Tacoma Business Council announcement.
The Pierce County Prosecutor is urgently seeking change to our state law on drugs in order to address the crime wave we are all experiencing. In November she wrote the State delegation (read her letter here) asking for these critical changes to address crime. That letter was joined by 16 cities in Pierce County-but not Tacoma. When we learned that the Mayor didn’t sign the letter, TBC and many of you took action. We wrote her and the rest of the council asking that they get on board with these important and needed changes. As a result, the City Council has agreed to consider this issue on January 24th during their noon study session.
We need each of you to weigh in on this before that date. (No public comment is allowed during Study Session itself.) The chance to speak out on this is this coming Tuesday, January 10th, during Community Forum which takes place at the end of the City Council meeting. TBC will host a wine and cheese (details below) where we can gather to call in to the Council and make our voices heard.
Written comments are also very valuable. Send those to the cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org. See below for points to make. All written comments must be submitted no later than 5 pm on January 23rd.
PLEASE RECRIMINALIZE DRUG POSSESSION
- Please sign the Prosecutor’s letter and make this your top priority by directing Tacoma’s lobbyist to work with the legislature to make drug possession a felony again.
- We must listen to our elected County Prosecutor on this issue. Her experience fighting crime every day makes her the most the most qualified to address this issue.
- In fact, both the Prosecutor and Tacoma’s City Attorney have stated that the legislatures changes to the law in 2021 have made prosecution of drug possession impossible as a practical matter.
- As a direct result, drug dealing and drug intoxication are rampant. Overdoses are at shocking and tragic all time high. And property crimes have skyrocketed because users steal to support their habits.
- Treatment is vital to restoring individuals to a healthier state, but treatment and prosecution can go hand in hand. In fact, treatment is often part of the criminal justice system.
- Pierce County is a leader in successful therapeutic courts including the Felony Drug Court, Veterans Treatment Court, and the drug Addiction Reduction Team. Those programs work and offer treatment, but by decriminalization, the Legislature had reduced the opportunities to obtain treatment and have reduced the intent to stay in treatment.
- We must reverse this dangerous course immediately to get treatment for those in need and to address the skyrocketing crime rate.
This is just not true!!! What has skyrocketed this crime wave was defunding our police. THAT is when this all started. That is the real issue. Not the decriminalized drug charges. It’s because our officers right to control crime was taken away. Let’s be honest here instead of blaming something else.
So true that is when it all started. Defunding the police meant tying their hands.
We do have some very attractive personel
Was quite disturbing to find out the situation got this bad
Back when Tacoma was an under utilized commercial area my great aunt and uncle owned falors drugs and they had a beautiful living space above it where they lived
I wasn’t aware that people could be held longer for being an addict than for commiting crimes which I presume involves laws that police are still able to enforce ?
Defunding the police and tying their hands is one of the problems. The revolving doors in the prisons is one of the other problems. Criminals need to be caught, held accountable, and PUNISHED
We must do something it is so sad that they can walk in and take whatever they want and nothing is done. My vehicles have been broke into several times,the last time they stole my garage door opener then my generator blower, tools all are expensive. I am sure they were sold to a pawn shop or to someone that sells. Prices get higher because of this and the thieves just keep getting away with it.
I disagree. Why do you feel it necessary to prosecute simple drug possession? Focus on the crime itself, not possession. You think treatment is done kind of cute, it isn’t, it is an absolute money munching joke. Maybe people like you should go to treatment see how qualified they are before you offer your worthless opinion. I agree with not signing your garbage
I agree with the above , at least make it illegal to use drugs in public. We NEED large inpatient drug treatment facilities for long term care so for those that break the law have some where to go for detox and to be diagnosed for mental illness etc. . The tiny home projects would be excellent for the rehabbed folks.Somewhere for them to go. Be cautious of the so called outpatient programs for the addicted vagrants living on the street.
