Downtown

You might have seen this in the news, but there was gunfire in downtown Seattle a few days ago that killed one and injured a load of others.  Another shooting in America?  Hardly a surprise right.  But I have a lot of thoughts with this particular incident.  Yes, push for more gun control blah blah blah – but if mass shootings, and mass shootings at schools, can’t push the dial then this won’t either.  Also, the area where this shooting occurred is notorious for trouble.  Has been from the very first day I moved to Seattle, and a long time before then.  When our office was downtown, the most convenient bus stop to get home was just nearby, and I actually walked further to another bus stop (even in pouring rain) just to avoid hanging around there.  But the Seattle police or politicians or whoever have never done anything to try to change it.  Just for starters, close the McDonalds there.  That seems to be the magnet for all the lowlife – the shooting took place from a dispute in front of that McDonald’s at the height of rush hour.  And that place seems to be where all the troublemakers loiter around – I’ve seen fights and drug deals and more there.  What is shocking to me is that there are so many innocent people and tourists that frequent this area as well – lots of bus routes go down this street and you’re just a few blocks away from Pike Place Market, and this is in the heart of downtown where some of the big department stores are literally opposite where the shooting occurred.  It’s hardly a surprise then that so many innocent people appear to be a victim of this crime, or other crimes in this vicinity in the past.  So for the police not to have addressed this issue for so long is unconscionable and reprehensible to me.  This blood is on their hands.  I hope this is the wakeup call to clear this scum out and make downtown Seattle a bit nicer -  especially with all the change and improvements being made to the downtown Seattle waterfront.