The Seattle Times is reporting that Councilmember Mike O’Brien was physically removed from an outdoor event at the Pacific Fishermen Shipyard on Friday night. The event was an official after-party of the Nordic Museum’s grand opening.
O’Brien said he was asked to leave, and as he looked for his wife, “someone from behind grabbed me by the shoulders and proceeded to shove me toward the gate and out the gate,” he said. “I was physically thrown out of this event because of the policies I advocate for.”
When Times reporter Daniel Beekman asked shipyard General Manager Doug Dixon what happened, he verified O’Brien’s account.
“We have a conflict with Mike O’Brien because of his efforts to put a bicycle path here and do some other issues that hurt the maritime-industrial area,” he said. Dixon said when O’Brien didn’t leave after he was told he was trespassing, “we had to forcibly remove him.”
Councilmember O’Brien is a polarizing figure in Ballard politics. He’s an outspoken supporter of plans to build the missing link of the Burke Gilman trail along the waterfront, which has been the subject of a long-running legal battle between Old Ballard businesses and the Seattle Department of Transportation. Earlier this year, the city hearing examiner ruled in favor of SDOT.
O’Brien took the brunt of criticism at a raucous town hall over homelessness last week, and a Change.org letter to O’Brien from neighbors frustrated with homelessness and crime has nearly 2,500 signatures. There’s a “Recall Mike O’Brien” Facebook group, which took this photo of “Visualize Recall” stickers making the rounds in Ballard.
(File photo above from the City of Seattle.)
No, the reason he was escorted out is that he is an idealogue idiot, not a Council representative elected to represent District 6. The symbolic push back is highly significant and the fishermen probably did what alot of other people in District 6 were thinking. Hooray for them!
How immature can you get? Ballard has been changing for a long time. Little children blame O’Brien for that. Just stupid.
O’Brien’s proposed Head Tax will hurt Seattle’s maritime industry. He may be getting the message.
This story is illustrative of Mike O’Brien’s lack of self-awareness. A cognizant individual would think, “Hmmm, given my record of voting and advocacy on issues, I think I’ll give this party a pass.” Unless you were dense or, perhaps, looking to strut your ego in the enemy’s front yard during a party that you thought they’d have to let you attend. Well ha ha ha, Mike. Whatever happens to his political career, this will be a favorite chapter of it for me.
@GW – Are you arguing that change just “happens,” and is not facilitated and nurtured, even actively hurried, by certain individuals in authority?
No I am just pointing out the mob mentality.
You know what they’d be saying about him if he hadn’t shown at the PacFish party: O’Brien’s out of touch. O’Brien’s too good to have a beer with regular folks. O’Brien is afraid to come to our party and listen to us. Or Jason Rantz would have just made up the exact same salacious story anyway even if he’d never set foot there. It’s not like Rantz cares if there’s a shred of truth behind it, as long as the MAGA heads tune in and keep his ratings up.
dead fish guy dixon hates bikes
what a turd
“You know what they’d be saying about him if he hadn’t shown at the PacFish party:”
Wait, just one long winded post ago you were calling this fake news.
Pick a lane and stick to it lady.
And are we talking about Julie O’Brien, owner of Firefly Kitchens who makes kimchee (cultural appropriation!), telling fisherman to •••• off? The same social justice warrior who used “volunteer labor” at her company kitchen in Ballard. You know, free labor, not $15 an hour labor. And then she gave us this glorious quote:
“I think one of the biggest things we do is we have volunteers come in and obviously it’s a win-win for us,” O’Brien said in the January 8 episode. “Because when we started, we didn’t have any money and we still don’t.”
http://mynorthwest.com/15729/seattle-city-councilmans-wife-may-be-violating-state-labor-laws/?
Shame Amazon actually pays it’s employees in Seattle. They should have used Julie “•••• the fisherman” O’Brien’s model.
Maybe someone shouldn’t have given her that second shot of Aquavit on Saturday night.
Mike failed to mention his wife’s parting words…”F$&k the fishermen!”
