Prude or Lewd at Denny Blaine, Harrell Flexes His Muscles, and State Budget Axes Successful Homeless Program

[00:00:09] Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Seattle Nice, I'm David Hyde with Seattle's only celebrity city government reporter, Erica C. Barnett of Publicola. Hi Erica. Oh my god, that's so much to live up to. Do I need to have a scandal? Oh yeah, a scandal would work. A sex tape. Oh my god. I'm finally a workplace. I'll meet you at Denny Blaine Park. Oh my god, here we go. Wait, Jesus, he's starting early.

[00:00:36] And Seattle's only political consultant who's also a contrarian pundit, Sandeep Kaushik. Hey David. I thought you were just going to say I'm Seattle's only political consultant. On today's show, Mayor Bruce Harrell participated in a push-up contest. Plus, neighbors demand Seattle take action claiming rampant public masturbation at a park.

[00:00:58] But first, one homeless program that could be seeing big cuts from the state government from $75 to $45 billion a year, according to Erica C. Barnett on Publicola. Erica, this is a program that has helped, I read, around 1,700 people find housing since 2022. We know that state lawmakers are having a hard time this year figuring out how to balance the budget, but why are they talking about cutting this program when it seems like it's relatively successful?

[00:01:27] Yeah, I mean, well, I mean, I don't know why they're talking about cutting it except for the reasons that you stated they want to save money and they've got a massive multibillion dollar budget deficit. But this program, just to explain what it is, is a program that addresses encampments in state rights of way. It was started basically by Governor Jay Inslee after he got upset when he saw encampments in WSDOT rights of way, you know, as he's driving through the state of Washington.

[00:01:53] And he, you know, got funding for this program in the state budget over the last few years. And in Seattle, it differs across the state, but in Seattle, in King County, it's run by Purpose Dignity Action, which is the program, the organization that runs the LEAD program. And they go out and instead of sweeping in these encampments, they go out and they get to know the people there.

[00:02:17] They, you know, identify their needs and they basically provide intensive case management, appropriate lodging or housing for people. In a lot of cases, you know, it's a person by person program and they get people out of the encampments, but they primarily end up going into housing. It's not a quick process. You know, they will typically go into a temporary lodging situation like a hotel where they get intensive case management and help. And then, you know, a very large number of them do end up in permanent housing.

[00:02:47] It's one of the, you know, I would say the most successful programs and certainly way more successful than the city of Seattle's dominant strategy, which is, you know, sweep and repeat. So what's happening with the state budget is they say they need about $85 million to sort of keep going. You know, it's a cut from $75 million in the last budget to $45 million, but they need more money, you know, to pay for the cost of inflation and, you know, increased cost of lodging, et cetera, et cetera.

[00:03:15] But if they don't get that money, essentially all they'll have the money to do is continue housing and working with the people they've already helped. But people in encampments now will not be able to join the program. And they explained this week why that's a real problem. More people sleeping on the streets. Sandeep Kashuk, what do you think?

[00:03:32] It's bad news, but it's one piece of a larger set of bad news points that we're hearing about cuts coming to all sorts of different efforts to try to address encampments and homelessness.

[00:03:46] The program we're talking about here that the PDA runs got its origins, as I recall it, during the pandemic when pandemic money was used to fund a program in Seattle called Just Care, which was used to clean up some of the very large encampments that developed during that period. The first big Just Care cleanup was a big 60 tent encampment in Pioneer Square around the Pergola.

[00:04:13] And then there was City Hall Park, right, which had a huge encampment right there by the courthouse. That was cleaned up as part of the Just Care plan. But then when that pandemic money ran out, that program morphed into this state-funded program to work in rights away, right, in WSDOT rights away. And that's what we're now about to lose.

[00:04:36] And yeah, it's been a significant program dealing with lots and lots of, you know, spots like the old jungle, right, the encampments that would develop in those areas around I-5 and other kind of WSDOT rights away. And so it's a big loss. There's more coming. I was talking to Steve Woolworth, the executive director. I think I might have mentioned this on a previous episode about he's already seeing, I think, $4 million of money, federal money, that was going to go to ETS, Evergreen Treatment Services.