Drugs possession should have always remained illegal. Offenders must be prosecuted. The fairy tale of legalized drugs is over. It does not work for society as a whole. I ask fellow Washingtonians to not become victims before they realize that criminals need to be prosecuted. In the 60’s & 70’s this theory of free love and drugs was put to the test. The results were that drugs were made illegal. This was because we learned a lesson back then, but time has allowed us to forget. It’s the reason history has always repeated itself. We need police and judges to work together to incarcerate law breaking criminals. We need to prosecute criminals that choose to purposely break the law. We have all the laws currently in the books. We just need to allow police and prosecutors to enforce those laws to protect the law abiding citizens of Washington. If you look at gun laws it is easy to discern there is a law to cover just about everything. But if we do not enforce those laws all you have is anarchy. As a law abiding citizen I want the justice system to work against the that are deliberate in the intent to disregard laws and fellow citizens. Breaking the law is done by individual choice and it is time the law breakers are held accountable for their actions. This is nothing new, just look at history. We cannot and should not be easy on those that decide to make it difficult on the rest of us. Simply stated, ” You do the crime, be prepared to do the time.” And that must be clear regardless of sex, color, creed, religion! It’s time to get sensible about how we truly would like to live within our communities.
Drugs were legal once…People smoke weed too get high…Getting high on a drug, is like getting drunk but way healthier…drugs are a strong substance named/classified a narcotic…
Some drugs are not harmfull like the ones that were legal once…one of the problems with drugs is that rockstars and rappers are aloud too do drugs but it’s illegal for the typical american/user/or drug addict…drugs being illegal is the cause for a lot of deaths and medical problems…the fact that drugs are illegal, is that the thoughts of it being illegal, can really wear on you…drugs that aren’t harmfull like the ones that where legal once are drugs you can use…drugs are used a certain way…I’m sorry but drugs need to be legalized…things can’t be a big deal…people use drugs like how someone drinks a alcohol…the sad thing is that drinking alcohol can kill you…drugs are alot safer!!! Being sober is a pretty good thing when your medically sound and feel good…doing drugs is pretty good…to be honest, they need legalize quickly…I don’t think God minds it if you get high every once in awhile…you don’t want too party all the time!!!
Good insights sir
I agree this law must be reversed and give the police authority to arrest individuals that are under the influence of narcotics. Allowing these individuals to continue to use narcotics & not prosecuting them leads to more criminal activity and public danger .
We need to make loitering on public property illegal again, being high in public an arrest able crime. Enforce 6-12 month inpatient treatment and then half way houses and if unable to graduate they lose a level of freedom. Freedom should only be for those who possess the desire to live as a healthy part of society going forward at all times .. bums and addicts do not deserve to be in our family parks or corrupting our tourist and shopping areas. Tacoma and Seattle need to get the lead out about this and make reforming top notch mental health programs the priority above entertainment.. enforce cleanliness and sanity.. paid and volunteer so as to not wear out people but we need a much larger effort combating the direction we are going .. let’s not surrender Washington to criminals and addicts. Let’s not feel sorry for those who are reaping the fruit of their own self destruction taking many around them down with them.
I am for this! Let’s start protecting our children and hardworking citizens again. FORCE PEOPPE TO GET HELP DONT ALLPW THEM TO GET COMPLACENT.
My state has gone downhill, stop enabling druggies!
All drug and property crimes need to be fully charged with severe legal punishment and NO get out of jail free tickets like they do today. No crime should be too small not to prosecute
No. Drug possession is still criminal, but to make it a felony is ludicrous. So the first time I get caught with drugs I’m automatically a felon and my life is ruined as a result? That’s really gonna go a long ways towards straightening the rest of my life out. *End sarcasm*
A felony? For drug possession? That’s insane! Then a HUGE portion of local residents are labeled as “felons”. With that comes the hardship of finding a place willing to rent a house or apt to you. Not to mention trying to find a job available for you with felonies on your record. Then what happens? A whole bunch of ppl homeless on the street stealing anything and everything in order to survive. Isn’t that what you’re complaining about that’s already happening now? So how is adding more ppl to the problem going to be any kind of a solution? Think about it
A felony? For drug possession? That’s insane! Then a HUGE portion of local residents are labeled as “felons”. With that comes the hardship of finding a place willing to rent a house or apt to you. Not to mention trying to find a job available for you with felonies on your record. Then what happens? A whole bunch of ppl homeless on the street stealing anything and everything in order to survive. Isn’t that what you’re complaining about that’s already happening now? So how is adding more ppl to the problem going to be any kind of a solution? Think about it
As long as your not talking about being like Holland because they don’t have a war on drugs because they choose to ignore them that’s why all absences are legal over there. That being said, the crimes they have are no different than ours rape, robbery, murder.
