by DCG
The King County Courthouse is surrounded by homeless people on any given day. Back in April, a King County Councilmember said that it was the worst spot in the city for violent behavior. Citizens are routinely accosted and that it smells so bad because of the public defecation and urination.
In the summer of 2017, a homeless man brandishing a pair of scissors tried to attack King County Sheriff John Urquhart right outside of the courthouse. See the full video of the attempted attack here.
Even judges have stated that it is unsafe around the courthouse. In 2017, two judges described the conditions as “unsanitary” with a “potentially frightening atmosphere.”
Now KIRO7 reports that the weapons that the homeless carry are slipping through the x-ray machine at the courthouse. Apparently the machines are “failing” because they don’t have high-resolution cameras. The machines are also very expensive to maintain. New machines are in the budget for next year.
Some of the items making it through into the courthouse include knives, pepper spray and brass knuckles.
The homeless don’t have any place to store their weapons so apparently they feel it is perfectly acceptable to bring them into a courthouse. It’s not acceptable – it’s against the law and is considered a misdemeanor. I wonder how many homeless people who bring prohibited weapons into the courthouse have actually faced any consequences? That is a rhetorical question, of course.
Read the whole KIRO7 story here.