>> Shannon: A SPECIAL GROUP OF
SEATTLE POLICE OFFICERS AND
COMMUNITY OUTREACH WORKERS
CALLED "THE NAVIGATION TEAM" IS
WORKING TO GET HOMELESS PEOPLE
MORE RESOURCES COME OFF THE
STREETS, AND INTO A SHELTER.
THEY MIGHT NOT BE ON THE JOB FOR
LONG, SOME PROGRESSIVE
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PUSHING
TO DEFUND THE TEAM ENTIRELY.
JOINING ME NOW A NEW YORK CITY
PUBLIC CANDIDATE ADVOCATE AND
UTAH CONGRESSMAN JASON CHAFFETZ,
WELCOME TO YOU.
I WANT TO PLAY YOU SOMETHING,
THIS IS WHAT ONE LIFELONG
SEATTLE RESIDENT HAS TO SAY
ABOUT DESCRIBING THE CITY AS IT
NOW STANDS.
>> IT MAKES ME SAD FOR MY
COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY IS DESTROYED,
THERE ARE NEEDLES AND
FECAL MATTER.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE OUTRAGED WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE TO OUR CITY AT THE
HANDS OF THIS COUNCIL.
>> Shannon: POLICE AND THESE
OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE
WORKING TOGETHER TO GET PEOPLE
OFF THE STREETS BUT AT LEAST ONE
SEATTLE CITY COUNCILMEMBER
DOESN'T LIKE WHAT THE TEAM IS
DOING SAYING "THE HUMANE ASPECTS
OF THE SERVICES NEED TO BE
RETAINED BUT THE BULK OF THE
MONEY THAT IS USED FOR SWEEPS IS
A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY, WE
NEED THIS TO END IMMEDIATELY."
THEY SAY THEY DON'T WANT THE
GROUPS OUT THERE SWEEPING UP
PEOPLE, CLEARING OUT THE
ENCAMPMENTS AND GETTING THEM OFF
THE STREETS.
>> THESE ARE SAD HUMAN STORIES
BUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE
SOCIALIST TYPES OF MOVEMENTS IS
THEY ARE TRYING TO GO EASIER AND
A SOFTER, THEY ARE NOT ENFORCING
THE CITY ORDINANCES, THEY AREN'T
CLEANING UP THE STREETS.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE SOME MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES, THEY NEED TO BE
SEPARATED.
OTHERS HAVE ADDICTION PROBLEMS,
THEY NEED TO BE SEPARATED AND
DEALT WITH.
IN A TIME WHEN OUR ECONOMY IS
THRIVING SO MUCH AND IT SEATTLE
IS THRIVING WITH BIG COMPANIES
LIKE AMAZON AND MICROSOFT AND
OTHERS, THERE IS NO REASON THE
SITUATIONS SHOULD BE GETTING
WORSE.
IF THEY HAVE TO INSTITUTE A NEW
CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES AND THEY
WOULD HAVE MUCH BETTER SUCCESS.
>> Shannon:
"THE SEATTLE TIMES" SAID "IN THE
FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2019, THE
NAVIGATION TEAM ADDRESSED MORE
THAN 200 AUTHORIZED ENCAMPMENTS
AROUND THE CITY, REMOVED
760 TONS OF GARBAGE, WASTE, AND
DEBRIS FROM THE PUBLIC
RIGHT-OF-WAY, AND MOST IMPORTANT
TO THEIR COMPASSIONATE APPROACH
HAS ENSURED 128 PEOPLE HAVE
ENTERED A SHELTER."
PLUS OR MINUS FOR THIS
NAVIGATION TEAM?
>> ACTUALLY MINUS.
THE REALITY HERE IS, I HAVE TO
AGREE WITH YOU -- SEATTLE IS
THRIVING, THERE IS MORE MONEY
BEING GENERATED OUT OF SEATTLE
THAN MOST CITIES IN AMERICA, BUT
THERE IS ALSO THE LARGEST INCOME
INEQUALITY IN THE COUNTRY IN
SEATTLE.
THERE IS A HOUSING CRISIS IN
SEATTLE.
WHILE THERE IS MENTAL ILLNESS
AND PEOPLE WITH DRUG ADDICTIONS,
IT IS MOSTLY A MINORITY -- YOU
HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIES WHO CAN'T
AFFORD HOUSING BECAUSE THE
AVERAGE WHITE FAMILY EARNS
$105,000 A YEAR BUT THE AVERAGE
BLACK FAMILY EARNS ONLY $42,000
A YEAR AND WITH RISING HOUSING
COSTS, THAT INCREASES THE
HOMELESS CRISIS.