Definitely agree that laws are important to enforce, especially when this local government has diminished their power,
This is my thirtith year as a small business owner. In the past four years we have endured vandalisim, RV’s broken into, catalytic converters and vehicles stolen. I believe during this time our company has borne the bulk of over $80,000.00 in damages. Some of this I turned into insurance only to be canceled. We have had employees accosted in our back parking, one with a hatchet. Fortunately he used his 2A rights and lifted his shirt so the perpetrator could see his hatchet wasn’t the only weapon there, he chose to leave.
When an RV is broken into we dread calling the customer to please come assess the damage and advise what is missing. These vandals are brazen, there is no accountability.
I would like to share a fact. I celebrated 32 years clean and sober January 2nd. I was in the system after 15 years of drinking and drugging. I spent the most consecutive days in jail after I made a decision to clean up. When I appeared before Judge Heller, Pierce county district Court the bondsman from Cj Bail bonds was there telling the judge they would no longer hold my bond. After telling the judge I was six weeks clean I was trying to get into rehab judge Heller looked me in the eyes and said, Mr Holthe I am going to PR you. I believe you will do as you say. The bondsman was speechless. At that time I had something like 25 fta’s. I promised to pay my fines and get my license within one year. I did just that, I still have the letter Judge Heller sent me congratulating me for my hard work. When I quit using I was doing heroine, it took 28 days to kick, I sometimes slept between a mattress and box spring to keep weight on me because it felt like my skin was crawling off my body.
Why did I quit? I did not want to end up incarcerated, or dead. There were consequences for my actions. Wether using, selling or doing whatever to get the money for my next hit it ALL was a ticket to jail or death. We have taken these consequences away and allow, even make excuses for the addicts and criminals. This is very cruel, worse than incarceration.
If any one wants to hear directly from me I am available.
I honestly don’t known whether you people are high or that you are actually that stupid. First off, while I know the prosecutor is getting sick to death of all the over time pay, that what she really wants is to see her put out of a job after finally solving crime. The only thing making possession a felony again is going to do is put such a ridiculous backlog of court cases they will need to hire more deputy prosecutors to catch up. The clasification change isn’t going to make the job of proving intent any easier, make no mistake about what the catalyst for this change was….. the original law lacked the language that intent was a burden of proof the state needs to make in each possession case. Secondly, if any of you honestly think that drug addicts give two shits about what the sentencing guidelines are when they are dope sick and it’s only now that the laws are lacks that they are willing to risk possession as they never would have before now, then you are the one who clearly has a serious substance abuse problem considering how high someone would have to be to believe that kind of ridiculous crap. Time for a nap and a sandwich.theft is not up because drugs are a misdemeanor either, theft is up because big pharmas non addictive miracle pain medicine was handed out like candy a Halloween just like they hoped and now that a new class of American is now strung out on that shit, they can not afford to take it anymore because insurance is no longer picking up the bill for their dope, so they have to pay the dealer without the student loans instead and he doesn’t accept medicaid anyway. Of you want to reduce crime, put some assholes from phizer and Eli Lilly behind bars and freeze a few of the Waltons investment accounts and we can START to go in the right direction .
Absolutely
I dion’t agree. Drug possessiom should not be criminalized. Its not whats fueling the crime wave. Its the car theft for the fun of it. Catch & release. Its the retail theft and homeless not being prosecuted. Go aftet them. Quit trying to make it about addiction..
First the police need to be super funded and allowed to do their job. Round up and prosecute ALL people who break the law. Then they need to be put on chain gangs and made to clean up Tacoma. Especially the pig homeless and the taggers. I do have compassion for the mentally ill. They would cost the state many millions of dollars. That’s a whole different problem. We need hardass judges and prosecutors to do their jobs. If we need more of them, hire them. Quit dumping all of our money on the homeless. They need to suck it up just like all of us hard working, law abiding citizens. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF PAYING FOR ALL OF THE BUMS! FIX IT!
