"I have no problem running this mess up north of the ship canal."

Please, the politicians know who butters their bread. Nice little fantasy though.

Yes in this microwave world if you don't have complete satisfaction in 2 and 1/2 minutes then it's a failure.

NOT!

The point is not that many or even all of the first 18 dealers wind up getting arrested. They would have been arrested anyway - that was the point of the meeting - the police and prosecutors already have enough to bust you. So what if the police etc. held one public meeting before they went ahead and did what they already had enough evidence gathered to do.

The proof will be is if the additional publicity this generated and the community's buy-in to this approach will eventually put enough pressure to start getting some of the next wave to re-think their decisions. In other cities this has appeared to happen. Not 100% but significantly.

So give more than 30 days before you write it off and go back the business-as-usual way of doing things, which, by the way, hasn't worked any better.

kill the pushers

"pleez be a good person of colour and don't sell drugz anymore homies"
- hand-wringing naive white-guilt seattle "progressive"

I hear you points on all sides of this! IT IS ALL SAD! It has been in the (CD) area for many many many generations!
Do to think you can hand a ADDICT options?? They are not in the right mind to make decisions if they are drugged up right? Were is the COMMON SENSE OF THIS WORLD?
**If anything, hand them TWO OPTIONS to a FULL TREATMENT program (with out financial obligations). YES PEOPLE WE WILL PAY FOR IT TODAY! ARENT WE ALREADY PAYING FOR IT THROUGH WELFORE OR ALL OF THE KIDS SHOOTING & KILLING EACH OTHER OUT THERE!
Welfare doesn't have a program that will make a SUBSTANTIAL difference to them.------->(1week in treatment CAN NOT HELP at this point)
OR
HAND THEM TIME IN THE JAIL were they belong for commiting crimes that they have been found guilty of! (at this point they have been warned enough and THEY KNOW WE WONT DO SH##!)
If you are tired of seeing the same drug dealer on the corner then DO SOMETHING! CALL THE POLICE AND TELL THEM! KEEP CALLING THEM! THEY WILL GET THE POINT!
Being in Possesion of drugs is a STRIKE and you only get 3 then its off to meet some new friends in the PENATENTIONAIRY!!
Last of all, YOU CAN NOT MAKE ANYONE GET SOBER! THEY NEED TO DECIDE!
Life can not change unless YOU make the decession to change it! So what are you going to do instead of iming about all of these issues you brought up??? How did you change this situation? CHANGE IT!

@7: I'm not following you. Perhaps if you typed more of your points in all caps I would understand you better.