Utterly wonderful news. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get to this point.

Finally, a community approach that treats individuals as individuals. The existing justice system is so obviously broken. the cycle of mental illness, homelessness, drug use, and criminal activity can be broken, if the community is willing to step up and fill the gaps in these peoples (our neighbors) lives.

It's nice to see that as a society we are beginning to turn that corner and treat addiction like a disease and not a crime. That's real progress.

If this policy doesn't get results we can do what the IRA did in the 70's and 80's: Shoot random drug dealers in the kneecaps until everyone gets the point.

A drug diversion program has been doing great work in my shit-hole town for the better part of a decade, thanks in large part to one terrific judge (the other one is a ringer for Rick Santorum).

How does that "privately funded" thing work exactly, though? Evergreen Treatment, a non-profit, is able to front the money to get started BECAUSE it's non-profit, and then it gets ongoing contracts for services? So raises all around and better offices and more contracts in the future? How is this not further privatization of government functions at ultimately greater cost, justified by saying that money is saved by handing buckets of it to a company (non-profit doesn't necessarily mean altruistic, bare-bones, self-sacrificing so much anymore) rather than jailing lawbreakers (which may very well be true, at least initially)? Is Evergreen Treatment part of the giant Asian conglomerate with lots of nursing homes?

Not meaning to cast aspersions unfairly, and I don't have any special knowledge in this area. Just saying it's worth a little skepticism from the follow-the-money standpoint, and continued oversight. It will certainly provide new hope for many people.

Wrong, the solution is to legalize addictive drugs as prescriptions for addicts. Then the dealers quit hanging out there, and the addicts have only their bad behavior to blame for any legal problems. Also, open up safe places for the addicts to fix up. As long as they don't steal stuff (less reason to when your getting smack for free) or assault anyone, most of the problem goes away.

Yikes!

Constantine is saying the System is oppressing people and now Satterberg is releasing druggies to treatment.

These are the End Times.

Will Clint Didier show up in Westlake next?

Hey, this Leslie Miller is not responsible for Random Filler! :(

A million downtown Seattle drug arrests in 12 years? That's 230 a day. That cannot be correct.

Re: 4, Evergreen Treatment Services appears to be stand-alone. I had a relative in an Evergreen Healthcare nursing home at one point, and was told it was owned by Evergreen Shipping in Taiwan. This appears to be untrue; Evergreen Healthcare is described as an "employee-owned" company based in Vancouver, WA—again, apparently unconnected to ETS. Also unrelated: Evergreen International Airlines, an air-cargo company based in McMinnville, OR; and Evergreen International, a pray-away-the-gay non-profit based in Salt Lake City.

My concerns about the leap from incarceration to privatization, bypassing possible state/county administration, remain, along with my best wishes and hopes for success.

My main concern about Evergreen is the misguided notion that love is, in fact, soft as an easy chair.

You people are crazy. Making excuses for criminal drug dealers is not the answer. Trial. Hopefully, conviction. Throw them down a deep hole. Same for the users. Yeah, the users. They are not "victims". They are the same animals that prowl your cars, shit in public, burgle your houses, and hassle you for money. The sooner you sheep in Seattle realize this, the sooner you lives will be safer.

Tingleyfeelin said, " Also, open up safe places for the addicts to fix up. As long as they don't steal stuff (less reason to when your getting smack for free) or assault anyone, most of the problem goes away."

Appeasement. Yeah. Ask the Brits and Neville Chamberlain how that worked out....

Morons.
.

some vigilante libertarians should purchase truckloads of super strength crack and leave it on every corner in every major city/trailer park. Put the dealers out of business; do the same with weed and cure mexico. pure geenyis.

now that Meinert has to pay sick time for his employees he's too broke to get a haircut and is forced to walk around looking like it's 1984. poor fella.

It's well known - among those to investigate these things at least - that creating options other than incarceration directly allows more people to exit addiction, after which they return to society and their community as more positive, experienced people. Also, it's much cheaper for taxpayers than the constant cycle of street-jail-street-jail-. So I'm very glad to hear this news. (Very odd quote under the Satterberg image though. Curious choice.)

@11 - De-humanizing people is a war tactic. "Nips", "Huns", "Ragheads", "Animals" ... De-humanization is the first step towards the destruction of a person.
What sort of community do you want to live in?
One that dehumanizes?

One that hates?

*Snerk* @10.

@15. I like how you twisted my statement to appear racist by adding in slurs. Typical. As far as the type of community I want to live in? One that has no junkies, or prostitutes, or slingers, or clucks, or car prowlers, or any of the other elements that smug Pollyannas like yourself seem to love to make excuses for. Until you are victimized by them. Or they decide to use their drugs or squat in your yard/garage/stairwell/carport. Then, you call 911 at the speed of light, and, after the Police have removed the element from your immediate environment, you call to file a complaint against them.

The problem with this is that treatment is also a revolving door, and it costs tax payers money as well. So it's not really a solution.

@18 Jail is a revolving door. Treatment works for a lot of people, and even those who relapse learn skills that teach them how to recover from a relapse. Many studies have shown that treatment is more cost-effective that incarceration.

However, the proposal currently on the table to the governor will cut ALL adult treatment in WA, except for pregnant women . . . which would make this plan a challenge.

@18 - Aren't you the one constantly berating people for pointing out problems without providing solutions?

Also: "treatment is a revolving door and is a waste of money" when compared to prisons is probably at the top of my Stupidest Things I've Read All Week list. But you've still got 15 hours to top it, so get on that.

All street level dealers should be given a choice between jailtime and working at the Five Point Cafe.