Yeah, the Jason Rantz embellishments are fake news. The stuff he claims he got from an anonymous manager? Fake. The shipyard guy Dixon went on record to The Times, and verified that O’Brien’s version of events is true. Wingnut talk radio will burn you every time. Never trust them.
@erica That’s his campaign motto now.
Whether you like or agree with O’Brien….this is totally immature behavior. Unprofessional and counter productive. The Shipyard f-ed up.
Absolutely low class move by Dixon and Pac Fish. Not a very smart play.
Change and the Burke is absolutely coming to Shilshole Ave, you’d think Dixon would be able to figure that out and work with it. Oh well. Now he’s on the record as having forcibly removed a city council person from a celebration of Ballard heritage.
lolololololol
nice try elenchos
Mike… YOUR BALLARD CARD HAS BEEN PULLED
Have we reached Peak Elenchos yet? Surely we must be almost there?
What a total no class move to strong arm one of our elected city council members like this.
The ship yard was WAY out of line , and should be ASHAMED of turning the museum after party into something ugly. Theres a time and place for everything , and you cant tell me Dixon didn’t know better…. the shipyard owes Mike Obrien and this community an apology.
Any loser more outraged about O’Brien being thrown out of a party than they are about the corrupt revenuing and junkie invasion should ride a soy rocket out of Ballard.
I dislike Mike O’Brien immensely. I can’t wait until 2019 when we can vote him out of a job and let him join the other reprobate bums in Ballard Commons.
But this was a BS move by Dixon.
Both Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and Mike O’Brien are supporters of the new Nordic Heritage Museum. The event was about the museum. It was not about Pacific Fisherman, it was not about Mike O’Brien, it was not about bums camped throughout Seattle, and it was not about the Burke-Gilman trail. The event was about the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Dixon should have known that the museum has supporters from a multitude of backgrounds and positions. He offered to host a gala in support of the museum. He should have put his own personal feelings aside.
Bad move by Dixon, to make Mike O’Brien a sympathetic character after this week.
You know, I’m not thrilled with Mike O’Brien’s handling of some things, but I’m even more pissed that these old timey businesses have continued to block the missing link.
I actually voted for him because I thought he’d see it complete. IIRC, his challenger Weatbrook didn’t really prioritize this whatsoever.
In all likelihood he will get re-elected so maybe the fisherman with the doughy hands should leave them off our leaders
Yea I think you’re right actually……. first agree to facilitate the after party for an important event, maybe have the president of iceland stop by along with a danish princess or two, and then just when folks are totally convinced its a community celebration , use this opportunity to bully someone you dont like and do it for everyone to see. its your property after all, right? you pay the bills so you make the rules, they can leave if they don’t like it right? Makes complete sense to me alright….i think id saddle the ol soy rocket up and head right back to india.
So, let me get this straight:
Mike O’Brien essentially gets assaulted for not leaving the event quickly enough-looking for one’s wife is a pretty reasonable thing to do if asked to leave, and being grabbed from behind does amount to assault, regardless of the reason behind the action. Then, the writer Jason Rantz puts up an article about Muke O’Brien being tossed out that starts with “Facebook rumors say…”, and proceeds from there, with nothing other than an anonymous quote to a leading question, so the entire article rests on…Facebook rumors. All this after someone apparently has defaced the road by the church where the recent contentious meeting with O’Brien was held, as well as a pile of refuse dumped there. I get it-someone is protesting the defacing, vandalism, and littering of Ballard by…vandalizing, littering, and defacing Ballard. Got it.
So, it’s just kind of hard to see your point of view or empathize with it when you’re using tactics like that. Kinda f*cked up, really.
rough week for little Mikey, what a clown to show up at that party. He got what he deserved!
I much as I dislike O’Brien, I truly despise the idiots who support this elitist turd and his foul-mouthed, cheap wife. It’s assholes like you is why we have this communist clown show running this city into the ground. Go invite the bums, riff-raff and junkies into your homes, you stupid dumb fucks. Eat shit too.
