Comments on: Arson suspect in custody, another being questioned

By: darnative

darnative — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:09:25 +0000

In this economy and with his record… = nowhere and another cold winter on the street.
Sadly we don't have more programs to help people get back on their feet after being homeless or imprisoned. Not to say that would have helped in this situation, but if there were more programs to help people re-enter society, seems to me we'd have less homeless.
I think we have identified a problem on this blog, i.e. the homeless in Ballard, but so far all anyone can come up for a solution is make the homeless go away. I think it might be time for a more progressive approach as your wish it away policy doesn't seemto be working.

By: SPG

SPG — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:47:29 +0000

“And who ends up in prison in the first place? Almost exclusive people who were poor to start with …”

…and ignorant and ethically challenged. It takes more than being poor to wind up in prison, though being wealthy will do wonders at keeping you out.

By: ballardemican

ballardemican — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:37:03 +0000

Hey the Dead Kennedies wrote a song that mirrors your sentiment. Like minds think alike?

"Kill The Poor"

Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home:

The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
All systems go to kill the poor tonight

Gonna
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight

Behold the sparkle of champagne
The crime rate's gone
Feel free again
O' life's a dream with you, Miss Lily White
Jane Fonda on the screen today
Convinced the liberals it's okay
So let's get dressed and dance away the night

While they:
Kill kill kill kill Kill the poor:Tonight

By: ballardemican

ballardemican — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:30:40 +0000

okay sure but in grand scale the vast majority of cause flows the other way.

And who ends up in prison in the first place? Almost exclusive people who were poor to start with …

By: LBB

LBB — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:50:01 +0000

If he really wanted to get caught – he should have stuck around at the FIRST fire.

By: darnative

darnative — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:49:29 +0000

Lets get our minds out of the gutter and imagine some homeless people are still regular people like you and me. With the economy being what it is, some of us may be rubbing elbows with those porn-searching, job-searching folks at the library. I know people right now who have to choose between paying rent and being on the internet and they are now going to the libary to access the internet. Being homeless or without an internet connecton, the library may be their only way to connect with family and friends and apply for jobs. Lets be a bit more understanding of people in these tough times. All of those folks are not bad and once again the topic always gets swayed here…Hopefully, we'll get back to Kevin Swalwell and lets all hope he is the person responsible for all or at least most of the arsons.I know he has admitted to some of them. It would be great to move on. However I still think block watches and neighborhod patrols are something that should always be in place….Afterall..Seattle is a BIG city.

By: SPG

SPG — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:48:03 +0000

I guess you don't speak fluent Douchebag then, I'll keep on translating for you.
just kidding Christophe! I don't think the tone comes across well on the internets and add in some frustration and it starts to sound really bad.

By: NoraBell

NoraBell — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:58:03 +0000

Well, he's not saying it very well. I understand that difference, you understand that difference. Ballardmom understands that difference. I'm not getting that Christophe does.

By: Jules

Jules — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:23:26 +0000

Apparently this guy set a lot of fires to cover up his crimes, or botched crimes. Somehow I doubt that he was ever just a hard-working person down on his luck.

I am curious about sometihng…IF we closed all the shelters and IF we got the city to pass ordinances prohibiting panhandling, (like Tacoma did) I wonder just how many people would in fact be using the Ballard food bank…besides the elderly, and people who are just temporarily out of work and need a little food assistance? Instead of all the vagrants we seem to have atttacted here with all of our “programs.” My bet is that usage would drop dramatically.

By: marywit

marywit — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:25:29 +0000

It's interesting that you make it a point to mention he was a food bank client. If he had been a business or condo owner, would you stress that he shopped at Safeway?

By: SPG

SPG — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:56:30 +0000

Convicts tend to have a hard time getting decent work (unless you're on Wall Street) and therefore will wind up being poorer on average. In todays job market are you going to hire the just released level III sex offender, the addicted thief, or the college grad?
Makes sense to me.

By: SPG

SPG — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:52:35 +0000

BM, I think that Christophe was trying to say that there's a difference between our neighbors who need some help and the vagrants who enjoy drinking all day on the street.

By: ethel

ethel — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:36:27 +0000

I live right near the food bank, work at home so it's not as though I'm gone all day, and I don't see “scum” there.

By: ballardemican

ballardemican — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:15:13 +0000

what? no. I can't imagine how you figure …

By: Ballardmom

Ballardmom — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:04:57 +0000

Once again, go to the food bank and find out who they serve. You're slandering a hard-working non-profit that helps thousands of good people in Ballard every month with food. Go ask about your programs and if you get all the truthful information and are still enraged then make it public. Just pulling it out of your *ss makes you look stupid and spreads disinformation.

