[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by a verified Burien resident. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of South King Media or its staff. The writer of this Letter also contributed $1,200 to Hugo Garcia’s opponent in the 2025 Burien City Council election.]
To the Editor,
Have you been by the DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) building in Burien lately? What you’ll see are crowds of drug users gathered out front, openly dealing and using drugs in the middle of the day. Where are they getting those drugs? Many are supplied directly by tenants inside the building, just as has happened at other DESC locations in downtown Seattle. This was no secret when Burien was pressured into accepting DESC, yet here we are.
We have Hugo Garcia to thank for this disaster. As an agent of Dow Constantine and King County, Mr. Garcia pushed relentlessly for DESC, manipulating the Planning Commission and misleading our City Council. Now, Burien residents are paying the price. I challenge Hugo to stand in front of that building today and tell us how it has “helped” Burien.
These individuals are not Burien residents. They are drawn here to buy and sell drugs. To fund their addictions, they are committing crimes throughout our community. Meanwhile, DESC contributes not a single dollar toward our police department or public safety, and our King County–controlled police force is not enforcing the laws. Property values around the DESC site have plummeted. At least 16 overdose deaths have occurred there. And despite DESC’s promises to be a “good neighbor,” they have proven to be nothing of the sort.
Burien cannot afford to let this continue. DESC is not providing meaningful treatment or pathways off drugs. They are simply warehousing addicts while enabling drug dealing on our streets. The impact on our community is devastating.
I urge every citizen of Burien to attend the next City Council meeting and demand action. We must stand together and call for the DESC in Burien to be shut down immediately. Our city deserves better.
Sincerely,
John L. White
Burien Resident
EDITOR’S NOTES:
- We reached out to Burien City Councilmember Hugo Garcia for a response to this Letter, but he did not respond.
- An earlier version of this Letter to the Editor incorrectly stated that former Councilmember Bob Edgar voted in favor of DESC in 2021. CORRECTION: Edgar was not serving on the Burien City Council at that time. The June 21, 2021, vote to include DESC’s supportive housing project in the city’s Affordable Housing Demonstration Program was 6–1, with Councilmembers Kevin Schilling, Sofia Aragon, Jimmy Matta, Cydney Moore, Krystal Marx, and
Pedro Olguín voting in favor, and Councilmember Nancy Tosta voting against. We regret the error.
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Definitely concur with Mr. White on this DESC issue. A vibrant community requires a strong focus on public health and safety, neither of which DESC extends to Burien. Essentially a housing first policy without treatment as DESC is, is just a better tent. Drugs, trash, and human wreckage do not make a better Burien.
Closing DESC and relocating its “residents” to an actual treatment facility would be a step in the right direction.
Just out of curiosity, I’d love to know where in the area there’s a treatment facility with 95 beds open that we can relocate these folks to.
I’m sure the total could be shared among various facilities that would prioritize treating the addiction, rather than enabling and just watching people die. Basically the DESC is just a roofed KC Courthouse camp with no encouraged support network and foolishly backed by misguided Activists and grift.
DESC buildings have never worked — not once. They’re just another failed social experiment cooked up by Seattle/King County’s out-of-touch progressive leadership. And now, for some baffling reason, Burien thought it was a good idea to copy Dow Constantine’s disastrous playbook and inflict the same damage on our city.
If you have any intention of governing responsibly, do the exact opposite of whatever Seattle and King County are doing. Their policies are a blueprint for decline.
There are multiple documentaries that broadcast DESC’s failure if you have yet to drive by or see this in reality whether in Burien or Seattle etc..
Anyone who is voicing that DESC buildings are doing their job and are great additions are either bold faced lieing or have NO CLUE what their talking about.
FOR REAL FACTS
Go talk the homeless crowds around them and you’ll find all your answers you need just like multiple documentaries have already done. – these are facts not opinions from the actual homeless using DESC’S drug ridden system- DO NOT LISTEN TO THE PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS TRYING TO SAVE THEIR OWN FACE !
