Seattle is making a landmark move to wipe out decades of marijuana possession convictions effectively giving a second chance to hundreds of people whose lives were ruined by the drug war.
The post Seattle Voids Criminal Records for Pot Convictions, Giving People a Second Chance appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
Seatle is imposing a massive tax on sugary drinks in a nefarious plan to raise the $15 million needed to fund its other programs.
This report was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge
America’s liberal left coast states count themselves among the most adamant supporters of controversial pieces of legislation intended to support low-income families. From their stunningly high income tax rates to their $15 minimum wage mandates, states like California and Washington are leading the charge on implementing Bernie’s socialist agenda.
Of course, some of the biggest advocates of that socialist agenda are the billionaire leaders of Silicon Valley’s largest tech companies…which is precisely why it’s so ironic that it’s the “tech boom” being enjoyed by those billionaires that has resulted in surging housing prices and what SFGate described earlier today as a “homeless explosion pushing West Coast cities to the brink.”
Housing prices are soaring here thanks to the tech industry, but the boom comes with a consequence: A surge in homelessness marked by 400 unauthorized tent camps in parks, under bridges, on freeway medians and along busy sidewalks. The liberal city is trying to figure out what to do.
“I’ve got economically zero unemployment in my city, and I’ve got thousands of homeless people that actually are working and just can’t afford housing,” said Seattle City Councilman Mike O’Brien. “There’s nowhere for these folks to move to.”
That struggle is not Seattle’s alone. A homeless crisis is rocking the entire West Coast, pushing abject poverty into the open like never before.
Nationally, homelessness has been trending down, partly because governments and nonprofit groups have gotten better at moving people into housing. That’s true in many West Coast cities, too, but the flow the other direction is even faster.
“So everybody who was just hanging on because they had cheap rent, they’re losing that … and they wind up outside,” said Margaret King, director of housing programs for the nonprofit DESC in Seattle. “It’s just exploded.”
According to stats gathered by the Associated Press, some 168,000 people in California, Oregon and Washington count themselves among the growing tally of homeless folks who can’t afford housing.
—Official counts taken earlier this year in California, Oregon and Washington show 168,000 homeless people in the three states, according to an AP tally of every jurisdiction in those states that reports homeless numbers to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That is 19,000 more than were counted in 2015, although the numbers may not be directly comparable because of factors ranging from the weather to new counting methods.
—During the same period, the number of unsheltered people in the three states climbed 18 percent to 105,000.
—Rising rents are the main culprit. The median one-bedroom apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area is more expensive than it is in the New York City metro area, for instance.
—Since 2015, at least 10 cities or municipal regions in California, Oregon and Washington have declared emergencies due to the rise of homelessness, a designation usually reserved for natural disasters.
Of course, when home prices double in a matter of just a few years and are seemingly just as volatile as a tech stock circa March 2000, you know there’s a problem.
Meanwhile, as we pointed out a few weeks ago (see: San Diego’s Deadly Hepatitis A Outbreak Turns “Statewide Epidemic” As “Outbreak Could Last Years”), the homeless crisis in California has resulted in an alarming hepatitis A outbreak that started in San Diego and is now on the verge of reaching statewide epidemic status as cases have spread through homeless tent cities all the way north to Sacramento.
California’s outbreak of hepatitis A, already the nation’s second largest in the last 20 years, could continue for many months, even years, health officials said Thursday.
At least 569 people have been infected and 17 have died of the virus since November in San Diego, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties, where local outbreaks have been declared.
Dr. Monique Foster, a medical epidemiologist with the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters Thursday that California’s outbreak could linger even with the right prevention efforts.
“It’s not unusual for them to last quite some time — usually over a year, one to two years,” Foster said.
Of course, as SFGate points out, local governments on the West Coast are responding to the crisis in the best way they know how, namely by raising taxes…
All along the West Coast, local governments are scrambling for answers — and taxpayers are footing the bill.
Voters have approved more than $8 billion in spending since 2015 on affordable housing and other anti-homelessness programs, mostly as tax increases. Los Angeles voters, for example, approved $1.2 billion to build 10,000 units of affordable housing to address a homeless population that’s reached 34,000 people within city limits.
…which should only serve to accelerate the number of businesses relocating to Texas.
Strange notes in the form of origami butterflies have been found in the city of Seattle. The ominous messages declare that the reader of the note, “is not safe.”