Doug is one of the Ballard bullies – he’s the one that ran over bicycles, then chained them up to street signs the day after then Mayor Nichels first proposed a missing link route in 2003. Four consecutive Mayor’s since then, including our current Mayor, and the City Council, and Warren Aakervik/Eugene Wasserman all support the plan recently greenlighted by the City Hearing Examiner. And it specifically bypasses Pacific Fisherman shipyard.
The more things change…
This is awful. What Dixon and his friends did is embarrassing, cowardly and incredibly innaproproate. That evening should have been about the museum. Grow up.
I agree with those who say the event was about the Nordic Museum. It sounds like it museum people and guests fairly assumed the afterparty would be open to supporters of the museum. What happened is an embarrassment. End of story.
Seattle is such a tolerant and inclusive city.
O’Brien needs some common sense and Dixon needs some manners. And the Nordic Museum should have it’s parties in their fancy new brick of a building and not in some fish factory.
Hi I’m Jason Rantz — the one a couple of you are lying about. My source wasn’t anonymous — it was the management of the shipyard. I used their quotes exclusively — and cited them as so. The Council’s communications folks refused to offer a statement or reaction, despite repeated attempts. There was nothing fake about the story. Everything said was corroborated in the Times story. Nice try though. Your ideological bigotry is adorable, Ellenchos.
Jason,
You should learn to be more professional. Your rant (pun intended) is part of the problem in the country today. Take a few deep breaths – maybe count to 10 before posting in the future. Perhaps journalism is not for you.
Perhaps if more people actually listened to KTTH and Jason you’d all have different thoughts and ideals. I realize getting off your mental plantation isn’t easy and takes some real thinking, not feelings. @ Elenchos: you ARE part of the problem and NO solutions, epitomizing “drive by talking points” and your brand of hate and intolerance. @ GW: “mob mentality” is shutting down streets, obstructing commerce and are left wing tactics. Nice to see the shoe on the other foot, for a change. Bunch babies, just can’t handle your very own tactics. Too rich. This IS what resistance to resistance looks like.
Old ballard is so out of touch with the new generation. News flash, we dont care about your ship yard. It’s an eye sore run by thugs and it’s only a matter of time until we rezone that area. You fools can’t see the writing on the wall and it’s just sad now. Dixon just sealed his fate.
Ballard thugs get away with assault…..you can commit crimes against public officials because you feel slighted?
Disgusting, the criminals should be arrested. Keep your hands off or call the cops, PERIOD!
Well, I moved to Ballard >20 years ago to be near the likes of the shipyard. I loved seeing the Northwestern there. However, Zack – you are right – apparently the owners are thugs with poor aim (they are shooting themselves in the foot). They are going to drive themselves out of business by alienating the very constituents (80% of Ballard residents) that could stand behind them and lobby for them. Between the long-term loss of IFQs, the greying of the fishing fleet, the Port of Tacoma and their mean-spirited mistreatment of their neighbors – it may be that their days are numbered. While I will hate to see a condo go up there – but you are right, Dixon sealed that fate.
As the Seattle Times reports, The Missing Link Trailhas been fought by the Ballard businesses for 20+ years, in their fight against Seattle Department of Transportation.
You got that right. Well before O’Brien, well before Mayor Nichols, Seattle Department of Transportation had a plan to finish The Missing Link on the Burke Gilman Trail. The waterfront businesses in Ballard have been disingenuous in their framing of Mike O’Brien as the issue, and that they are the heroes of this noble story.
Bullshit.
They’ve been lying, bullying, and using their position in the area to try and strong arm Ballard into staying in the 20th Century, as city after city converts old, little used railways into paths. Paths separate from car traffic. Remember that point.
The Ballard businesses all claim the competed Missing Link Trail would cause injuries and affect their business. Well, the bikes are already there, and they’re already getting injured, so what’s your point, then? The bikes go from a multi-mile, separated trail, to a completely fucking dangerous diagonal crossing in the industrial area in heavy traffic where people are getting hurt regularly. All because the businesses have spent 20+ years suing the city, wasting our tax resources in their petty lawsuits while blocking real progress of a long envisioned, useful trail that connects the Eastside to Ballard. I can bike to the U District faster than driving some days when traffic sucks.