The most important thing in regards to this DESC fiasco is the City Council Candidates who support such facilities, Sarah, Hugo, Sam & Rocco are ardent fans of the Homeless Industrial Complex and would gladly add to that grift in Burien by adding even more.
First, Mr. Schaefer, ask Kristine Moreland for that info about drug treatment centers. I don’t believe that you really want to know considering your past activities and disruptions. Hugo Garcia needs to be questioned about his past actions and his plan for the future. I worry about the competence of anyone who would consider voting for him. Thank you Mr. White and Mr. Gould for thinking about Burien and all of its residents instead of pandering to drug addicts who come to town.
Kathy K.M. McNee, as far as I’m aware Kristine isn’t demanding the closure of Bloomside, so why should it be on her to tell us where these people should go instead?
John white’s letters to the editor need to be taken with a grain of salt. Many of the assertions here need to be fact checked. But this cites an actual peer-reviewed source: https://www.desc.org/jama-research-shows-desc-housing-saves-taxpayers-millions/
That 1811 DESC facility focused on Alcohol abuse addicts, not once in the dozens of times I’ve traveled by Burien’s hot mess have I ever seen anyone drinking. Stop equating booze you can buy at a store to illegal drugs only available on the street as part of your argument.
It’s crazy to me that abuse of certain drugs is shrugged off but abuse of other drugs is viewed as a moral failure that makes people unworthy of help in the eyes of some.
You’re certainly not one to speak of helping when your own actions have been one of enabling and continuation of the sadness and futile future of addiction.
Here’s some real information from the actual source (the homeless):
https://fixhomelessness.org/2025/seattles-closed-desc-navigation-center-becomes-abandoned-drug-den/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vGDelro_yZ4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0ZBcpPIjs&pp=ygUVZGVzYyBidWlsZGluZyBzZWF0dGxl
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8nggfgIKNfk
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Yaf6QnjMduQ
Here’s some more to add ! Thanks for listing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4fvXID2soao&pp=ygUSZGVzYyBzZWF0dGxlIGRydWdz
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIGPFQ1yO8&pp=ygUaZGVzYyBmYWlsdXJlIGRydWdzIHNlYXR0bGU%3D
https://mynorthwest.com/local/low-barrier-homeless-shelter-cid/4068447
https://fixhomelessness.org/2022/licton-springs-cement-place-shows-seattle-is-falling-behind-on-homeless-crisis/
https://mynorthwest.com/seattle-red/subsidized-housing-projects/4048116
Don’t forget about this one either!
https://fixhomelessness.org/2025/two-people-overdose-one-arrested-in-buriens-low-barrier-housing/
DESC ORGANIZATION SHOULD BE TORN OUT, AUDITED, AND RE-BRANDED, ALL NEW HIRES AND ALL NEW EMPLOYEES/LEADERS HIRED THAT ARE QUALIFIED TO ACTUALLY RUN A HOMELESS REHABILITATION CENTER CORRECTLY – FOLLOW ALL LAWS AND SET HARSH CONSEQUENCES WITH VERY LITTLE TOLERANCE! ! !
-SYSTEM OVERHAUL NEEDED-
CURRENT DESC ORGANIZATION & LEADING ADMINISTRATION = GARBAGE PEOPLE IN IT FOR MONEY ONLY!!
Thee residents didn’t come from here so Burien has no responsibility to provide said rehab services
For the record, the vote to approve the program on June 21, 2021, was 6-1. The Councilmembers who voted YES were Kevin Schilling, Sofia Aragon, Bob Edgar, Jimmy Matta, Cydney Moore, and Krystal Marks.
HUGO WASN’T EVEN ON THE COUNCIL YET!
Mr. White did not say Mr Garcia was on the City Council at the time of the original decision, but that he was pushing the Planning Commission and the City Council to approve DESC. Now, Mr Garcia is running for reelection to the City Council.