The appearance of these creepy messages are strange, and some of the theories are even stranger. In recent days, some Seattle residents have found little-folded up notes around the city in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and Fremont. Some of the notes are folded into origami butterflies giving them a softer visual appearance. But when one unfolds the sweetly looking butterfly, inside is the phrase, “You Are Not Safe,” superimposed on a Seattle-specific image — the skyline, or the Fremont Troll. There’s also a date, “9/28/17.”
The Fremont Troll sculpture under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle.
While the troll may appear ominous at first glance, it’s just a sculpture, but it is appearing on some of the origami warnings. Some of the notes also display a web address, www.allgodsmustdie.com.
One of the images in these strange folded notes depicts the Fremont troll surrounded by what could be a river of anything liquid. From blood to coffee or even water, the minds of those who have seen these are running wild. The date and website complete the message.
The website doesn’t seem to be working at all at the time of this writing, but even before that, The Seattle Patch reported that there isn’t much at all on the site anyway. If you were to visit it while it is working, you see a scramble of letters that eventually move together to form that phrase, “You Are Not Safe.” In the background, Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” plays. If you wait long enough, an image of what appears to be an upside-down psychedelic goat appears behind the words.
Another of the eerie notes unfolds to show a mirror image of the Seattle skyline. When you look closely, one side is missing the Space Needle. People have speculated about the note being a threat against Seattle’s most famous landmark. Or, could it be a reference to the heroin epidemic and King County’s safe-use heroin injection site proposal? No one knows.
Queen Anne resident Alyson Rae was among the Seattleites who found a few of the notes. They were scattered outside her apartment building over the weekend. When Rae unfolded one of the notes and saw what was inside, she was a little concerned. She went on Facebook and attempted to unravel the mystery, but input from people online has only created more questions and upped the creepiness factor exponentially.
Perhaps the oddest note of them all contains images of famous Seattlites. In front of rainbow colors, the note displays the odd and creepily drawn depictions.
Making an appearance, is Kurt Cobain (the deceased lead singer of Nirvana), Russell Wilson (the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks), with what looks like small white devil horns on his head, and the Starbucks mermaid who has scars on her chest. At the top of the image is the most befuddling part: three men whose identities are debatable. The one in the middle is most likely former mayor Ed Murray; people think the one on the right might be Stranger editor Dan Savage. Some say the one on the left, the guy holding a book, is Judah Smith from The City Church.
Regardless of the inherent creepy factor, authorities are not concerned. And speculations as to why the messages appear, include a marketing campaign for a video game or some kind of viral advertising scheme. But no one is certain what the meaning is or the reason these strange notes appeared.
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Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 334 people
Date: September 28th, 2017
Website: www.SHTFplan.com
Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.
Ironic or, given the circumstances, just plain creepy? (Mayor Ed Murphy, Facebook)
“Mr. Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action’,” Ian Fleming’s villain Auric Goldfinger warned the secret agent. In embattled, just-resigned Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s case, five men, the latest being his cousin, have come forward after years of silence, accusing him of molesting them when they were minors.
The openly gay Murray denies it, of course. He characterizes his resignation as taking one for the team, falling on his sword so the city he loves can get on with the important business of distraction-free governance. He’s proud of his “progressive” achievements, “including landmark gay civil-rights laws and enactment of a $15 minimum hourly wage.”
On the other hand, the men accusing him, including former street kids, drug addicts and male prostitutes, hardly make for sterling witnesses. Could this be a case of all smoke and no fire?
“An Oregon child-welfare investigator concluded that Ed Murray sexually abused his foster son in the early 1980s, leading state officials to assert that ‘under no circumstances should Mr. Murray be certified’ as a foster parent in the future,” a July Seattle Times report on records preciously thought destroyed revealed.
Prosecutors never pursued allegations and now it’s too late. Washington state statute of limitations laws mean Murray will not be criminally charged, at least over the accusations that have surfaced to date.
Nor will he ever be charged for his rape of the Constitution. There seems to be something about those with questionable ability to control themselves being perversely obsessed with controlling others. And in Murray’s case, the compulsion to mandate defenselessness on those under him seems driven.
Wonderful people, these oath-breaking gun-grabbers, no?
Murray was a proud member of Michael Bloomberg’s coalition of mayors demanding gun owner controls. He joined, among others, the Demanding Moms (and reportedly, the National Rifle Association) in denying the right to keep and bear arms to citizens who have been accused, but not convicted, of criminal actions — exactly as he has been.
And his solution to used Seattle Police guns was to melt them down.