By: Ballardmom

Ballardmom — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:00:01 +0000

Don't blame the Ballard Food Bank for that. They help thousands of people and have been around since I believe the 1950's. Maybe it was the 1940's. If someone comes to the foodbank from out of town or another part of town they may give them food once, but they send them to another food bank because they are already over-stressed by helping our neighbors here in Ballard.

You know, I'm starting to think you're a troll who doesn't even live in Ballard and I wouldn't even respond to you except the misinformation you are spreading needs to be corrected.

By: Ballardmom

Ballardmom — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:51:08 +0000

If you actually WENT to the foodbank to find out who they help a lot of the people they help lost their jobs and can't afford to pay the mortgage and feed a whole family on unemployment. Many are elderly and their medicare won't cover their medication so they pay for that and not for food. Some were doing great until the primary caregiver got cancer, couldn't pay the 20% the insurance wouldn't pay on their six figure+ healthcare bill, along with not being able to work.

But then I guess it's pretty easy to call these people bums and be a troll when you're hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. And probably from the sounds of it can rely on your hefty trust fund to get you through.

By: Christophe

Christophe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:16:27 +0000

“poverty impels crime”

Or maybe visa versa?

By: ballardemican

ballardemican — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:05:47 +0000

That is a terrific theory drake58. When you invent the magic comb that does this kind of instant sorting in reality please let us know. Until then we'd better shut that bad old foodbank down.

I'm sick of the “bleeding heart” slur being thown around indiscriminately. There is a difference between blind sympathy and knowing that because there are not perfect solutions is not a reason to give the less fortunate a hearty FU.

By: facebook-596360979

facebook-596360979 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:57:18 +0000

the building is the frame house that houses a lawyers offices and a marketing firm. As to 'why', no one knows the answer.

By: ballardemican

ballardemican — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:51:58 +0000

I disagree with Christophe entirely but these ad absurdum arguments (should we close the supermarkets then? The streets? The preschools? Paseo? etc) are attacking his lack of nuance, not the substance of what he is trying to say.

Seaspider, I think, best (and preemptively) gets back at the substance Christophe took several hours to articulate outright:

"2 criminals out of the thousands served by the food bank isn't that much - probably no worse than the rest of society."

I'd venture that for various reasons (poverty impels crime, sociopaths for various reasons tend to be or hide among the homeless/poor, etc) the population served by the foodbank has a *slightly* higher percentage of "criminals" than society at large, but that this is far, far outweighed by the service it provides to good people in need.

Of course the foodbank shouldn't be scapegoated for the fires. It is a service that should be supported by the community.

By: sdrake1958

sdrake1958 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:39:25 +0000

Hey Christophe, yer not going anywhere here with your thoughts. Not in Berkley North. Too many feelings. Too many chiefs. Too many freaking bleeding hearts. “If you're not part of any solution you're part of THE problem”. I too am sick and tired of seeing bums get stuff where people “in need” get shorted or miss out. They'll rationalize just about anything that makes 'em feel good. Sober for almost 8 years, I know about enabling. I knew this guy too was an abuser. Time for many here to find the “real needy” and help them help themselves. How's that hope/change working for ya all!

By: Theravadist

Theravadist — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:32:39 +0000

Well, that's at least ONE less bum on the streets of Ballard.

By: blite

blite — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:05:55 +0000

How is it they only help residents of Ballard if they accept mail for 600 people? I highly doubt all 600 of those folks lived in Ballard before they started accepted services at the Ballard Food Bank.

By: ballardmum

ballardmum — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:04:15 +0000

Just a theory here and I'm NOT saying I feel sorry for the guy, but I had the feeling he was out to be caught and now it makes more sense to me. He’s been in prison for 12 of the last 26 years, a transient whose mailing address is the Ballard Food Bank, a “three strikes and you’re out” mandatory life sentence… Perhaps, for him, life imprisonment (or even in a mental institution) is just a more comfortable, more predictable existence than life on the street?? Yes, yes, I'm sure he got off on seeing the big blazes too, but perhaps there's a little more to it??

By: SPG

SPG — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:54:14 +0000

…and the rest of them are drunks, addicts, thieves, sex offenders, etc,
I'm kidding, but only kind of really as the vagrants are generally a lousy bunch when it comes to ethics and morals. Some of it has to do with surviving in that situation but more often it's the person's choices that put them there.

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:45:58 +0000

What building…and why wasn't it reported??

By: facebook-596360979

facebook-596360979 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:38:28 +0000

Swalwell may be the person who tried to burn down a building in the historic Ballard district in July. The police arson squad investigated the arson. I helped put the fire out. However, police and My Ballard did not report news of the attempt to destroy one of Ballard's most important buildings. Had they done so, we might have captured this person long before the destruction spiraled out of control.

By: Christophe

Christophe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:46:12 +0000

Don't confuse bums who run wild in Ballard and Greenwood with the poor and homeless……….

By: Neighbor

Neighbor — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:12:28 +0000

My thoughts exactly.