[00:05:04] They're the main methadone provider in Seattle and the state, that that money's already gone. And, you know, as we said before, we're waiting for the shoe to drop. There's more cuts coming on the federal level, a lot more probably. Yeah. And I think, you know, what I'm hearing is I'm reporting on other stories around, specifically around homelessness and also housing. Everybody is sort of saying that we need to wait. We can't make any decisions, you know, about funding or spending now because worse cuts could be coming. And that's totally true.

[00:05:34] But, you know, I mean, we're in the time when they are adopting the state budget. They're not going to adopt another budget until next time they meet. So by not funding this particular program, I mean, they are talking about, you know, potentially, I mean, this has helped, you know, hundreds of households in Seattle alone, thousands across the state. And so you're talking about, you know, that number of people, you know, becoming homeless, being homeless, you know, remaining homeless.

[00:05:58] And a lot of these encampments that we're talking about in state rights of way have been, as Sandeep says, I mean, they have been quite large. The event to sort of highlight this issue the other day was held at a senior center over on Myers Way, southwest in Highland Park, where there was a huge encampment, kind of an infamous encampment that residents, you know, all around there complained about.

[00:06:19] But particularly the senior housing complex. And, you know, and so one of the people that spoke at this event was a the leader of the residence group there. And she said, this is great. I'm so glad that we could resolve this and, you know, in a passionate way. But look outside. They're already coming back. And, you know, I mean, I think that she did not have perhaps the most compassionate language. But I mean, her intent was, you know, basically, I think, to say, look, we're really glad that we resolved this in a way that actually helped people.

[00:06:49] But if we don't keep, you know, on it and if we don't keep providing services to people and getting them, you know, into housing, then these encampments just build back up because people literally have nowhere else to go but living outside. What I understand, Sandeep, is like, what are they doing in Olympia to try to decide which are the best places to cut? I mean, can you give me any insight into that process? Is the right of way encampment resolution program the best thing to cut? Or is there something else that we ought to be cutting?

[00:07:19] Like, what value are we getting out of these programs and how are state lawmakers comparing them and deciding this is going from 75 to 45 million dollars a year? So how did they come up with that number? Like, I just have no insight into any of that. Yeah, it's a good fucking question, David. It's a very good fucking question. I will look. I mean, my understanding of where the state budget is right now is that they're they're coming up in the last days of the session. There's about a week of the regular session left.

[00:07:45] I hear there's likely to be about something on the order of nine billion, eight to nine billion dollars in cuts over in the in the current budget coming up, which is significant. And but what I also hear is that there isn't really agreement yet as to how they get they get to that level of of of cuts. Remember, the state's facing about a 16 billion dollar budget shortfall.

[00:08:10] So what they're talking about is about seven billion dollars of revenue and maybe eight to nine million dollars and a billion dollars in cuts. But how they're doing that triage and how they're making that decision, why is this getting cut by like, you know, 40 percent or whatever the percentage cut is to this program versus other stuff? Like, I don't know. And frankly, I think some of the, you know, prioritization and decision making here seems kind of questionable to me. This does seem like an effective, important program.

[00:08:40] I know that money isn't like exactly fungible, but I mean, here's a place to cut all these big fucking mega projects that we're doing. Like, you know, let's if not, if nothing else, like defer the Columbia River crossing, you know, defer some of the stuff that is, you know, that is road widening projects. I mean, there is. And again, I realize you can't just transfer things from fund to fund that easily.

[00:09:01] But there are big, big, big things in this budget that, you know, if we're going to have to look at cuts and I would say, you know, that was a choice not to do more progressive revenue. Sunday, I wasn't aware of like the latest numbers. I thought that the revenue number was a little bit higher than that. But it sounds like it's gotten lower and lower as they cut things out. So, you know, I mean, we could do revenue. It doesn't have to all be from the cut side of the equation.