Murray is the latest in a long list of oath-breaking Bloomberg mayors accused over the years of crimes that have resulted in numerous convictions. In his case, it’s reminiscent of former Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who exploited a “mentor” relationship with a teenage male for personal sexual gratification.
Unfortunately, Murray’s resignation will not slow Seattle gun-grabbers down one bit. Politics there will continue to be dominated by “progressive” control fetishists who don’t have to look far for powerless, intellectually immature and willing victims to exploit.
And not just there. The following was just posted by The Daily Caller:
“…Murray isn’t alone. At least 11 then-current and former mayors have been accused of child sex abuse-related crimes since 2016. The allegations range from child porn to physical abuse. The alleged victims were as young as four years old.”
These aberrations don’t trust us…?
Also see: State Investigator Concluded Bloomberg Mayor Ed Murray Sexually Abused Foster Son
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If you believe in the mission of Oath Keepers, to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, please make a donation to support our work. You can donate HERE.
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David Codrea’s opinions are his own. See “Who speaks for Oath Keepers?”
Seattle, WA — (RT) Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced his resignation after a fifth man came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse. The mayor has denied accusations that he repeatedly molested his 13-year-old cousin decades ago.
In a statement released Tuesday, Murray adamantly denied the allegations, but said his resignation would be “best for the city.”
“While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our City government to conduct the public’s business,” Murray said, adding that he was proud of the work he had accomplished during his time as a legislator.
Murray’s resignation came shortly after the Seattle Times reported Tuesday that Joseph Dyer, 54, Murray’s first cousin accused the mayor of repeatedly molesting him when he was 13 years old.
“There would be times when I would fake sleeping because I didn’t want him touching me,” Dyer, told the Times. “And that’s when he would molest me. And my mother would be right there in the house, she’d be in the living room… watching TV, at that time it was probably ‘M*A*S*H.’ And my sisters would be in their rooms, sleeping. And I would be in my room, and he would be in there, molesting me.”
Murray, 62, confirmed that he did share a room with Dyer in the ‘70’s. Murray and his siblings came to live with Dyer and his mother, Maryellen Sottile, in New York after their mother died. Dyer was 13 at the time while Murray was in his early twenties.
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READ MORE: NYPD Betrays FBI: Says Seized Laptop Shows Clinton Covered Up Weiner"s Child Sex Crimes
Murray denied the allegations, which he said were fabricated to get back at him for previous clashes between the families.
“I did not sexually abuse any of her children,” Murray told the Times. “There’s been numerous fights between our two families for many years, and much ugliness. I guess they see me down and out, and they want to finish me off.”
Dyer told the Times he was motivated to come forward after he saw Murray deny previous allegations.
“I saw… clips of (Murray) denying what he did, that pissed me off to the point where I am like, ‘That’s it. I have had enough.’ I have been carrying this around for 40-some years. Something has got to be done.”
Sottile also told the Times that she was “very glad to hear that he’s resigned,” adding that she hopes it will help others.
Lloyd Anderson, who accused Murray of paying him for sex when he was a teenager, said that he felt “victory” after Murray announced his resignation, but also felt “saddened that it required another victim to come forward for him to resign.”
“I wonder how many other victims are out there,” Anderson said, according to a statement obtained by the Times.
Murray previously ended his bid for a second term after the initial accusations were made. However, he had support to finish his term until the most recent allegations were reported Tuesday.
Mayoral candidate Jenny Durkan, who previously accepted Murray’s endorsement, released a statement Tuesday that said his decision to resign was “in everybody’s best interest.”
“As a parent, former public official and openly gay woman, these allegations are beyond sad and tragic; no official is above the law,” Durkan said.
READ MORE: Catholic Church & Govt Say Kids "Consented" to Sexual Abuse to Avoid Paying Them Compensation
It is time for Mayor Murray to step down.
— Jenny Durkan (@JennyDurkan) September 12, 2017
Rival candidate Cary Moon, who has repeatedly called for Murray to step down in the wake of previous allegations, called his response “inappropriate and harmful, especially to survivors, LGBTQ people and young people everywhere.”
“Survivors of sexual assault must be believed and treated with respect,” Moon said in a statement. “It’s terribly difficult for victims to speak up publicly. How many victims will it take for the Mayor to step down?”
Murray was first accused of sexual abuse in April, when Delvon Heckard, 46, filed a lawsuit accusing the mayor of paying him for sex more than 50 times when he was 15 years old.
