[Steve_Seattle]

I live just north of Seattle in Shoreline, and the problem isn't as bad here, but it's worsening. The homeless are better hidden, but you do see the occasional tent or two, and some live in cars.

Other evidence of poverty and criminality include the increasing number of shopping carts abandoned on the streets (I counted seven on one street near me the other day), and increasing security in stores and fast-food restaurants.

My local Fred Meyer had to seal-off the alcohol section with a gate, and now all alcohol purchases must be made at a separate cash register inside the gate. General shoplifting is rampant, the store is now filled with security cameras, and shopping carts are now equipped with a feature that freezes the wheels if a security violation is detected when you leave the store.

[SkyDancer]

Cops won’t even arrest a shoplifter. Store employee catches someone stealing inside the store it’s not a crime; if the employee chases after the thief outside still nothing will happen.