[00:09:25] But if we are going to cut, you know, we should probably cut things that aren't critical to, you know, to health, to public safety. And when I say public safety, I do mean things like, you know, the safety of people who are living in encampments by the side of the road. You know, not not this hundred million dollar proposal that Bob Ferguson had initially for cops. The budget is a statement of priorities.

[00:09:47] And when they're cutting basically half of this, you know, relatively small program that really does is successful where other programs aren't. I mean, I think that's a statement of where the legislature's priorities are. Well, I will say this. I mean, look, a lot of what's driving the current budget deficit at the state level, the $16 billion. They are talking about I'm hearing what, $7 billion in new revenue, probably going to be a B&O tax, I think, some form of a B&O tax surcharge or something like that.

[00:10:16] But the biggest driver of the budget deficit are some of, you know, the state employee contracts that the outgoing governor and previous governor Inslee had signed, but also the fact that they created some ongoing spending with one time pandemic money. So there are arguments to be made that, you know, maybe they should do some, you know, maybe it is time that they do some triage and some prioritization.

[00:10:37] It just I'm not sure that they're really doing this on a kind of bang for your buck basis or what what kind of basis these decisions are getting made on about what actually does get cut. I will say this, though, about the other shoe dropping. I think the scary thing out there is that the Republicans at the federal level, the Trumpies are talking about Medicaid cuts. So maybe as much as, you know, $90 billion in Medicaid cuts.

[00:11:02] And that is going to have a massive impact locally if that does happen, if they do start cutting Medicaid, because Medicaid is how we're funding a whole bunch of the behavioral health and other treatment interventions for people who are homeless or formerly homeless. Right. For people who are cycling through DSE or Plymouth or other, you know, that Medicaid funding is absolutely critical for that.

[00:11:30] So if that starts going away, then the whole system is going to be under incredible stress. They should have ran on, you know, we're going to destroy the economy and kill tens of millions of people. Yeah. And not and not just Medicaid, but HUD. I mean, part of the you know, one of the stories that I'm working on for this week is about immigration requirements for for federal funding, basically through the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

[00:11:57] But but the fact is that entire program, which is called the Continuum of Care, that could go away. And Section 8 is on the chopping block. Like it's it's almost unthinkable, but it is possible that Section 8, which is the voucher program that funds, you know, that subsidizes rent for millions of Americans could go away as well. And so we just I mean, you know, the other shoe, you know, could be very, very large.

[00:12:20] We don't know. But I mean, I think that, you know, people are preparing for that contingency sort of by saying, well, we can't really make any spending commitments now. But I think that they're perhaps not appreciating the cataclysmic impact that is going to happen, you know, if Section 8 goes away, if all the continuum of care funding goes away. And I mean, that makes up about 11 percent of the region's homelessness budget, just the continuum of care.

[00:12:48] So, I mean, yeah, it's we're looking at cataclysmic potential, a cataclysmic potential reality. I don't think that nickel and diming, a program that has been shown to be very effective, is probably a great solution, especially because, you know, it's not like those people, you know, evaporate. I mean, you still have to deal with them and you still have to do something to respond to homeless encampments.

[00:13:15] You know, it's just is it going to be the very expensive, you know, solution, quote unquote, of jail? Is it going to be, you know, people in emergency rooms? I mean, that's that's what we have on the other end if we don't do this stuff that actually results in housing. So it's not like it's going to go away and be free. And to be clear, I mean, even even advocates for this program, it's also pretty expensive, a relatively expensive program, right? It is.

[00:13:38] You know, I mean, you know, this is a program that that involves intensive outreach to encampment residents over a period of time before the encampment gets resolved. Right. So it is, you know, that was expensive and effective, I think is what. Right. That's right.

[00:13:55] It was you know, this is you know, if if you want to have, you know, not just sweep people around, but actually do interventions and try to move people into better, safer, alternative places to go and start addressing their under, you know, their underlying needs on a case by case, individualized basis. That involves a lot of groundwork and outreach and effort. And right. That's what the program like this does. And yeah, it's got a price tag to it.