Murray said that his resignation would be effective Wednesday at 5:00pm, at which point City Council President Bruce Harrell would take over as mayor. Harrell has five days to decide whether to fill out the rest of Murray’s term which ends on December 31.
In a statement obtained by KONG, Harrell said he intends to make an announcement within five days, after he consults with his family and other members of the Seattle City Council.
“The City must focus on governance and day-to-day business without distraction,” Harrell said. “I have a plan in place for a seamless transition in order for City operations to continue at the highest standard. Seattleites deserve a government that holds their full confidence and trust.”
Infowars frontman attacked on the streets of Seattle by snowflakes who likely live in their mother"s basement
SEATTLE, Wa. (INTELLIHUB) — Radio talk show host and Infowars founder Alex Jones was assaulted by a man who dowsed Jones with hot coffee while he was conducting a live report in the rainy city.
It all took place after the popular alternative news frontman was already flipped off by one local granola passerby which resulted in Jones chasing him down the street and the passerby fleeing, another man, who Jones said appeared “physically grotesque” poured his cup of coffee on Jones then proceeded to laugh in glee.
“Tell people intellectually who you are,” Jones told the man who waddled like some type of troll creature.
“I’m your mama,” the man replied as he got into Jones’s face [laughter].
“You can’t even talk. Look at you,” Jones said. “This is what the world has turned these people into.”
The man the splashed Jones with his hot coffee and proceeded to work.
Shepard Ambellas is an opinion journalist, analyst, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News & Politics (Intellihub.com). Shepard is also known for producing Shade: The Motion Picture (2013) and appearing on Travel Channel’s America Declassified (2013). Shepard is a regular contributor to Infowars. Read more from Shep’s World. Follow Shep on Facebook and Twitter.There are many conspiracies surrounding the total solar eclipse that will occur on Monday, August 21. Everyone, including scientists, talk like this is a sure thing, but is it?
Some conspiracy theorists are asking us all to follow the money. And they make a few good points. On August 21, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the light of our star. The government agency NASA says this will result in “one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights.” But some say that it’s all just a gigantic conspiracy to make money.
The Atlantic says “something doesn’t add up.” The astronomers at NASA claim to have calculated down to the minute exactly when and where this will happen, and for how long, and have put out maps detailing the “path of totality.” They have reportedly known about this eclipse for years, just by virtue of some sort of complex math. But they haven’t released the math to the public so we can check the calculations for ourselves.
Meanwhile, the scientists tell us we can’t look at it without special glasses because “looking directly at the sun is unsafe.” Of course, it’s unsafe, we’ve known about this for decades. You shouldn’t look directly at the sun, and there are documented cases of retinal damage because of it. But what if they only say this during an eclipse (when the moon is blocking the majority of the sun’s rays) to capitalize on the sale of special glasses?
Corporations like Amazon are profiting from the sale of these eclipse glasses. Is anyone asking how many of these astronomers also, conveniently, belong to Amazon Prime?
Let’s follow the money a little further. Hotels along the “path of totality”—a regiondrawn up by Obama-era NASA scientists—have been sold out for months. Some of those hotels are owned and operated by large multinational corporations. Where else do these hotels have locations? You guessed it: Washington, D.C. –The Atlantic
The entire political-scientific-corporate power structure is aligned behind the eclipse. This includes the mainstream media. There are almost no stories about how the eclipse may not happen. But could that be because it really is going to happen? Perhaps we should delve a little deeper into the money trail.
Newspaper owner Jeff Bezos is out there buying all of Seattle with the revenue from these “eclipse glasses.” Conspiracy theorists are saying that there is a chance the eclipse won’t happen at all and are asking for their voices to be heard. But if it does happen after a scientist says that it will not, his credibility and trustworthiness for the rest of his life will be questioned.
It isn’t likely that the eclipse won’t happen. But if it doesn’t, we will have a few validated conspiracy theorists out there all too happy to point out that they were right.
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Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 195 people
Date: August 17th, 2017
Website: www.SHTFplan.com
Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.
Seattle, WA — Three men have now come forward and accused Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of sexually abusing them when they were children in the 1980’s. Delvonn Heckard, one of the alleged victims, filed a lawsuit against the mayor this month, setting off a firestorm of controversy for the mayor now accused of pedophilia.
Heckard claims Murray abused him when he was a teen. According to the Seattle Times, the mayor “sexually abused the crack-cocaine addicted teen on numerous occasions for payments of $10 to $20” starting in 1986 when the boy was just 15 years old. “Two other men, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, also have said Murray sexually abused them as teenagers while living in Portland in the early 1980s. They have not filed lawsuits.”
