The problem I have with this video is that it seems to be a variation of the standard Tucker Carlson/Sean Hannity “liberals are ruining our cities” line. As class relations and general economic conditions in the US increasingly resemble the “Third World” model, conditions in US cities are starting to look like…the Third World. The drug-related social problems the narrator describes were just as common in the heydey of the war on drugs/zero tolerance era in the 80s and 90s. I used to see it all the time even here in little old Richmond. What’s happening now is that bourgie liberals in these hipster havens like Seattle are starting to be inconvenienced by the consequences of neoliberal economic policies and the combined impact of drug prohibition on one hand and and the monopolization of the legal drug market by Big Pharma on the other hand, and thinking “OMG, Sean Hannity was right!” in a standard “liberal who got mugged turns law and order conservative” cliched trajectory.

“The Fight for the Soul of Seattle” examines the role of Seattle’s City Council in allowing the situation to reach what many experts consider epidemic levels under the guise of a compassionate approach to people who suffer from substance addiction and who commit crimes to feed their habit. It documents the heartbreaking condition of people on the streets, and the crushing decisions Seattle entrepreneurs are forced to contemplate as their life savings and dreams are destroyed by theft, vandalism and a dwindling customer base. This documentary also explores potential bold solutions to treat those living on the streets and pair them with agencies and assistance that can provide a clear path away from the endless circle of addiction and crime. 00:03:20 – Seattle eBike store, Brian Nordwell 00:07:20 – Mark Sidran, Former Seattle City Attorney 00:12:16 – Scott Lindsey, Former Public Safety for Mayor Ed Murray 00:14:35 – Ginny Burton 00:17:30 – Tom Wolf 00:20:50 – Seattle PD difficult job 00:29:00 – CHOP, Lorenzo Anderson 00:32:00 – East precinct taken back 00:33:21 – Court house protection 00:37:00 – Former Judge Ed Mckenna 00:49:07 – Seattle City Council, defund police 00:52:20 – Business fighting for survival 00:58:00 – Mental health issues, support 01:06:28 – Drug and homeless epidemic reform 01:13:30 – Travis Berge, repeat offenders 01:20:00 – Kevan Carter Jr.’s mental illness 01:26:40 – What can be done? What’s the plan?