Jonathan Choe Profile picture
Discovery Institute Senior Fellow+Journalist. NEWS TIP: jchoe@discovery.org, *Vids branded "DI" represent Discovery Institute. Other views expressed are my own.
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Sep 26 5 tweets 2 min read
EXCLUSIVE: In February I exposed a nightmare of drugs, crime, chaos, and death inside some of Plymouth Housing's taxpayer funded apartments for the homeless. But their leaders ignored all my questions about accountability. So I confronted them at their annual gala and they ran.🧵 Why are @amazon, @Microsoft, @Starbucks, @DeltaDentalWA, @pagliaccipizza, @AvalonBay, @Goodman_RE, and Brettler Family Foundation funding meth pipes and drug supplies in Plymouth Housing facilities without any requirements to get addiction treatment? Image
Sep 26 6 tweets 3 min read
BREAKING: An absolutely devastating blow to King County Executive Dow Constantine(@kcexec) and Sheriff Patti-Cole Tindall. A judge tossed their lawsuit against the city of Burien that questioned the constitutionality of the city's public camping ordinance. Right after today's decision, Mayor Kevin Schilling spoke to me about the implications. 🧵👇 Now that King County has been ordered to enforce the camping ban, it's still unclear when officers will start sweeping encampments. Making matters worse for King County, Burien is still suing for breach of contract and that's winding it's way through the courts.

STATEMENT FROM CITY:
burienwa.gov/news_events/ci…Image
Aug 15 11 tweets 5 min read
BREAKING: Controversial homeless housing provider Plymouth Housing will now be running operations at the former Kirkland La Quinta Inn on 10530 Northup Way. Despite major opposition, the city council voted unanimously to allow it into the community. 🧵👇
Under King County's "Health Through Housing," neighbors expressed concerns about hardcore drug use and other problems spilling into the community. That's because Plymouth subscribes to the low barrier "housing first" model where addicts are not required to get treatment. Image
Aug 8 5 tweets 3 min read
VICIOUS ATTACK: Two homeless men violently assaulted me Wednesday afternoon outside King County Executive Dow Constantine's sanctioned homeless encampment in Burien.
This blight is being blamed for sex trafficking, thefts, drug OD's, and is home to an accused murder suspect. 🧵👇 It's unclear if my attackers live in the encampment or were just passing through. Cops took a police report from me and went to find these lunatics. But no one would snitch.
If you have any information, please DM me or call Burien Police.
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Jul 31 7 tweets 4 min read
I just confronted a homeless fentanyl addict ransacking the Target store inside the Bellevue Marketplace at Factoria. I watched him fill his cart with stolen items and walk out. Workers say this happens daily. Mall security eventually stopped him but did not call cops to arrest him. Now you know why everyday household items are locked up. All part of doing business in lawless King County. Mr. sticky fingers says he's homeless and lives on the streets of Seattle. Mall workers say he's been spotted in Bellevue before and likely uses public transportation to go back and forth. Aside from the braided hair, he's missing a few teeth and has a tattoo on his right hand.
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Jun 12 11 tweets 4 min read
Alleged con man Steve Hickey could be facing disciplinary action or even stripped of his role as King County Fire Commissioner. The District #47 board will meet Tuesday at 7pm in Ravensdale to decide his fate. Hickey has been under investigation and on leave after multiple first responders accused him of abusing his power on the job. Some say Hickey demonstrated bad judgement when he prioritized live streaming on his social media platforms over the safety of patients in need.Image
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Tuesday's Board Meeting will be held at Station 88 in Ravensdale from 7pm-9pm. More details below. The public is welcome and the room is expected to be packed with Hickey's critics.

