Escaping Seattle - The Sociological Safety Tipping Point | Interview with John Steele
The statute of limitations was up - so we could finally record this podcast! Why is John Steele thinking of leaving Seattle after 24 years & where is his car's headrest? GROWING UP IN NYC. After growing up in New York, John escaped to Seattle, finding the city affordable, relaxed and relatively unspoiled by rampant development. NYC had deteriorated and John noted the drug culture dominated the city he from which he was planning his escape. So he flipped coasts - and Seattle was unspoiled. Microsoft was just preparing to launch the Windows operating system and Amazon had yet to celebrate its first birthday. AND THEN SEATTLE CHANGED. I suppose all communities are always changing and John pointed out that there are many aspects of the city that he continues to enjoy such as the perk of having an Amazon order delivered to his door in an hour. However, the homeless population is burgeoning and John shares that a friend who is a police officer was directed to “stand down” if observing a person using drugs in public. PROPERTY VALUES SKYROCKETED. John’s condo value has increased from $150,000 to $600,000 in 24 years. He has considered selling it and moving an hour away from the city. As a minimalist, he is thoughtful to not have possessions that own him, through insurance or taxes, upkeep or else bringing attention to him. CAR WAS STOLEN. It wasn’t long ago that John’s car was stolen. His ride wasn’t new, but, as he states with a laugh, “It was the longest relationship I had been in!” The silver lining was that the police allowed him to keep the cache of stolen video games the thieves left in the trunk of car (although his missing headrest was never recovered). This underlined the reality that property crimes were rising and encroaching on his home. Then, a presumed homeless or mentally ill person darted out in front of him while he was driving his new car. He didn’t hit the person, but again the message was delivered that the city was less predictable that it had been 24 years ago. PRIVATE DETECTIVE. Want to know a few borderline techniques for obtaining sensitive information? John recounts tricks of the trade he was made aware of in his decade stint as a private detective. His entertaining accounts also reveal that security protocols are easily foiled by simple approaches, such as using a TTY line to request private information. MAJOR LEAGUE - just a bit outside... David and John toss out a few lines from the memorable baseball comedy film Major League and Indians announcer Harry Doyle makes a cameo to give a shout out to the podcast’s sponsors. Listen in to this fun show that parses out the role that situational awareness plays as one determines if it’s finally time to move on to a “safer” residence – and if such a place even exists somewhere out there over Mount Rainier. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests and do not reflect positions of The 405 Media or supporters of “The Safety Doc Podcast”. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. Email David: thesafetydoc@gmail.com LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin’s “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com. THIS EPISODE’S GUEST. Find John Steele on Twitter @John_Steele99 or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnSteeleshow
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