Comments

1
Yes, I sure wish we could get rid of our dog owners and bring in some drug dealers here in NE Seattle!!
3
One lazy dog owner who doesn't pick up their dog's shit makes the rest of us responsible dog owners look bad. I wish we could slap a fee on them when caught in the act.
4
What is polite and what is rude? The "rude" dog owners are rude due to breaking the law but the drug dealers are "polite" yet they too break the law.

Im not question this articles main thesis, but it seems like the polite/rudeness is in the manner they act while breaking the law. But the proof given for rudeness is only breaking the law.
5
charles, i generally love your writing, but how in the hell is this story newsworthy or interesting? as far as i can tell, this account basically amounts to one dude's NIMBY complaints, though in roles that reverse the traditional stereotypes. i'm not trying to apologize for poorly behaved dog owners, but lamenting the loss of violence catalysts (strapped dealers) and the dog shit that's taken their place is pretty ridiculous. its a city. dogs shit on the sidewalk. look at paris, NYC, etc. no one there is pining for violence in place of crap they occasionally have to walk around.
6
fucking white people, man.
9
Charles, Did your editor read this drivel before you uploaded? Would your editor have approved a story about a white man who was stereotyping black dog owners? It reminds me of the recent story of the high school principal who ended graduation exercises before the class valedictorian spoke. The crowd was filing out when the principal realized her mistake and she tried to call everybody back. She was unsuccessful and blamed the black attendees. Oh well, at least she didn't wax nostalgic for white drug dealers!
10
@9 You don't understand the nuances of white privilege and why there's a difference between a white woman being a racist piece of shit, and a black man being Charles Mudede.
11
Helmstetter may be half black, but it sounds like his problems are 100% White People Problems.

Gentrification complete!
13
I would rather have impolite dog owners on my block rather than polite people who sometimes decide to shoot and kill people on my block. Also, anyone else notice how the article notes there were lots of poverty, drugs, and guns around but now that the place is "gentrified" all that stuff is gone? My, the horrors of losing all the drugs addiction, poverty, and violence in your community. What a shame.

But what do I know, I am just some white guy.
14
Mr. Vel-DuRay and I have three dogs, which we *always* pick up after. We had a very inconsiderate neighbor a few years back who would never pick up after his dog and one time the dog chose our parking strip to do his business on. When Mr. Vel-DuRay called him out on it, the inconsiderate neighbor flipped him off and moved on.

Mr. Vel-DuRay is from the south side of Chicago, and is a believer in direct action. He picked up the dog waste with a shovel and walked two blocks to inconsiderate neighbor's house, where he left it on his front step.

Inconsiderate neighbor returned, quite agitated. After something of a testosterone fest (where I cowered in the living room ready to call 911 on either of them) They came to an abrupt truce, shook hands and went their own way. We never had a problem with inconsiderate neighbor again, and he has since moved down south.

Granted, it was a very non-Seattle way to handle things (I, anonymous would have been the norm) but it worked well in this situation. More people should try it.

15
@14: Is one of your dogs a toy poodle named 'Precious'?
16
I was going to make on on-topic comment but instead I'll bash the racist trolls the Stranger continues to permit.
17
Other than their whiteness what exactly is his complaint against the dog owners?

"He posted that the drug dealers of the past were actually more polite than the "dog owners that have taken over the hood."." r/nottheonion

Racist drivel.
18
@16: Thanks for letting us know, ol' JonnoN-the-spot.
19
Raindrop dear, it's two Dachshunds and a Pomeranian, and not one is named "precious". (But the Pomeraininan would fit in a purse)
20
@19 I may a conservative "troll" that is universally hated on here but I know Dachshunds and equate tyem to people as I do all dogs.
21
"Be"
Typo
22
Dude's wearing Birkenstocks. He aint black.
24
As someone who walks my dog through the CD daily, the crack dealers and violence are worse than golden retrievers.
26
The older generation of CD residents don't seem to walk their dogs, preferring to leave them in their yards. So dog walking could seem new and strange behavior.
27
I understand how a person could feel that way. The question is how to foster densification and reinvestment in the urban core while maintaining some semblance of heritage. Unfortunately the region's booming economy may not have time for such niceties.