kcfpd47.com/2024-06-11-boa…
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May 31 6 tweets 3 min read
Squatters and deadbeat tenants beware! The public shaming rallies continue this Saturday at the Maple Valley Farmer's Market. Homeowner Katrina Freitag is leading the charge and will be joined by other mom & pop landlords struggling to remove these alleged con men and women.🧵👇 Image Freitag is in a ferocious fight with Hickey who refuses to leave her house in nearby Ravensdale.
After our expose, Hickey's entire reputation as a King County Fire Commissioner and independent journalist is now on the line.
May 29 7 tweets 3 min read
Depending who you ask, King County Fire Commissioner Steve Hickey is a serial con artist or a faithful public servant moonlighting as an independent journalist. Either way, he's now facing numerous legal challenges and his entire reputation is on the line.
In part two of our series, YouTube journalist Tyler Oliveira(@tyleraloevera) and I take a closer look at fresh allegations and Hickey's troubled past. In part one, Oliveira and I confronted Hickey with squatting claims. He's refusing to leave a house belonging to another woman, claiming it should be his. Hickey has already been sanctioned in court for not providing all documents during discovery.
May 25 7 tweets 4 min read
BREAKING: Embattled King County Fire District 47 Commissioner Steve Hickey announced Friday evening that he's taking a leave of absence. Multiple sources tell me Hickey is accused of abusing his power on the job and using station equipment to grow his social media profile. A first responder says after showing up to an emergency scene, Hickey "does a triage, requests a motor vehicle accident response, and then goes back to his car and live streams on TikTok before fire even arrives, leaving his patient with PD that he just triaged."Image
May 23 4 tweets 2 min read
At this point, Bellevue serial squatters Sang and Youjin Kim are arguably the most hated couple in WA. They are facing a fourth eviction after failing to pay rent again in Jaskaran Singh's $2M house. Up to this point, they have not faced any vigilantes trying to drive them out.
But on Tuesday, that all changed. Authorities confirm the Kim's got "swatted." That's when someone calls 911 and reports a fake emergency. When law and order breaks down, this is what happens. Kim's failed to pay again, even after being bailed out by King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project.
May 22 4 tweets 3 min read
BREAKING: Deadbeat tenants Sang and Youjin Kim are now facing eviction for the fourth time after failing to pay rent on a $2M house in Bellevue. Landlord Jaskaran Singh knows the courts are still backed up but is patiently waiting it out.
He's now ramping up for more protests and is also running for WA State Senate to help fix this broken system.
Meanwhile, it's unclear if King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project will represent the Kim's this time around. HJP has been getting hammered for using close to $90K in taxpayer dollars to bail out these Korean nationals.Image
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The Kim's have been served with a fourth unlawful detainer. At this point, most reasonable people know that these people are not low-income and have a long track record of running these hustles.


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May 20 5 tweets 2 min read
Final look Sunday evening at the University of Washington Hamas encampment. After taking over the Quad for weeks, protesters worked out a deal with UW leaders and promised to take it down by Monday. Otherwise, the far-left activists and commies drew my portrait and asked me to sign it. They're going to miss me. 🙃😍 Christian street preacher Matthew Meinecke says he's not leaving the Quad until school leaders formally apologize to Jewish students. He wants others to bring Israeli and American flags to establish a new encampment until demands are met.
May 6 6 tweets 3 min read
Monday afternoon, University of Washington School of Public Health Prof. Amy Hagopian(@amyhagopian) was tabling in the Hamas encampment. She was answering questions about the Israel-Hamas war. We know what side she is on. But when one student decided to record her sitting down in this public space, she immediately became defensive and accused him of being hostile. Bizarre reaction to basic filming. Hagopian is a self proclaimed social justice warrior. She has no problem sharing her hot takes. She calls Israel a "terrorist state."

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May 6 7 tweets 3 min read
BREAKING: Sunday evening, University of Washington Hamas encampment organizers say someone tried to poison them and are now calling it "attempted murder." A few details were posted on social media, but I also corroborated this story with others on the ground. At least three people got sick after eating cookies allegedly laced with bleach but they managed to recover.
Another camper reportedly said his hot chocolate tasted like chlorine.
As a precaution, volunteers are now taking photos of people's ID's if they are dropping off food or drinks.
I reached out to school leaders for comment but so far no response. This is just the latest troubling incident at this rapidly growing encampment in the UW Quad.Image Late Saturday, witnesses say a man wielding a blade ran through the Quad and cut up some tents. . Anti-Israel and anarchist graffiti is showing up on campus buildings. And with food and trash building up, there are reports of rat sightings.
May 5 4 tweets 3 min read
UPDATE: It's Day 7 at the University of Washington's(@UW) Hamas encampment in Seattle. This situation is spiraling out of control. Late Saturday evening, witnesses say a man wielding a blade ran through the Quad and cut up some tents. He's still on the run.