Then, there’s the contention from some of the business owners that that the proposed route isn’t the best route. Bullshit. They want people to ride in traffic vs. on a separated trail. Easy math there.
What they want is to hang onto their railroad, and keep using the right of way, as if they don’t use it, they lose it. Kinda like those f-ed up rural irrigation agreements in some places where people use the water just because it requires use for the permit to be in place.
They just want everything to stay exactly like at all was, while the world changes around them. Good luck with that.
Also guessing here, but this seems likely: bet they all sit on leasehold land, so can’t cash out for major bucks. I’ll bet that’s the real reason they’re so mean, bitter, bullying, and angry.
One More Thing:
They’re at the forefront of the “Sweep them out and get rid of them” regarding the homeless drug using population.
Well, WHY are all these druggies coming to Ballard? Can’t be Bartells. Downtown certainly has an awful lot of drugs. So why all the drugs in Ballard?
Oh, wait. That’s right. The waterfront. There’s an industrial waterfront here.
Jeez. Ya think maybe THAT’S where a bit of the drugs are coming from in Ballard?
Well, duh.
” these old timey businesses”
Ah yes, the actual working class, producing working class, living wage jobs. Sneer some more why don’t you. Call them deplorables too because they don’t wear spandex to work and drone away at a compute all day for a living.
” News flash, we dont care about your ship yard. It’s an eye sore run by thugs”
This is a modern day liberal.
O’brien is a jerk off and deserves to be treated like one.
>O’Brien fills neighborhood up with felons
>Parks become filthy sh*tholes
>Litter everywhere, needles, junkies
>Armed Robberies become common
>Vicious hobo fights in front of library, in parks
Then
>O’Brien thrown out of party THEN the Progressives start preaching about manners and civility
Newsflash: O’Brien is a bully who disrespected the private property of the entire area by bringing in felons, then prevents civil discourse at meeting using his passive aggressive silencing/tone policing tactics.
It saddens me as a cyclist that the local cycling community supports this corrupt elitist even as the trails fill up with filth, dead rats, junkies, and our bikes are now preyed upon freely by the very people we’re asked to subsidize with our property tax/rent increases. In theory I support the BG trail completion, but you know what? People like O’Brien, Sawant, Murray (how many lawsuits now?) are just the worst type of malignant bureaucrats who care only about their political careers and golden parachutes.
I guess Lil’ Mikey can have a “MeToo” moment now over this. I hope all the Boomers and Millennials can recover from this “awful crime”. Remember, don’t leave any valuables in your car and be sure to set the burglar alarm.
Just a note — this is the last post I’ll have here… the last “Jason Rantz” with the apology is a scam pretending to be me. Shameful but an expected strategy. To make sure no one is able to successfully do that again, outside of this one post, note that anyone who claims to be me is a fraud. It’s sad they stoop to that and are too cowardly to take ownership.
Don’t you just hate it when democracy gets in the way of your attempt to control every little thing? When Mr. Dixon and his goons put their hands on Councilmember O’Brien and forcibly ejected him from an event celebrating the Nordic Museum, they were effectively thumbing their noses at the majority of voters in the neighborhood where they do business. One of Ballard’s greatest strengths is the coexistence of a thriving neighborhood and a thriving maritime and light industry. Mr. Dixon’s behavior is demonstrative of his unwillingness to work to maintain that coexistence.
So Doug Dixon represents an industry that has withstood the test of times, is full of brave men and women who perform jobs that would cause your average MyBallard sockpuppet to wet his undies, yet a bike lane scares him to death? That’s not a good sign for what was once a tough-as-nails industry. BGT back on 54th!
There’s a “Recall Mike O’Brien” Facebook group, which took this photo of “Visualize Recall” stickers making the rounds in Ballard.
Yeah, we’ve all seen those. Some smart ass is plastering those all over our neighborhood trying to make it seem like there’s a legitimate movement to recall O’Brien:
“We think our neighborhood sucks, so we’re going to vandalize our neighborhood to let everyone know how much we hate our neighborhood!”
The delusion is strong with these ones!
Jason Rantz: “And I’ll stake my reputation on it!”
Sure, Jason. Your reputation. Why don’t you ask Doug Dixon to back your story? But you’re like Hannity, right? Not a journalist. Nobody holds you accountable. Do you ever apologize? Ever retract anything? It’s not really like that, is it? You’re an “entertainer”.
But anyway, if you want to trot out haughty commercial fishermen crying because this one time at a party a lady said the F word at them, go right ahead. Fragile and thin-skinned is a great match for the Old Ballard Men Who Built This Town With Their Hands look. You can make some videos. Each sailor can stare soulfully into the camera, clutching his pearls, and slowly recount his feelings when the mean lady said a bad word to them. Slogan: “We Just Can’t Get Over It”.
You know this isn’t the fourth grade right? “I’m telling! I’m telling! Mike’s wife said the F word!” Say it out loud and tell me how it sounds to you.
The truth is, PacFish’s General Manager Doug Dixon dragged Mike O’Brien to his party because he thought he was going to lay some truth on him about PacFish’s rights to that public road, Because Ballard. And O’Brien slowly and patiently explained that the political reality is that bike path is going to get built, with or without Mike O’Brien. Mike made Doug sad, and Doug made Doug drunk, and then Doug made a very dumb decision. He thought he could show Mike what a big man he is and now it’s Doug Dixon who looks like a petulant man-baby who can’t take a little heat.
PacFish’s political leverage is diminished and that is not good for commercial fisherman. It’s good for Sinclair Broadcasting. The only politician you guys love more than Mike O’Brien is Kshama Sawant. You make money off them and if your Trumper rhetoric drives far left voter turnout in Seattle, and assures that Mike and Kshama stay in office, that’s job security for you.
So make the most of it, Jason. MEAN LADY SAID A BAD WORD HURT MY FEE FEES!!!
Doug Dixon and all of Ballards white NIMBYs are a cancer on this city. Also your sense of entitlement is WILDDD- you’re all trespassers on Native Land, I don’t know where this superiority complex comes from. You are all children.
I am so glad I don’t live in Ballard!
Weenie boy’s real name isn’t Jason Rantz, it is Jason Antebi. Sorry someone stole your name but it wasn’t yours anyway.
This museum took an $850,000 handout from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. They should fully repudiate their thugs’ actions or give the money back. I hope O’Brien presses charges for assault.
Not actually true.
Jason Antebi is a Howard Stern radio shock jock who fought for his right to call people vulgar and puerile names all the way to the California Supreme Court. Jason Rantz is a fragile bluenose who goes pale when ladies drink beer and say “fuck”. Rantz heard a rumor (it was on Facebook) that a guy spilled his beer and lost his shit over it. Lost. His. Shit. “Spilled his beer?” Rantz ranted, “Unacceptable! Jihaaaaaad!”
Rantz is closer to your Mike Pence or Ayatollah type, doesn’t like vulgarity, drinking, women uncovered in public. He wasn’t at the PacFish party because the drunk fishermen pants him and stuff him in a locker every time he shows up.
That Antebi guy sounds like he might be kid of fun though. Or he was back in the day.
@Elenchos
Only about 2/3 of what you say about me is true. Nice try though
@Jonathan
Haha, yes. Rumor has it O’Brien was going to press charges but after waiting on hold for 2hrs and waiting at the scene for 2 more hours for officers to arrive, he gave up and went home.
Ballard should file a class action lawsuit against O’Brien for assaulting the entire neighborhood.
The streets are full of Sawant’s thugs and they freely steal, rob, assault with impunity.
Pathetic that you would choose these scumbags over your taxpaying neighbors just to “stick it to Trumpers” or whatever.
They pants you 2 out of 3 times, not every time. Forgive me.
Just a reminder, we have comment rules… https://www.myballard.com/comment-rules/
Which include, “Don’t misrepresent yourself as someone else.”
Wow. Regardless of politics if you are hosting an event for a museum that sits on land paid for with public dollars then perhaps you should bite your feelings and not behave in such a manner. If a private party co-hosted a big event for the Seattle Art Museum should they throw out all Trump supporters in a similar manner. Especially if the party was part of an event that was also being hosted at the museum. No. That would reflect poorly on the museum. This incident is not doing the Nordic Heritage museum any favors. The fishermen do look like fools. And if someone had handled my husband in that manner then I would have done much worse than swear at them.
@CURTIS
Did you even read the article? This didn’t happen at the museum.
Must…ignore…article…and…go…straight…to…comments
The point is that regardless of where the incident occurred, the museum is affiliated and unfortunately is therefore painted with the same barbaric brush as Dixon and his goons. Mr. Dixon does not strike me as the type that gives much thought to his actions and their possible repercussions.
The reporting leaves something to be desired. Was this event open to anyone? Could I have gone? If it was open to anyone, then O’Brien was treated badly. If it was by invitation and he wasn’t invited, then he was totally out of line. You can’t crash a party given by people who believe you’ve treated them badly and expect to be welcome.
One final thought. City council meetings have deteriorated. Opponents of O’Brien and Sawant get shouted down. That’s a public meeting where ALL citizens are invited. I hope Mr. O’Brien calls out his own supporters on their lack of civility. He’d have the moral high ground if he made it a point to tell HIS followers to be respectful to others. As it is, there’s a bit of: “You can dish it out but you can’t take it” in his complaint.
@Curtis
Your husband is a lucky man. I wonder how outraged you would be if you were assaulted, robbed, or burglarized by one of the roaming addict felons. Hopefully – god forbid – if that ever happens you can summon up just 10% of your anger and hatred for Trump supporters or O’Brien/Sawant opponents, and channel that into defending your husband against the attacker.
The rest of us will continue to apply pressure to our incompetent, corrupt leaders for allowing public safety to degenerate and the community to erode. In a city where there is a protest every week and all manner of nude parades, this is very very minor. Hope you can recover.
Mike and Doug have known each other for years. Mike O’Brien knows what Pac Fish, Doug and the maritime industry thinks of him. The party was at Pac Fish for people who donated 100K or more to the Museum. Doug was the host of that party. Doug is much, much closer to the Scandinavian community than Mike O’Brien will ever be.
Mike showed unbelievably bad judgement showing up there. A place that couldn’t be more anti O’Brien. He could have done the classy thing and passed on going but he didn’t. You really have to wonder what was going through Mike’s head by going to this party. What was he hoping the outcome of his going would be. He knew full well that he would at the very least be a distraction. If you are surprised or upset that he was kicked off private property (at a place where he is loathed) than you need to understand a little bit more of what’s going on in our district.
Could you please pull the plug on Bagwan Shree Sawant. He is RACIST because he equates CM Sawant with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. He paints both as negative stereotypes and equates the two (who have no similarities beyond their country of origin).
@Civil Dude – I would like to second this request. At least until he is willing to hide behind a non-racist name. I wouldn’t expect him to demonstrate that he has the courage of his convictions and use his actual name, but blatant bigotry should not be acceptable on this site.
@Uncivil Dude
Sawant is using similar tactics as the Rajneeshis. Their race is irrelevant, but I suggest you do some research before starting up the social justice gestapo routine.
Bhagwan, I mean JM98107:
GET A LIFE, SOCKPUPPET. YOU’VE BEEN TROLLING MYBALLARD FOR 12+ YEARS WITH ALL YOUR MULTIPLE “PERSONALITIES”.
Just.
Go.
Away.
GET.
A.
LIFE.
“He is RACIST”
Don’t forget Civil Dude (love the name!), all white people are racist as we all benefit from white supremacy.
Anyone who opposes the head tax is a racist!
Except for this Japanese American woman at Uwajimaya. She seems nice.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/wide-range-of-seattle-businesses-speak-out-against-head-tax-proposal/
While I do NOT support O’Brien’s position on homelessness, I strongly support completion of the missing link. I have been to several meetings over the past 20 years concerning the trail and there is near unanimous community support for completion of the trail. This section would have been completed years ago if not a small opposition with money, willing to sue the city just to delay. For the most part the opposition has lost in court, but they have been successful in delaying the inevitable trail, all while costing the taxpayers lots and lots of money.
As far as Dixon, his actions should be criminally investigated, and if appropriate, he should charged with a crime. While I have not personally met him ( I don’t think) I have lost all respect for him and his company due to his childish behavior. Grow up Mr Dixon.
Isn’t Jason Rantz the “journalist” for MyNorthwest that tries to pass opinion as news articles that look like they were written by an angry, hormonal 14 year old boy who just got all his prom proposals rejected by all the girls at his high school?
And then the commentors on his articles. Woo boy. What a pack of tiny handed sockpuppets that make our resident sockpuppet look sane by comparison. Facts and reason mean nothing over their myopic world view. But hey, whatever gets the page views for their ads hawking testosterone supplements!
I just posted this morning under the name Ballard Boy. Someone else posted using Ballard Boy to try and discredit my post. I assure you I am NOT posting under multiple names, my opinion is my own and original.
If you do not like my post or disagree, that is fine, please post a reasoned rational argument so all can benefit. Please refrain from unfairly attacking me and using the same name I post under, that does nothing to further the discussion. Whomever posted using my same name needs to grow up, just like Mr. Dixon.
That being said we need to stop enabling homeless drug users by providing free camping for them. I have picked up numerous needles, including one just this morning while out on my walk.
We also need to complete the missing link once and for all and stop wasting all our public money on legal fees. The trail does not take or condemn any private property, it will be built all on public land.
Wow, between the church meeting where the O’Brien supporters were screamed at and the after party incident, I think Ballard could use some lessons from Emily Post or Miss Manners. Doesn’t matter which side you are on, try your inside voice, and when saying something terrible, at least add, “Bless his heart.”
I posted first. You’re impersonating me.
I also believe Dixon’s actions should be criminally investigated. O’Brien had a right to be there as he is Dixon’s city councilman as much as mine. I don’t agree with all of O’Brien’s policies but I do not put my hands on him or call him mentally unstable. The missing link reached a compromise – one that is in my opinion, requires a dangerous re-route for the cyclists. It also allows continued private use of public land by the businesses for storage and parking. However, that compromise for Sound Oil and the other waterfront businesses isn’t good enough for Dixon. Frankly, I believe Dixon is a menace to the rest of the community at this point.
@Kip
Sure, like I said the police will be right there so investigate in 4hrs after O’Brien spends 2hrs waiting on hold.
Then again, he is a city official, so they might be able to get there in 3hrs.
Enjoying the property crime, filth and daily assault/harassment shenanigans in our neighborhood?
Your selective outrage and “demand for justice” is exactly the sort of predictably absurd social justice nonsense that turned Seattle into a dysfunctional cesspool of hypersensitivity, corruption, and twitter virtue signalling.
Glad you could weigh in sockpuppet. I do exhibit selective outrage – as do all the thinking posters. Not every issue is black and white. Except to sockpuppets.
These teabaggers in Ballard sure are being hard on me.
@Kip
Wasting fund (lots of it!) and poor leadership is black and white, Kip. Ask any business.
Demanding people subsidize car prowlers, shoplifter and burglars via absurd taxes is black and white. Enforcing the law and, sadly, telling law enforcement to virtually stand down out of fear from litigious activists is black and white, Kip.
Refusing to listen to your neighbors for years out of some political grudge is black and white,
Demanding people subsidize car prowlers, shoplifter and burglars via absurd taxes is black and white.
Even for you, this is quite a delusional statement. Do you actually believe this? If so, please seek mental help as quickly as possible, you might be more gone than I thought…
Refusing to listen to your neighbors for years out of some political grudge is black and white,
Nothing you have said in your years of sockpuppeting makes me believe you are my neighbor or care about my neighborhood. It’s not political, it’s personal, my anonymous friend.
In several ways two very diverse groups have many similarities, and O’Brien has to deal with both of these groups and this causes him many problems. I am sure he secretly wishes they would both go away as his job would be much easier.
The Ballard businesses who oppose the trail extension, and the homeless in Ballard have many similarities.
They both want to use public land as their own without paying any compensation. The trail opposition businesses want to use this public land and have exclusive rights to it and tell everyone else how it should be used. The homeless do much the same and are able to stay in a location for an extended period of time, and then once forced to move do the same thing nearby and the cycle repeats.
Both are unconcerned about the costs to our community and city as far as quality of life or use of public monetary resources. The homeless (yes, there are exceptions) are unconcerned about the trash they leave, drug needles, hazardous waste etc. that the city and neighbors need to pay for personally or through higher taxes to clean up. The businesses in opposition to completing the missing link cost all the taxpayers in legal defenses that must be paid for by the city. The businesses have generally lost in the courts system even though they have appealed many times. I am unaware that the city has been able to recover court costs from the businesses. The delay in completing the missing link is a loss to Ballard in convenience as well as safety.
Keep in mind the Ballard businesses that oppose the completion of the missing link are in the minority as far as businesses in general in Ballard and the comparison only refers to businesses in opposition to the trail.
Everyone wants something for nothing, and as a taxpayer I get tired of supporting others who do not contribute. O’Brien has to deal with groups that have wants based on self interests and taxpayers that rightly so feel they are being taxed to the limit, Good luck Mr. O’Brien, you need it.
It sounds like these “kids” don’t get along, so childish. I am so glad that I don’t live in Ballard!
@Truth
I’ve lived in Ballard off and on for for over 20yrs. So whatever you need to tell yourself. Sorry if I’m opposed to subsidized the dregs of society just because some people in Seattle never got over Hillary losing.
@Ballard Boy
You’re comparing local, TAXPAYING, industry to feral drug addicts? This gives us some insight into the bass ackwards worldview and how it has led to the clownworld of contemporary Seattle.
@Sockpuppet:
Sorry if I’m opposed to subsidized the dregs of society just because some people in Seattle never got over Hillary losing.
Whatever you need to tell your delusional self so you can pat yourself on the back. Just don’t strain your hand! 👍
I can see by so mzny of the comments here that some folk think the ‘Nordic Storage Closet’ is an enclave for the advocacy of white supremacy.
Shame on your narrow minded self serving and totally embarassing actions and comments.
The majority of us (as evidenced by our voting record) are much netter than that.
@ Ballardboy
Excellent analogy! I think most people don’t fully grasp that the small group of businesses has cost the city of Seattle about $12 Million in legal and redundant design fees from their lawsuits. People here on myballard hark on the large amount the city spends on homelessness (as do I). I don’t think folks realize the enormous cost these businesses have been to the taxpayers of Seattle in their endless lawsuits.
For those who support the businesses, remember that it is city owned land that the city wants to do something with. These are not privately owned parking lots. Another great analogy would be if some homeless person who used to sleep under the ballard bridge sued the city when the fencing went it, claiming it harmed their pan handling business, but offered no evidence of harm.
They pants you 2 out of 3 times, not every time. Forgive me :)
Purge July 4 2018….ok ?
God dam bike riding hippies trying to take over my city. Take your wicker and furry bodies somewhere else. Drive your 20lb bike on the road that’s built for cars with people who pay for those roads…….Then you get hit by car. Go to a fisherman gathering or fisherman terminal and tell the fisherman to F off………then you get hit by the fisherman. Grow a pair you weak fuzzy nerds. And stop hugging trees then becoming carpenters. It’s fing annoying.