[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of South King Media, nor its staff.]
Mayor Schilling is quite correct.
The people who facilitated the vagrant people sleeping on Burien streets, now have direct blood on their hands.
They can not rationalize this blood away.
Like Lady Macbeth, a little water will not clear them of this deed.
If this deceased person had been in a bona fide shelter, they would have received medical intervention, whether their death was from drug overdose or normal illness.
Instead they are now dead, so that the people who facilitated their living on the streets can promote their own demented agenda.
I believe it is a probable hypothesis, the agenda for these supposedly “compassionate” individuals (who motivated these people to camp on the streets) is self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, fame and very likely the pursuit of personal, tangible secondary gains.
These secondary gains take the form of power, publicity and money from donated funds, which they themselves can control as they choose, via their so-called non-profit agencies.
The only answer for the amelioration of mental illness and drug/alcohol abuse is TREATMENT. Living on the streets is a sure death sentence.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Gallo
Doctor of Psychology
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Its relieving to read this letter, Thanks doc for writing it. Burien could definitely use more professional opinion/foresight in creating a real solution to the problem.
And Dr. Gallo, entire abstinence is the ONLY real answer. Good letter though.
And, doctor, we have been trying to get the city council to get people off the streets for a year – without progress. We don’t think the streets are the place for people either, but the city council has been unwilling to cooperate in any effort. Ceremonial mayor Schilling has been an obstacle in that effort.
-Reponse to Stephen Lamphear
The burien city council arn’t the ones suggesting and supplying the homeless to camp in tents at burien city hall/library. – that came from ” a few homeless advocates” I won’t name which are attempting to prove a personal vendetta against the burien city council. (At the expense of the tax paying, law abiding residents)
Lets get to solving the problem with a sustainable solution.
Again, it’s not on Burien to provide shelter space when other Cities and the County can afford it, we’re broke and you constantly saying it’s on us is tone deaf and just further enabling. Instead you should be encouraging those needing shelter to accept frequent offers instead of squeezing a dry turnip and delaying action.
Stephen is correct. Mayor Shilling, Akey, Andrade, Matta, and Deputy Mayor Mora are the problem. They are always looking for ways to remove the homeless from the city and don’t actually want to help them because they don’t consider them residents, and therefore “not their problem”. The lack of humanity and finger pointing is the sign of unserious people with an agenda that bends towards only certain residents’ concerns.
-Reponse to Bradley
The city council you named is the problem?… right off bat again a personal vendetta… No there not the “problem”. The problem is how to create a sustainable solution for the homeless. (There’s been no answer to this “problem”.) The “problem” is at a national level across the entiere US and if there was a turn key solution it would be implemented everywhere asap. So try to focus on the real problem.
You are just wrong. Blankets and food aren’t lethal, but the absence of essential services can be. Mayor Kevin Shilling holds more influence than any other individual in this city to enact change. Yet, he chooses to deflect blame onto others and evade responsibility. It’s truly appalling how he responds to this tragedy.
-Reponse to JJ Grieve
All your comments on the homeless is you explaining that have a personal issue about “someone” on the burien city council.. which is fine. Thanks for just consistently pointing fingers instead of actually helping the issue or giving factual information regarding problems with the homeless or ideas to help the situation. This problem is much larger than you think… voting someone in city council or kicking someone out isn’t solving anything regarding the homeless. We understand you don’t like specific people, thats great.
Michael Gallo is wrong because the only effect of a widespread camping ban in Burien is to move the unhoused where there is no camping ban and presumably out of sight of Michael Gallo. That’s why it’s called NIMBYism.
It’s also not very ethical for a psychology PhD to label others “demented” just because they don’t agree with him.