School leaders have no plan to sweep. Cops patrol the outskirts of the camp but there is ZERO police presence nearby. Anti-Israel and anarchist graffiti is showing up on campus buildings. Organizers told the crowd if counter-protesters do show up and violence ensues, school administrators plan to call in Seattle PD and shut it all down. So they are desperately trying to keep the peace and hunker down until all their demands are met. Activists still want UW to divest from Israel and cut ties with Boeing.

Otherwise, the vast majority of these people are not students. The professional far-left activists and Antifa goons have set up a security perimeter and are preventing Jewish students from entering.
They are also pressuring UW to cancel the Turning Point USA(@TPUSA,@FrontlinesTPUSA) event on May 7 featuring Charlie Kirk(@charliekirk11).

Here are some other developments:

-Organizers proposed a mandatory mask mandate for people staying at the camp. FYI, the Quad is located outdoors.
-There are nearby porta potties, but the students want 24/7 access to the school buildings. Good luck with that.
-With food and trash building up, rat sightings were inevitable since this is now a glorified homeless encampment. I think it's time for another follow up with UW's media team. Most of us in local Seattle media have been getting the same canned response.
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May 2 6 tweets 2 min read
After carefully reviewing @thehoffather's video, dude with the Green Day hoody blocking the Jewish student at the University of Washington is none other than Gabriel Jones, a notorious far-left activist who assaulted me at a protest last year in Seattle. But when I defended myself, Jones claimed to be the victim and filed a Protection Order against me. Of course I won in that case and Jones has stayed away from me ever since.
Anyway, he is not a @UW student, but a loser outside agitator and Seattle Public Schools(@SeaPubSchools) worker. According to his Linkedin page, this antisemite is a Special Education worker at Chief Selth International High. Can't believe SPS still employs this FAR-LEFT activist with violent tendencies. Image
Apr 30 5 tweets 3 min read
ABSOLUTE MADNESS: Monday evening, more than a hundred migrants invaded Seattle's Central District and took over Powell Barnett Park, a popular play area for kids and dogs. There are now more than 30 tents set up on a grassy area and wooden pallets are scattered everywhere.
Group leaders say they won't leave until more money is provided for better living conditions. Sure sounds like extortion.
The usual far-left activists were there to help orchestrate this massive move. Old friend Rosario Lopez Hernandez spotted me right away and chased me out of the encampment with a cardboard box. She's facing charges for disrupting a Seattle council meeting in February.
Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth and Mayor Bruce Harrell say there are no more city resources and state funds won't be available for a few more months.
So now what? I'm staying on top of this with @FrontlinesTPUSA. They are asking the public to donate resources so they can illegally stay in a city park. They don’t even allow the homeless
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Apr 29 4 tweets 2 min read
The latest group latching on to the pro-Hamas movement, “Fatties for Palestine.” The content is mesmerizing. This Instagram page sells t-shirts for the cause. Image
Apr 24 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Plymouth Housing's Lewiston-Scargo claims another victim. Mike Matzick's lifeless body was found inside this "low barrier" apartment complex in downtown Seattle. His family suspects he died of a meth overdose because staff allegedly turn a blind eye to drug use. Matzick was one of our courageous whistleblowers who helped expose the deplorable conditions inside this problematic housing project back in February. It's led to more scrutiny for Plymouth and calls for immediate change.

Apr 19 11 tweets 5 min read
The King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project is clearly feeling the squeeze. After an onslaught of global news coverage scrutinizing free legal aid groups representing deadbeat tenants and serial squatters, their leaders are now in spin control mode.
🧵👇 Image This week, KCBA Executive Director Christina Entrekin Coad sent an email saying they've seen an uptick in "rhetoric and harassment of our program attorneys from individuals disapproving of Washington's right to counsel protections for tenants facing eviction."

FULL STATEMENT:Image
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Apr 19 6 tweets 2 min read
UPDATE: Thursday afternoon, King County Court found Rickesha Denise Overton incompetent to stand trial. That simply means she will now be getting psychiatric care at a state institution and then re-evaluated after 90 days. The case and charges are still active.
Next court date is July 11. POLICE REPORT PART 1 Image