On Saturday night, hundreds of Seattle residents marched down Aurora Ave. carrying signs that read "Stop Sex Trafficking. No More Shootings." Sit with that for a second. In 2026, in a major American city, families had to organize a march to ask for the most basic public safety protections. These weren't radical activists, vandals, and political provocateurs. They were parents, neighbors, small business owners, and concerned community members. People who've spent years reporting open-air prostitution, trafficking, and gunfire on their street, and who recently saw a bullet enter a home where an infant was sleeping. Before marching, residents tried going to community meetings and raising concerns through any official government channel. Even worse: After a string of shootings this spring, some neighbors even installed makeshift barriers on side streets being used as getaway routes. The city's response? It removed the barriers and installed chicanes. Government moved faster to take down the residents' solution than it ever moved to provide its own. And here's the part that should bother everyone, regardless of politics: Seattle already has tools. Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution (SOAP) orders, which are court orders barring repeat buyers and traffickers from known hot spots, literally exist right now. But as @seattletimes reported, City Attorney Erika Evans has declined to request or enforce them. Residents keep hearing that trafficking cases are difficult, resource-intensive, or complicated. True enough! But these people aren't asking for explanations of why solutions are hard ... they're asking for solutions. When a neighborhood is living with recurring gun violence and open exploitation, "it's complicated" cannot be their government's final answer.

Washington taxpayers are paying billions for a ghost train. In 2016, voters approved Sound Transit 3 with the promise of reduced congestion and responsible growth. A decade later, the system is fundamentally broken, and the numbers are an insult to every hardworking resident who trusted the agency. Here is the reality of the 2026 revised plan: >The original 2016 promised cost was $53.8 billion. >The current 2026 estimated cost is $195.4 billion. >The revised plan carries a massive $34.5 billion funding gap. >The South Kirkland-to-Issaquah project is delayed until 2050. >Ballard residents lost their final rail stretch entirely, stopping miles short at Seattle Center. Who is responsible? An unelected board. In a glaring display of cronyism, the board just selected former King County Executive Dow Constantine as CEO, a decision made by several members he originally appointed. Taxpayers are footing higher sales and property taxes for stations that have simply disappeared from the map. It is time for directly elected board members and true accountability.