This is absolutely true and I support it 100%. The crime rate is through the roof. The death rate is taking a huge toll and drugs are found everywhere in our streets officers hospitals everywhere they’ve literally flooded our streets schools everywhere please do something and fast are public safety. Is it huge concern as well as our children
Please RECRIMINALIZE drug crimes as they were, to help stop the terrible increase we ALL see in the crimes being done now in Tacoma.
Criminalizing simple drug possession again…. does NOTHING to HELP these people yet ensure that there will be MOrE people to add to the list of homelessness!!!!
Because of a felony someone I know couldn’t find anything less than $1500 for a studio with no kitchen!!!!
That in itself is a major issue!!!!
It’s hard to find a place to live as is… drugs … prescribed or otherwise, is ones way of escaping their daily hell, trying to survive ~
People are gonna steal regardless felon or not. Yet for those who truly want to make a change an do better… finding a job or home with a felony makes it almost impossible!
Makes it so they don’t care about ANYTHING an then they continue on their self destruct mode due to trauma… one way or thee other.
My opinions of course ~
Tacoma Mayor and Council members have like Seattle created a sewer for city residents. Drive through the city with total disgusting thoughts. Crime, Homeless, Trash, Empty buildings.
Is it to much to ask the prosecutor to enforce existing law! Tacoma’s obvious corruption is subjective enforcement!
Drugs: a victimless crime unless you happen to be the victim.
Crime: the natural course of events when you denigrate police and public safety in favor of “progressive” virtue signaling.
This trend did not start overnight and won’t be solved overnight; especially by government officials who were responsible for it in the first place.
Elections have consequences.
Lol no. Drugs already won the war on drugs. You can not legislate morality.
Prohibition never works. For anyone curious about the history and results of the War on Drugs, please check out “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari. I’m a photographic negative of ‘Woke’, but the roots of the War on Drugs are racist. Each drug added to the prohibition was pointed at a specific ethnic minority.
Nearly 100 years later, we are experiencing the ‘fruits of the poisonous tree’.
There are other crimes, true property or violent crimes, that the prosecutor needs to address. Drug use is a symptom, not the actual crime.
Just re-read “Brave New World”. Huxley wrote that 90 years ago. He, Orwell, Rand, Bradbury, Heinlein et al were 20th Century prophets.
In Brave New World, they chose between Truth and Beauty or Comfort and Pleasure. Woke is anti-truth. Until we address these obvious cultural and moral failings, there are no laws nor enforcement of laws that will address our demise.
We are in the beginnings of the Fourth Turning. Hard times make strong men. Strong men make good times. Good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times. Prepare for some very hard times.
bsn
If taComa’s elected officials were drug-tested, it would probably explain a lot.
How else can you explain such empathy and acceptance of the situation we are in?
In all the decades I’ve been a business/property owner in taComa, if has never been as dirty, dangerous, and destructive as it is today.
Leadership’s answer: disarm the law-abiding citizens, raise taxes, and make more accommodations for the criminal elements.
This crap is coming from our university systems and the billionaire endowments that control them. This mindset is the product of that.
With crime comes corruption and vice-versa.
What we need are leaders who don’t treat their obligation, as a springboard to higher political ambition or as the ruler of some fiefdom.
If the city attorney and the prosecutor are behind us, then the law should be behind us as well. How about we use the damned thing to fix this upside-down situation?
I agree, The brazen lawlessness we see today, with 30 time offenders back on the streets faster than an officer can finish the paperwork, has got to stop. Handing him a new needle on his way back to the street is not the answer.
The personal decisions an addict makes sitting back injecting in an encampment, compared to the personal decisions they make having been in jail and “sober” for two or three months are vastly different. Some actually make it.
I like the idea someone at KOMO news had awhile back. Put some money into MacNiel island prison and add rehab and mental health facilities. A couple strikes on the street and you get a few month to sober up and re-hab. At least their first few decisions, when they walk, will be made form a sober state of mind.