28
Welcome to Seattle, where there is now a huge and growing population of childless white people with plenty of money and a dog (or two) as a kid-substitute. And yes--most of them are selfish jerks who treat dogs way better than people--especially people who are less fortunate (homeless, poor, mentally ill) than themselves. The part about drug dealers being polite, though--laughable.
29
Charles and/or Andre should be part of the solution to this dilemma and start selling drugs in the CD to bring back the politeness we are missing.
30
Can't I hate both these groups? Why does being anti-gentrification mean I have to be pro-crack dealer? There are other groups that make a city a city, none of whom seem to be here in Seattle or other modern cities, but really, they used to exist. Go to Austin, you can find them there for a limited time.
31
Did you write this article solely so you could say the CD has gone to the dogs? If so, I can respect that journalistic decision.
32
This is worse than your article calling the beautiful Beacon Hill library racist because it reminded you of a slave ship. Ridiculous. There are crappy dog owners everywhere, from the white girl in Ballard who yelled at me for complaining about her dog standing next to me WHILE I WAS EATING IN A RESTAURANT, to the black people in Columbia City whose neglected pit bull sits locked in their yard, barking 24-7.
PS. Ever notice how gentrification actually improves a neighborhood? Just look at Hillman City. God forbid people move in that actually care about their house, neighbors and neighborhood.
33
@32 Your racial stereotypes about dog owners made me laugh. Yes, many things get better with gentrification. One downside, however, is the sudden influx of entitled pricks who think that making their yard looks nice entitles them to let their idiot dog harass other people while running around off leash and to leave their dog's shit around for other people to deal with. Notice he's not complaining about people caring about their house. He's complaining that people are being assholes. And whenever someone calls out these assholes for being assholes, someone else jumps in to defend them because they earn a good living and can afford to improve the quality of the houses they buy. We're all very happy for them and their success. When they're done patting themselves on the back, maybe they can get around to picking up after their damn dogs.
34
@26 Dog walking doesn't mean letting your dog run around off of a leash and leaving its shit everywhere. Perhaps your misunderstanding of what walking a dog entails is part of the general problem. Let me help you out. First, you attach a leash to the dog's collar. Before leaving the house, you take some plastic bags with you. Then, you walk with your dog and use the leash to prevent it from bothering others. When the dog takes a shit, you use one of the bags to pick it up and then throw the bag away. Sometimes the dog will shit more than once, hence the extra bags, You then return home, at which point the leash comes off. You're welcome.
35
@33
Unfortunately, there are many racial stereotypes that are accurate, but these two instances actually happened. The people with the pit bull are my neighbors. I'm not much of a dog lover, but I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their animals and each other. Entitled assholes are everywhere, regardless of race, financial status or neighborhood.
37
As soon as the drug dealers leave the neighborhood really turns to shit.
38
Longtime CD resident here ( 23 years and counting ) and I have to say that I am rather enjoying that this topic (dogs and their poo) is what we have to complain about these days. My nearest neighbor was a crack dealer when we bought our house. They stole everything within a two block radius that wasn't nailed down. Every last one of my neighbors moved out within two years leaving us surrounded by empty houses. It was us and the crack heads next door for nearly three years. Things have changed around here and you won't hear a word of complaint from me about it....so, yeah, a little more dog shit is something I can live with.
39
I'd rather step over a syringe than dog doo. I think I'd rather be mugged than mauled by a dog too. Judgement: Mudede.
40
This is pointless and unoriginal...
http://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifesty…

Mr. Helmstetter wasn't a perfect neighbor either.
41
Dog shit, Drug pusher?.. Drug pusher, Dog shit? What's the difference?
42
Just wait 'til the dogs start dealing drugs.
43
If you miss the drug dealers, just go to the parking lot of the post office at 23rd and Union. They're still alive and well!

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