[00:14:23] It does. That stuff costs money. Are you both brought up what Republicans in the other Washington are doing and how it could affect this state? And so I wanted to say, speaking of public masturbation. Oh, sorry. All right. Cut that. Cut that. Leave it in. Leave it in. Is it too bad even for me? OK, here's the headline I was reading. Neighbors demand Seattle take action claiming rampant public masturbation at Denny Blaine Park.

[00:14:50] Erica made Sandeep and I promise not to make any inappropriate puns during the segment. Jerk off jokes. I'm so tired. This is bringing out my teenage boy. Put him back. Put him back in your pants. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is this all about? Denny Blaine Park. What's happening? What's the latest development? Well, some neighbors who have been complaining about Denny Blaine Park, which is a longstanding nude beach in Seattle and a very wealthy neighborhood in Seattle.

[00:15:20] Neighbors have been complaining about the nudity for years. Kind of ring led by this guy, Stuart Sloan, who's friends with the mayor and tried all manner of things to shut this park down. I mean, it's been a nude beach for decades. This is not a new phenomenon. But these neighbors have kind of escalated their claims over time.

[00:15:41] At one point, two years ago, they were trying to get a playground put in there sort of secretly behind the scenes and talking to the mayor about doing that so that, you know, having children there would essentially make it no longer a nude beach and force people out. That hasn't worked. They call 911 all the time on people. And they claim that, yeah, that there's rampant, you know, rampant public masturbation and, you know, all these horrible things happening. People peeing, people, you know, coming up to their doors.

[00:16:09] You know, a lot of stuff that is already illegal behavior if it's happening to the degree that they say it is. And so now they're suing to try to get it shut down. And I don't, I have not looked at the lawsuit. It may surprise you to learn that I am not on the press list that Como News is on. They reported on this. But it's gotten to the point where, you know, this is their latest salvo to try to shut this nude beach down.

[00:16:36] And this guy, Stuart Sloan, you mentioned friend O'Mare, text friend O'Mare, owns U Village, right? He's a big mall owner. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I guess he owns it or developed it. Yeah. I'm just thinking about where somebody would get these kinds of ideas. And those are very controlled public spaces malls. They have a water feature, I think, that probably people would enjoy playing in nude. Yeah. Masturbating in nude, right?

[00:17:05] You have to go there. You have to go there. Okay. So I will say this. So the lawsuit, we're taping this on Thursday afternoon. The lawsuit got announced yesterday afternoon. So 24 hours ago. It's very clear to me that the folks filing the lawsuit have understood that their previous efforts to sort of speak out about activity in the park has not landed well.

[00:17:30] And it seemed they've come across as these kind of prudish nimbies who are just trying to, you know, stop, you know, what has been a longstanding, predominantly gay, wholesome nude hangout. Right? So the entire sort of PR effort they put out about the lawsuit is a focus on what they say is rampant,

[00:17:52] lewd behavior, rampant acts of daytime, people going there over and over and masturbating and doing other stuff or whatever. And they claim they have a lot of evidence of this, including video evidence of this. And I will say if they have that, then I think they've got a pretty legitimate beef. If they're telling the truth and they have that evidence and they're going to present that in court, showing that this isn't just a kind of nude park area where people are hanging out,

[00:18:22] but there's actually a lot of this, you know, illegal activity going on and the city's not doing anything to really tamp it down, you know, then I think they're likely to kind of be in much firmer both public relations and legal ground. Support for Seattle NICE comes from Hearth Protection, offering commercial protective services with trauma-informed, community-oriented,

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[00:19:19] Don't let fear make your world smaller. So they've been really pushing on Joy Hollingsworth, the District 3 council member who is, you know, who represents the beach area, to shut this beach down or to do something about it. And I filed a bunch of records requests for, you know, what is it they're seeing? And I've gotten, you know, these long lists of, you know, 8, 18 a.m., you know, saw a guy with his dick out.

