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Notes -
Here in Seattle, I can say that the number of drug zombies on the streets has declined since peaking in 2021. The city is clearing encampments regularly now, but it's not exactly clear where people are going. Apparently, when they clear an encampment they are required to offer shelter but nearly everyone refuses.
In the U.S. about 100,000 people die from fentanyl overdoses every year. I wonder to what extent that is thinning the homeless population.
Here in King County, we had 1,300 overdose deaths just last year, which is 3 times as many as in 2019. For perspective, we have about 10,000 unsheltered homeless.
But the drug overdose counts are improving and 2024 will be better. Murder rates are also going down. And all of this despite the failure of government agencies to do anything about crime or homelessness. Our city just went off-the-rails insane in 2020 and now things are slowly healing. But the next crisis will take us to new depths, I'm sure.
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