Born and raised in Tacoma, For 89 years. Have lived through several “Law and Order” political reigns. All benefits went to concrete suppliers who built more jail cells and created a welfare act for the judicial system. Never did it reduce crime.
The voters spoke when they legalized marijuana. Government spoke when it sold licenses to sell. Business spoke when it leased out prime retail space to drug distributors.
Does anyone see any hypocrisy?
Who put all the money into passing the Initiative that made it legal to sell hard liquor in every convenience store, Pharmacy, Grocer? Business. Look at the PD reports.
Before we start draconian punishment for drug addiction, please look for the farmers who invited, with open arms and cash registers, the fox into the hen house.
Voting the current crop of politicians out of office would be a good start. Agreeing to consider the issues = nothing will be done, like when politicians mistake activity for achievement, which ends up as paralysis by analysis
Our society has become a no consequence society. Drugs and possessions are very much a crime with victims. The community at large, the kids displaced or have to live in the situation, the expense, the danger, and the families torn apart by it. As the parent of a addict, I can personally attest to all of this. If drug possessions were concerned a felony and then the addict can work toward it being dropped to a lesser charge with treatment and court ordered conditions, might be a better type of solution.
Our courts continueing to give them slaps on the wrist, and no fines is a crime to me and the community who pays for all there crimes. My rights are being affected I feel when we are saddled with the cost of there crimes to our communities in paying with tax dollars to clean up after them,pay for there court ordered consequences, the crimes they commit to fuel there habits, the unsafe streets and our parks, the cost to the kids emotionally,and to the state to care for removed injured or abused kids, the list goes on and on.. accountability needs to be there,and a choice to make the consequences more or less is up to the addict.take the help to make it easier to move on or continue and then you get to be accountable and pay restitution to all the victims of your choices. Please don’t make this a victimless crime! There are victims! Make it a felony with a way to recognize they have a choice to change there crime to a lesser charge with court ordered way out.
I am an active addict and I have a job and can function with everyday activities and events I support my habit just fine without stealing from people or places. not every drug user is the same nor did the person using come from the same backgrounds either. I know from my own personal experience, the decriminalization of drug possession law has helped me and my life actually success rather than crumble or fall apart, just as it always constantly did before the law changed. the criminal justice system is corrupt on its own ways and incarcerating individuals does not “help” them it’s just a never ending cycle and the individual just ends right back on the streets. treatment is only helpful or works if that person truly wants it to work, they truly want to be sober. the justice system facilities do not make that choice, the people do. Drugs do not make people bad, what the people do while under the influence of the drugs is bad. some people can handle it some people can’t.
NOW PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT!!!
I
Here’s some context for those who are numb to our experience as business/property owners.
This is but one of countless issues over many years involving homeless, crazy, street-living, addicts.
This guy was perpetually curled up unconscious in our doorways – filty and with zero sense of what it is to be human.
Nobody cared about him, nobody except us who had to clean up after him and move him along if possible, so customers could enter and exit the building.
He ended up dead on a recent morning, supposedly with his “head kicked in”.
Now it’s a big deal and the police are doing a big investigation to bring justice to the situation.
Who knows how much will be spent on that?
Still, no one cares about all the others who conduct themselves the same way, or those of us who have to wallow in it.
But come tax time by God!
You’ll see a 100% expectation from government that we surrender the treasure we somehow managed to hold on to.
Yes, they will need that for their fat benefit packages and living wages, and of course the next murder investigation.
There are people making 6 figure salary’s in Tacoma (this is public information) to solve the homeless “crisis” that is the cause for the drug and crime in Tacoma, and yet not a thing has been done. I shouldn’t have to worry that if my son needs to go to the er, my car will get broken into or we will be robbed walking out. It’s comical to me that over crowding is the reason for the police catching and releasing people who have committed crime, that wasn’t an issue the first 30 years of my life, and covid is a lame excuse to use for why it is happening now. All of the proposals for government run encampments is not going to do anything but give them a place to bring there stolen goods too. I think a great start would be to hold the people who are ruining this community responsible for what they are doing, not just for us personally but for the government side as well. It is only a matter of time before someone starts acting like Batman and takes things into their own hands.