[00:19:47] I mean, you know, 8, 17, you know, p.m., somebody came up to my door. I've also gone through all of the photos that they sent. They actually have binders that they provided to Hollingsworth's office. And they're like physical binders with little, you know, tabs that are like masturbation and, you know, lewd nudity or whatever. I mean, I can't remember all the captions, but I went through them at City Hall. I'm sorry for giggling.

[00:20:15] Now I want to come up to some binder categories that we can like. I mean, it was quite a thing sitting there, you know, in City Hall with the public disclosure officer looking through all these pictures of mostly nude guys. You know, and I have to say from the photos, you know, I was not shocked by anything. Again, they weren't videos, but some of the ones that were labeled masturbation were really, I mean, what I saw was a guy, you know, standing there, a guy sitting on a ledge.

[00:20:45] There's like a guy getting into a truck, you know, there's people sitting around being nude. And so I just would say I really need to see a lot more evidence since they've been making these claims since, you know, I don't know, 2020 or so. They've been calling them one nonstop. And I will say, I mean, if there is egregious behavior happening, like people breaking into their house or something like that, people trespassing on their property, that stuff is already illegal.

[00:21:13] And declaring a park a public nuisance and shutting it down is an extreme act. And I just would ask, you know, like when Volunteer Park used to be a place where people cruise or gay men would cruise for sex, like should Volunteer Park have been shut down because that was going on? Or like, was that part of culture? And so like, I don't mean to be like, oh my God, you guys are also prude or whatever.

[00:21:35] But I also think, you know, this is, we should just have some healthy skepticism about these rich homeowners complaining that they moved in next to a nude beach and they found a nude beach there. It does seem like, doesn't it, if that, if what Eric is saying is right, is that there is this concern about nudity at the park and that some of these neighbors consider that in and of itself lewd behavior. I mean, almost all the photos were just people standing around nude.

[00:22:01] If that's their, if that's not their main concern, then why are they sending in pictures of just people being nude? Well, it's not what they're saying in this lawsuit filing. They're saying they have videotapes. I just watched the Como story that Erica referenced earlier was talking about some guy who was like, was jerking off there like 16 times and he finally got arrested or some other guy lying on the hood of his car and brought daylight, you know. So I don't know. That's what they're claiming in their lawsuit. This stuff will get adjudicated, presumably, and something's going to happen here.

[00:22:26] So we're going to find out whether it's in a court of law or through some kind of settlement with the city, whether, whether they've, you know, got, got evidence of the stuff they say they do. And they say they've got videotape evidence and stuff. So they certainly are out there in the bushes quite a lot because a lot of these photos were taken like through a tree and they are literally like a hole in a tree. I'm not kidding. It's a hole in a tree and you can see like a naked woman behind it or this hole in a tree and you can see like a guy's butthole. And like, who the fuck?

[00:22:56] It reminds me of the two year long or whatever it was, 10 year long stakeout of the bikini barista place. I mean, it's just clear that like you like when when you're looking at a place 100 percent of the time and devoting your life to that, which is like kind of what it feels like is happening here. Like, yeah, you're probably going to see some fucked up things happen.

[00:23:17] And, you know, and is it is it because you're, you know, hyper vigilant over this one beach that you don't own that is next to the house that you bought knowing there was a new beach there? Or is it because, you know, the problematic behavior is is really happening all the time? I will say one of their complaints is about parking availability. Their solution is to get rid of street parking and make it neighborhood residents only, which wouldn't solve the problem. But I think some kind of parking solution would like I don't know what that is in that area.

[00:23:46] But but I mean, there's clearly a parking problem because a lot of people do go to that beach. And I can see that being an annoyance. Yeah, let's let's further privatize Washington's already ironclad privatized shoreline as much as possible so that only the wealthy homeowners can get to it. That's that's great. What the folks filing the lawsuit are claiming in the lawsuit is that they've been complaining about this, you know, lewd behavior, public masturbation on a daily basis.