THERE ARE PROPOSALS THAT ARE
MORE COST-EFFECTIVE AND MORE
EFFECTIVE IN EXPANDING THE
HOUSING AND THOSE ARE HOUSING
FIRST APPROACHES.
THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT OF PEOPLE
WERE WILLING TO LOOK AT IT BUT
THE NUMBERS MAY SEEM HIGH, THEY
ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY LOW IN
COMPARISON TO THE OTHER PLANS
THAT ARE ON THE TABLE AND
COUNCILMEMBER KSHAMA SAWANT RAN
ON THIS, THEY HAVE TRIED AND
THEY WEREN'T EFFECTIVE AND ONE
MORE THING, GIVEN -- I KNOW HOW
MUCH YOU DON'T LIKE GOVERNMENT
INTERFERENCE, THIS IS ALSO
SOMETHING THAT HAS CONCERNED A
LOT OF LIBERTARIANS BECAUSE
PEOPLE ARE BEING MONITORED BY
THE GOVERNMENT.
>> Shannon: LET'S DO THIS,
LET'S GO TO SAN FRANCISCO WHERE
THEY ALSO HAVE A BIG HOMELESS
PROBLEM THEY ARE WORKING ON,
THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW THE MONEY
IS BEING SPENT.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY HOMELESS
SPENDING, THIS IS ACCORDING TO
AN INVESTIGATION THERE, IN
SAN JOSE $14 MILLION IS
ALLOCATED BUT ONLY 2 MILLION
SPENT ON DIRECT SERVICES.
OAKLAND, 22 MILLION, OAKLAND,
4 MILLION, LESS THAN HALF OF
THAT, IN SAN FRANCISCO
104 MILLION SPENT ON DIRECT
SERVICES.
IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE JUST
THROWING MONEY AT THIS IS GOING
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU'RE GETTING COUNT OF THE
STREETS WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
>> THEY'VE BEEN GROWING THE
GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY SOMETIMES
UP TO 80% IS WASTED ON
ADMINISTRATION EXCEPT PEOPLE ON
THE STREETS HELPING OTHER PEOPLE
ON THE STREETS, ENFORCING THE
LAWS AND MAKING SURE THEY DON'T
IN FRONT OF THE BUSINESSES.
HELPING THOSE BUSINESSES THAT
ARE GOING TO EMPLOY PEOPLE AND I
DISAGREE WITH THE OTHER PERSON
SPEAKING HERE.
THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER WAYS TO
DRIVE INCOME TO PEOPLE BUT WHEN
YOU HAVE THESE GOVERNMENT
CONTROLLED, BIG GOVERNMENT
CONTROL IT IS WRONG.
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN CHARGE
OF THESE CITIES FOR DECADES,
IT'S GETTING WORSE, NOT BETTER,
LET'S TRY SOMETHING ELSE IF YOU
WANT A DIFFERENT RESULT.
>> Shannon: HEATHER McDONALD
WRITING IN THE CITY JOURNAL
SAYING THE CITY ENABLES THE
ENTIRE HOMELESS LIFESTYLE, FREE
FOOD IS EVERYWHERE.
OUTREACH WORKERS ROME THE CITY
HANDING OUT CRACKERS AND
SNACKS -- HOW ABOUT A COMMITMENT
TO A SINGLE STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR
FOR ALL AND INSISTENCE THAT
RIGHTS CARRY WITH THEM
RECIPROCAL RESPONSIBILITIES, TO
YOU.
>> THE FINAL WORD AS WE HAVE A
HOUSING CRISIS.
IT CITIES MIGHT BE CONTROLLED BY
DEMOCRATS BUT THE TAX CUTS HAVE
BEEN ON THE REPUBLICANS.
REPUBLICANS HAVE GIVEN AN
EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF TAX CUTS
AND ESTATE BENEFITS TO
BILLIONAIRES TO CITIES LIKE
SAN FRANCISCO.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY?
>> WE ARE GIVING $224 BILLION TO
BILLIONAIRES, GOD FORBID WE DO
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR AMERICANS
WHO ARE WORKING.
THE MAJORITY OF HOMELESS IN
AMERICA ARE WORKING.
THEY AREN'T, THERE MIGHT BE A
COUPLE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING
THAT WITH THE MAJORITY.
>> A COUPLE?
>> THE MAJORITY ARE WORKING
FAMILIES.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A HOUSING
CRISIS GENERATED BY THESE GIANT
TAX CUTS WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS
SITUATION.
WE WANT IN IT AGO, WE WERE
GIVING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO
REPUBLICANS.
>> Shannon: IT ISN'T FLOWING
TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT MOST,
WHETHER THESE CITIES ARE BEING
RUN BY DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS