City council candidate Christopher Rufo takes on homelessness in upcoming public event

Meghan Walker Ballard

Christopher Rufo, the man challenging Mike O’Brien for his seat in city council, will soon host a community forum about his campaign and his research on Seattle homelessness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHRG_KTd1_8

Rufo recently wrote a policy paper that was published in City Journal, “Seattle Under Siege: How Seattle’s Homelessness Policy Perpetuates the Crisis and How We Can Fix It,” which he plans to discuss at the meeting. The article is the result of a year’s worth of research that aimed to understand how the city is handling homelessness.

From Rufo’s paper:

As I delved into the story, I discovered that the real battle isn’t being waged in the tents, under the bridges, or in the corridors of City Hall. Rather, there’s a deeper, ideological war that’s currently being won by a loose alliance of four major power centers: the socialist intellectuals, the compassion brigades, the homeless-industrial complex, and the addiction evangelists. Together, these four groups have framed the political debate, diverted hundreds of millions of dollars towards favored projects, and recruited a large phalanx of well-intentioned voters who have bought into the “politics of unlimited compassion.”

The community forum is planned for Thursday, December 6, from 6pm to 8pm at GenCare Lifestyle in the Ballard Landmark (5433 Leary Ave NW). Spaces are limited — to reserve a seat, click here.

Photo from Christopher Rufo for Seattle City Council on Facebook

76 thoughts to “City council candidate Christopher Rufo takes on homelessness in upcoming public event”

      1. The D6 page thread was hysterical. Twisting Ms. Rufo’s companionable gesture noting that their kids go to the same school into a cynical plan to expose the child to harm is really reaching for outrage. The worst that could be said is that Ms. Rufo inadvertently named the school. It seemed a simple ‘mistake.’ But the outrage! So swift, so sure, so satisfying!

        1. Mike Eliason learned how to stir up faux outrage from his buddy CM Rob Johnson, who backpeddled on his claim there were death threats on his family because people are upset he’s shoving an unwanted bike lane down their throats on 35th Ave NE.

  4. For a ‘documentary maker’ that little video he made seems very unprofessional.

    A sophomore in the BHS film program could’ve produced better work.

      1. Poor people from other countries = good

        Poor Americans upset about losing housing and job opportunities, or tired of being taxed to pay for the feels of upper class liberals = evil fascists must eliminate

  6. Huh.
    Well, he’s male
    STRIKE ONE
    And he’s not completely – just partially – retarded
    STRIKE TWO
    Symmetrical hair
    STRIKE THREE

    Heterosexual? Wife and kids he probably worries about?
    CLEARLY A FASCIST. I can already see the furious, apocalyptic “White Council Bro” insults the Feminazis will tweet.

    Come to think of it, maybe the local libtards SHOULD elect this guy because it would give them a reason to protest and huff and puff about some “altright agenda” in our district instead of having to defend O’Brien’s limp ass. Change is good people! Think of all the “resisting” you could do on Twitter with this guy in office!

  8. Well — As my posting name implies. I LOVE HIM. He’s not Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I just hope that come election time in 2019, there will either be Mr. Rufo, or some other moderate – tough on drug addicts, tough on property theft but compassionate on actual mentally ill people, candidate to run against Mike. Or, better yet, Mike gets tired of having his house broken into by all the druggies that he just decides to move to Issaquah and doesn’t run, or tries for some State office and doesn’t run either.

    1. I enjoy the fact that our city’s public safety is held hostage by the political views of people who believe that dogs are people (but don’t hurt the precious coyotes!), plants have personalities, and there are 5000 genders. This is only a taste of their lunacy, and I’m sure you could spend all day listing their “quirks”. Spend some time talking to a “Wiccan” who believes in magic(!) and says that your “chakras are misaligned”, or they’re “decolonizing” because they’re 1/8th ethnic and feel victimized by something that happened 150 yrs ago. Really eye opening!

      Most of the “mentally ill” in Seattle are gainfully employed and housed!

  9. Nothing says serious policy thinker like using phrases like”homeless industrial complex” , lol. I might take him more seriously if he outlined his solution, and how he plans to get a majority of the city council and the mayor to go along and pay for his plans (and jailing the homeless will cost money for more jails, unless you want to release the car thieves, low level drug dealers, etc)

        1. “Washington D.C. (politics in general) is Hollywood for ugly people”
          and
          Ye shall now them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16

      2. See what they did there?
        “Omg look at this big huge crime mess we need $$$ for cops and jails and oh Lordy need $$$ for all the precious undocumented migrants oh my it’s such a mess how did this happen? Stuff just happens, I guess!”

        These same people profess their love of science.

          1. We certainly do need more police. The crime problem in Seattle results from this retarded permissiveness and “tolerance”. There will never be enough cops for a decaying society.
            The same people who “hate violence” also require “safe spaces”, but the fact is that bad people only behave themselves because they fear the wrath of a bigger, meaner dog. Libtards neuter that “dog” so to speak. Brilliant! For all their “muh science” they ignore basic primate biology.

    3. Guest:

      At least you’re thinking about what the elements are to create change. The trolls like JM98107 have nothing but anger, bile, and little understanding of civic process so they end up with zero real world, applicable ideas for improving the situation.

  12. The underscore music, which sounds like a slowed down version of Tubular Bells, combined with the monotone speaking style of Rufo gives the whole piece, and Rufo, a creepy vibe.

    We need someone besides O’Brien but Rufo isn’t the answer.

  13. I could find an opinion piece written last June at the City Journal site. I hesitated to download the policy paper because, as mentioned, you need to give address. I am not impressed with this individual. He seems rather self promoting (not that self promotion is bad) and using hyperbole without real insight into the work that is needed to help solve the broken nature of our social structure.

      1. I know! Rufo’s not the multi-millionaire owner of multiple rental properties, who while marking his units to market, demands hundreds of millions of tax dollars for “affordable housing.”

        1. I seriously doubt that a documentary filmmaker is somehow richer than Mike O’Brien who was a CFO making millions a year, owns a whole block of rental properties in Fremont, is alumnus of $50k/yr Lakeside and comes from a wealthy family.

  16. He certainly has my vote.

    STABBING in Ballard last night. Read the news? Right near my house. RVs in that area.

    MORE THAN HALF OF SPD in North Precinct will quit without a contact.

    VOTE OBRIEN OUT.

    1. Saw something about this on KCPQ News last night, shortly after the helicopters went away. Can’t find anything to read about it. Leads or links, please?

    1. Good Samaritan trying to stop some bad guys doing something they shouldn’t have been according to Q13? This is a block N of Fred Meyer. O’Brien druggie constituents involved?

    1. This is old news. He has written that he only worked with them for the homelessness project and doesn’t believe in intelligent design at all. I have seen that written by multiple people everywhere–the Ballard Chamber, journalists, Nextdoor, etc. Being able to work with ppl you don’t agree with 100% is a good quality for an elected person.

    1. Well, if it’s true that he works at the Discovery Institute then common sense is clearly not something that this guy possesses.

          2. No, I’m just a humble country law firm bookkeeper, not a lawyer. I would have been disbarred as a lawyer years ago for the unconstitutional and illegal policies I propose. And if you look my budget proposals, you’ll understand why I’m no longer a corporate bookkeeper! I don’t believe in numbers!

  21. Some of his proposals make sense, but he lost me at upzoning. We can’t solve homelessness by destroying our single family neighborhoods.

    1. Yes actually we can. Think NYC. A real city is no place for bedroom communities. The Seattle I grew up in is gone forever and was really just a facsimile of a city. Time a few more figured this out.

      1. If you like NYC, then move to NYC. You’ll find it is both incredibly dense…and incredibly expensive, with a resulting homeless problem. And when people think NYC they often think Manhattan and don’t consider the enormous sprawl such density causes as people look for more afforable places to live.

        1. Funny how millions just LOVE living there and also in Seattle. Must not be that bad in either place. If I was as scared as you are I would leave.

    2. Build more housing, but build it somewhere else. Other people should have apartments around them. Not me. Them.

      In short, not in my back yard.

      1. Sorry. No one cares about your backyard. Burbs would work well for you. Best you sell before the next downturn which has already started.

      2. You may be kidding but this is the real solution…push growth to other cities in the state that have capacity to handle the increased population. But can we convince MSFT and Amazon to put their next 5000 employees in Bellingham?

        1. Here’s the thing: They’re all NIMBYs too, and there are more of them than there are of you. The two million NIMBYs of Puget Sound are all in a giant circle trying to piss on each other, and you all think that’s going to work. If only you bitch louder and complain harder and whine more than all the other bitches and whiners and complainers, you’ll win and they’ll let you piss on them. You think they’re just going to stand there and let you do it. Because you. You you you you. You can’t get over you.

          No matter how special you think you are, all the other NIMBYs think they’re even specialer. That’s the pissing contest you’re in with your neighbors, and the problem is, they’re as awful as you are. You will never succeed at being the biggest asshole in the region. Dream a little smaller.

          1. NIMBY is an insulting, violent and demeaning word that ignores our lived experiences. We prefer to say “people experiencing Nimbyism”

    1. Ballard Hipster wrote this above: “This is old news. He has written that he only worked with them for the homelessness project and doesn’t believe in intelligent design at all. I have seen that written by multiple people everywhere–the Ballard Chamber, journalists, Nextdoor, etc. Being able to work with ppl you don’t agree with 100% is a good quality for an elected person.”

      I checked online and did find that confirmed by a couple sources (woman who runs the Ballard Chamber wrote about it and a journalist).

  25. I will not support or vote for him and I am no fan of Mike O’Brein either. But his rhetoric is tha same name calling in an attempt to devalue the opposition. It borders on Steve Bannon conspiracy theory tactics. Labeling people in disparaging terms is no way get a solution to such a large problem as homelessness, it only divides and makes compromise impossible.

  26. Rufo is a “research fellow” at the Discovery Institute. Do we really want a creationist in our city government? He cleaned his Twitter account, but if you’re searching for “rufodox” on Google, you still find some of his old tweets. It’s pretty clear to me that Rufo is trying to mislead Seattle voters about what he actually believes in.

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