CORRECTION: Bob Edgar was *not* on the Burien City Council in 2021, and therefore did not vote on the DESC approval.
You would think john white would take some pictures and video of the activity and take it to the police station and file a report . Then the police will have to take a look into or start a investigation and then work on busting the dealers then the addicts . But if not then your just complaining to complain just like the people in the facebook groups that complain and make garbage up to get more clicks and views .
Jimmy – this has been done numerous times in Burien, also there is multiple documentaries observing and interviewing the homeless living in these DESC buildings that are dealing with their enabled drug addictions.
Nothing has been done to change this across DESC buildings hence why people like John are speaking out. He’s calling on the people now because the governing bodies aren’t moving on this subject – like they should be
Well if these are about the current issues at the burien location . Then john white should ask if can use these videos in his police report to be filed with the burien police department and probably forward a copy to the city council too. To help explain the issues and have proof . Then desc can find out who is dealing drugs and kick them out and police can find who to arrest .
There’s enough prove of videos listed here to show an outside perspective how wrong this place is being ran – not to mention if you get a inside perspective and speak to the homeless around the buildings and they will also tell you how wrong this place is being ran and how easy it is for them to buy drugs at any DESC building, they become drug hubs because of easibility to distribute. – all evidence is available and has been for years! !
DESC is a Seattle ran organization, you’ll start to see why nothing has been done about it if you further investigate into their administration. It’s blatant abuse and DESC should be shut down and re-opened by qualified candidates that actually want to help the homeless!
Looking at all these videos and links only one is about burien and it lead to arrest of a dealer . Two people overdosed which is not great but also not surprising a place for homeless drug addicts and the fentanyl garbage people are choosing to do now of days . That why I say If people see someone dealing drugs or doing drugs go over to the police station and ask to file a police report . Then that information can get to right police and detectives working the drug cases . The police could also work with DESC to get dealers remove from their or ban/trespassed from the property . Why close it down if it’s just few people messing things up. Why not get the bad ones out . Let the good ones stay and try to get clean.
-POSTED ABOVE YOUR COMMENT-
Here’s some real information from the actual source (the homeless):
https://fixhomelessness.org/2025/seattles-closed-desc-navigation-center-becomes-abandoned-drug-den/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vGDelro_yZ4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0ZBcpPIjs&pp=ygUVZGVzYyBidWlsZGluZyBzZWF0dGxl
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8nggfgIKNfk
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Yaf6QnjMduQ
Out of sight, out of mind. No “solution” suggested in this article is based in reality or experience. Which underfunded substance abuse program should they be relocated to? I doubt Mr. White could name a single one. What exactly is your evidence regarding “drug dealing” and your implication that this dealing is being perpetuated by DESC tenants. This program exists precisely because we lack the resources to solve this issue, yet you’re fighting a solution because you see people experiencing homelessness as less human than you. I suggest you bring evidence to back your stance in the future, because a rant based in fear and supported by “trust me” does nothing to solve the homelessness crisis in our community.
SCROLL UP IN COMMENTS TO VIEW WEBLINKS OF VIDEOS POSTED
DESC is a disaster! The “good neighbor” policy that the residents are supposed to sign is a joke & isnt enforced. This program has a very bad track record & does nothing but enable this insane type of behavior. How can tenants get sober when their neighbors are getting high? This place is no good for Burien & needs to be shut down like the other DESC properties as they do more harm than good.
Loving thy neighbor is helping them which is different from condoning dangerous behavior. Mr. White does not need to take pictures. We are talking about a drug problem right now and not a homeless one. I have spoken to the police. They told me that the DESC building is where most of their calls come from now. They are called there almost every day. They have gotten hundreds of calls and there have been multiple overdose deaths. It is a disaster and a drug dealer’s dream.
Did you file a police report on the drug dealers or did you just speak to a officer. If you file a police report then the police have a legal obligation to fight the problem . But if you just told a officer about the issue that is not the same thing.