[00:24:11] They're saying is what's going on and that the city's response to it has been not to do anything on the enforcement side, but to kind of come up with these sort of namby pamby. I don't know, kind of kind of touching. Let's put up some signs saying, you know, don't jerk off here in the park or whatever. You know, literally, that's what. They have the international band sign. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we could do some some little pictorial signage.

[00:24:40] But so. So that's there. They're like, come on, man. This is like, you know, city. This is a problem. Deal with it. Like and you're not dealing with it. And that's why we're suing you. What happens when they when they call the cops now? The cops don't come or the cops? The cops do come. I mean, I don't know what's happening, like literally right now. But I mean, I've looked through all of their emails that they've sent and they describe the cops coming out. But the thing is, I mean, if the person isn't there doing the thing that they're claiming, they can't really do anything about it. You know? Right. Right.

[00:25:09] The cops show up like we'll be there in an hour. I mean, I don't know. Oh, yeah. Oh, God. OK. I don't know what the right segue here is. But speaking of Bruce Harrell, Bruce Mayor Bruce Harrell visited a journalism club at Denny Middle School in West Seattle. And the headline about the visit in Westside Seattle, Sandeep, is kind of glowing. Here it is. Is Bruce Harrell the world's best mayor? Yeah. We should say who wrote this piece. It's a it's a it's a Harrell super fan.

[00:25:39] Well, clearly. I mean, I mean, it's written by David Toledo, who has has run for office before and is kind of a gadfly and and apparently Harrell super fan. Yeah. I mean, I think that's meant to be a rhetorical question because this is clearly, as Erica says, an account from a super fan who does seem to think that the mayor is the world's greatest mayor. And and and writes the account of this mayoral visit to this middle school journalism class in that vein.

[00:26:07] And Erica, maybe you have the the actual piece pulled up. Yeah. So I've got it pulled up. It says the standout moment of the day was an impromptu student versus mayor. Push up contest. Highlighting the mayor's genuine and honest demeanor, his spontaneous nature and his ability to connect with people. That's pretty good press. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe a tad on the overwritten side, but OK.

[00:26:35] You know, look, I've said this before a bunch of times on this podcast. The mayor's a really talented retail politician. He seems to have one move and it's push up contest. You're I can't tell you how many fucking stories I've read about him starting a push up contest. Are you serious? That's a thing for the mayor. It's totally a thing. Yeah. I've read this headline numerous times. You seem unimpressed by the whole push up contest concept. I mean, where do I even start? Like it's exclusionary. Let's see who like who likes push up contests.

[00:27:04] Oh, right. Pete Hegseth, who wants to to basically eliminate women from the military by forcing them to do push ups at the same rate as men. And like it's just it's such a, you know, boy, I'm going to try not to get myself in trouble here. But it is. You just compared the mayor to Pete Hegseth. So don't worry. Just go from here. I think Joe Biden was a push up contest kind of guy, too. Yeah. And Joe Biden was also, you know, handsy Joe.

[00:27:33] Like there are there's I was not Joe Biden fan. But I've been I will bit about push up contest. I mean, I'll just say, like, first of all, it's just it's such a dumb macho bro thing in general. You know, to do push up contests, it excludes girls, you know, basically completely. And I know, David, you're going to be like, well, you know, women can do push ups or, you know, maybe it's just because I can't do push ups because of my body type. Maybe that's my problem. Maybe I'd be fine with it if it was like a squat contest or a deadlift contest.

[00:28:03] Oh, see, you're just bitter. You're bitter about that. But no, it's macho bullshit. I'm sorry. It just drives me up the fucking wall. It probably drives me as crazy as graffiti drives the mayor. I just think it's it's, you know, you call it retail politics. I call it like wounded masculinity. Well, I did not watch the accompanying video with the story. So but. Well, I will tell you what it shows. It has a voiceover narration and then you don't see who wins. Well, that's what I was going to say.

