure Ballard isn’t completely unique. But it’s bad.
Here’s a recent message from a single, working woman, a neighbor here in Ballard. This is not a person who “goes off” on such topics or sends messages of constant outrage. No, this is reasonable person and solid citizen, a resident Seattle needs. She writes:…