Sounds like Burien needs to put their big boy pants on and resolve the issue. If the individuals are committing crimes in your community, do want you do to criminals. Create groups to provide resources for people who want to better and move on. Sounds like a government management problem.
John White’s “facts” are nothing more than allegations. He has provided no evidence whatsoever to back up his opinion. He demands a simple solution to a complex problem…shut down the facility that is trying to deal with the issue.
And where will the homeless and “drug dealers” he claims are there doing business go? Into YOUR neighborhoods. Great solution, John.
I think John’s point is that this project never should have happened in the first place. Also warning us that it represents the plans that Hugo, Sam Mendez, Rocco and Sarah Moore have for the future of Burien if they win.
At most DESC only has to reserve 30% of the space for Burien residents. Even a majority of those 30% probably didn’t become homeless here and are using the address of a place like The Oasis Church.
Burien cannot and should not be the dumping ground for King County. We got swindled in the DESC and have to be careful not to let it happen again.
As you get ready to vote this fall, think back to how bad the last few summers were in Burien. Then go look at downtown and greater Burien now and ask yourself what you want for your families and our community?
Oh I get it, so you and the other activists’ best solution is to just keep “them” in one place (Bloomside bldg) this way “they” are out of sight out of mind. Do you even go by or have to drive by the location of Bloomside or do you go out of your way to get to the place you are going in Burien?
What I don’t understand is all these years these activists say they have been helping these people why is there no progress? That’s right it always comes down to there is nowhere for them to go, there is no MONEY “we” need more MONEY, its not our fault we need the MONEY to build this or that, we need the MONEY to… put more into our pockets!
Try looking in the mirror and you will see the problem.
The amount of human feces, needles, and garbage I encounter on my daily dog walks in this area is absolutely appalling. Spend 10 minutes watching this place any day of the week and you’ll see drug deals right out front.
They had to have hazmat clean out one of their rooms last week as there was a suitcase of rotten meat festering under the bed.
I love this, people are actually debating incredibly stupid ideas about deviant human behavior. States are providing real time evidence of what works and what doesn’t in regard to enabling drug addicts and alcoholics. Even with Joe Bidens completely open borders to drugs and illegals some states handled it very well. Just not any on the Left Coast or other big Democratic cities.
Whether you favor “housing first” or not, DESC appears to be a money scam.
Just an opinion, but consider this: (1) Its nonprofit Federal tax return, supposed to list top earners in leadership, lists 15 leaders earning zero annually and only 7 earning a total of $1,430,000 annually, yet annual management salaries are over $12,000,000. (2) DESC’s tentacles are in deep: King County Sheriff and Burien antagonist Patti Cole-Tindall is on DESC’s Board and State Rep Nicole Macri is DESC Deputy Director–but her salary is concealed, year, after year, after year. (3) This band of selfless DESC do-gooders dumped $1,357,000 into leadership pensions during 2024 alone. That’s not counting salaries and other benefits for the over 120 management earning over $100,000 annually.
DESC is sitting on over $418 million in assets, including over $36 million in cash. Just a snapshot of who’s running what is described above as a hot mess, in Burien.
DESC is a money scam. The homeless are a money plug as well. Seattle has been MAKING money with the homeless.
When states ( especially during Biden era) receive grant funds for the homeless they get initially get X (millions) amount per donation for whatever proposed reasons. The grant funds have an expiration on that specific account its in and after that use period (if unused) those same grants funds go into a general fund account where there are much less restrictions.
This fumbling of free money is a move made by many cities in different circumstances but Seattle and its governing body are the worst abusers! And have the controlling power in politics in the state – thats why this has not been stopped and probably never will unless you flush out all of Seattle’s current council and probably some WA states corrupt minions as well… endless issues in the pursuit to stay rich for these people – there are many ways to keep your party in power and for the rich to become richer. ( DESC is merely one arm of the many)