[00:28:33] It's very disappointing for those of us. You know, what I was very upset with this journalistic account was and really see as journalistic malpractice is we don't find out who wins to the eighth grade. Kids beat the mayor to the mayor, like put them in their place. So that's what I want to know who won the mayor did quite a few push ups. And then and then it just kind of ends. So what does it say about a mayor? If he can do push ups versus if, you know, she can't do push ups. What is the what is the value in being able to like to to to do a push up?

[00:29:02] In the mayor's defense, he's out there going out there. I can't answer. Hanging out with. I see. I see. Avoid the question. Eighth grade kids. And and, you know, you know, whatever. Good on him. I don't really know what I think about the push up contest. He has kind of a lovely, a lovely message in this talk with them about kind of going for it. Yeah. In life. He's a good. And he delivers it really well. I don't know about the push up contest.

[00:29:32] I mean, I didn't have such a strong reaction. Yeah. But that's because I'm dead inside. Maybe it's Joe Biden actually did this to me and did this to my brain. But it makes me I mean, it honestly, like, makes me viscerally angry to see a man do a push up. And so that's not even on the mayor. Although I think this is like it just it bugs me. I you know, I want to know, like, is he skipping leg day? Like, how would he do in a deadlift contest? But I don't really want to know because none of this has anything to do with with being mayor.

[00:30:02] And and, you know, I mean, there are things that you were wondering those things. I think there are things I don't really care, honestly. But I think there are things you can do also that are not that are not sports. And, you know, come on, bro. Like that are not exclusionary of, you know, other types of people. And in this case, kids. In my family, my kid and my spouse compete to see who's deadlifting the most for themselves and that kind of stuff.

[00:30:31] There's a lot of there's a lot of talk like that in my household. There's academic competition in the there's competition, you know, around the gymnasium that way in my house. And I think it's I think it's healthy for young people and old people of all ages to be in the gym and doing that. I should be doing it myself. I'm about to hit 60 and I need to get in there and start lifting weights. Of the three of us, I guarantee you, I used to work in a gym. I guarantee you I've gone to the gym more than both of you two put together.

[00:31:00] You know, you don't have to even bet on that. I guess it's 100% true. But I also I also I don't know if we've ever when you're talking about when you're talking about kids like I do think that like this this this city and probably, you know, just this country has a culture of sports bring everybody together. Everybody loves sports. Sports are the solution to everything. Sports will keep kids away from gun violence. You know, sports, sports, sports. And this actually came up when I was talking to Adonis Duxworth, one of the candidates for City Council District 2.

[00:31:28] You know, he was he didn't say anything bad about sports. But I mean, he was like, look, I didn't fit in as a kid and I started skateboarding. That's kind of a sport. He also started doing like tagging, doing graffiti. And I and I guess I'm just saying, like, like, can we have can we have like some encouragement for some kids who aren't jocks who don't fit into like the most, you know, popular mainstream thing that, you know, that everybody in the world agrees is the best thing in the world. That's all. You know, it's like it's it's it's fine to be a different kind of kid.

[00:31:57] It's fine not to go for it. Erica, you're hating on the normies today, man. You really don't like the normies. I really I mean, I just they they have, you know, the popular kids have always had all the power and you're living in the show offs. You're living in the 1980s. Yeah. The nerds have gotten their revenge. That was that was a thing back then. Erica's going back to being the the 17 year old goth chick at the Southern High School in Mississippi. I think we're Texas. Texas, sorry, Houston.

[00:32:28] Sugar Land, Texas. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Goth girl in Sugar Land, Texas is feeling a little alienated. I just don't care about pushups. I don't care if the mayor can do any. I've never cared if any mayor could do any. I never will. And I don't care if any politician can do any feat of strength because that's not what leadership is actually about. That's it for another uplifting edition of Seattle Nice. She's Erica C. Barnett. He's Sandeep Kashuk. I'm David Hyde. Our editor is Quinn Waller.

[00:32:57] And thanks, everybody, for listening and for donating on Patreon. I haven't mentioned that for a while. Thanks to everybody who has. I should I should read the names of some of the people who are helping support this podcast. But for those of you who are, you know who you are. Thank you so much. Thanks, everybody, so much for listening. Thank you.