Seattle hosted six World Cup matches at Lumen Field, impressing visitors with cleaner streets and polished public spaces. However, once the event concluded, the city's open-air drug and homelessness crisis quickly resurfaced.

Charlie Harger, host of Seattle's "Morning News" on KIRO Newsradio, wrote in a Wednesday op-ed that "addiction didn’t get better over those few weeks." He argued that permanent supportive housing has failed to resolve the issue over the years and that people experiencing addiction were simply pushed away from visible areas during the World Cup.

Harger further stated that the city has nothing to show for the "billions" it has spent addressing the crisis. According to Seattle.gov, in 2024, Seattle spent $153.8 million on homelessness services through its Human Services Department. KOMO News reported in 2023 that despite nearly $1 billion spent over more than a decade, the number of unsheltered people continues to rise. A Seattle Times opinion piece noted that King County has roughly 16,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night.

Residents near Seattle’s Aurora Avenue have erected makeshift barricades in response to repeated shootings and rising gun violence in the neighborhood.

Harger also commented on political perspectives, saying, "Too many on the left have confused tolerance with compassion, as if letting someone use fentanyl on a sidewalk is kindness," and "Too many on the right are right to demand order, but sometimes talk as if removal alone is a solution. I don’t buy either one. It would be nice if either were demonstrably true."

Sources

  • Fox News Latest
  • KOMO News (2023 report)
  • Seattle.gov (2024 spending data)
  • Seattle Times opinion piece (2026)