Now, Heckard’s lawyers are claiming the police are shielding the mayor from yet another scandal. The lawyers were provided screen shots from a computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) of at least 8 police officers to the mayor’s home on the night of June 24th, the same night as the Gay Pride parade being held in the town.
The snapshots were provided by an anonymous whistleblower who said that Murray called Seattle’s Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole to deal with a problem, sources say, involving a shirtless man demanding to get his clothes back. O’Toole reportedly responded to the scene and dealt with the matter quietly, without any police report being filed.
Maggie Thompson, Murray’s campaign manager and a member of his staff, was also reportedly called to the scene. “Attorneys Julie Kays and Lincoln Beauregard subpoenaed Thompson, Murray’s operations manager and 2013 campaign manager, who was at the house that night. They want Thompson to provide any information she has related to the call and to three men now accusing the mayor of past sexual abuse,” writes the Times.
READ MORE: EPIC FAIL -- Cop With Broken Headlight Wrongly Stops Man to Cite Him for a Broken Headlight
As is often the case, when political figures or individuals in positions of authority and power stand accused of criminal activity, it’s often the accuser who then becomes revictimized as the accused often lash out against their victims/accusers.
Such may be the case with Murray and his legal team as well. Jeff Reading, the spokesman for the mayor now thrice accused of pedophilia, responded in a statement, “The gossipy account provided is an example of unfounded rumor being peddled as fact. It is easily disproved by numerous eyewitnesses, and by the official police record.”
Indeed, the mayor did reportedly release statements from five of his friends who were with him on that June night at 11:23 p.m. But according to the CAD the mayor said he “needs police ASAP as unk (unknown) person was on his front door.”
After O’Toole arrived, he reported back to the dispatcher that everything was under control. The dispatcher then reported, “Per Chief O’Toole: Mayor said ‘Maggie’ is there now,” the entry states. “Everything is UC. Not to rush. Per Chief, Mayor sounded a little confused. She req’d (requested) officers still check on him.”
Lawyers for the alleged child victim now in his forties are asking tough questions and have subpoenaed for more information. The lack of a report, coupled with the police chief and the campaign manager’s presence at the mayor’s residence suggests a cover-up to Heckard’s lawyers. “What I want to know is, what’s the mayor’s campaign manager doing at a call like this and why is the chief of police directly involved in the dialogue,” Beauregard told reporters.
READ MORE: University Says Calling Out "Political Correctness" is a "Microaggression" and Offensive
The mayor’s version of events differs drastically from the accusations now being levied of a cover-up involving a shirtless man. According to the mayor and those in present at his home that night, a couple came to the front door and asked to use the bathroom. They then got “pushy” and security was called.
As The Free Thought Project has reported on numerous occasions, pedophiles often have dozens upon dozens of victims before they end up dying or getting caught. With three men now coming forward all saying the same things about Seattle’s mayor, if it’s true he’s a pedophile, it’s only a matter of time before more accusers are likely to come forward. We will continue to watch this developing story unfold and keep you updated.
Seemingly no amount of brand destruction will ever be sufficient to convince Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz that while most adult-aged Americans seem to like his company"s coffee, roughly 50% of them couldn"t give a flying flip about his leftist political opinions that he"s constantly try to shove down their throats along with their morning java.
The latest gimmick comes via a partnership with Boston-based startup "Hi From the Other Side" and offers free coffee to people with opposing political opinions who agree to meet up at Starbucks to "engage in a civil conversation" about their political differences. Per The Hill:
Participants who sign up (there’s currently a waitlist) for the app through Facebook are paired up with another local from the opposing political party.
The app brings together “nice people across the political divide to talk like neighbors. Not to convince, but to understand,” the Hi From the Other Side website states. The company says it’s “hopeful there are people who really want to engage in a civil conversation.”
As part of a recently launched, limited promotion, the startup says those who sign up and are matched will receive a Starbucks e-gift card.
“This means you’ll have to show up and work together to unlock the gift card!” according to its site.
And here"s "Hi From the Other Side"s" take on the program:
"Hi From The Other Side has a way for you to make a connection over a great cup of coffee at Starbucks. If you are one of the first to be matched during this limited offer, you will receive a Starbucks e-gift card to redeem together at a nearby store. This means you"ll have to show up and work together to unlock the gift card!"
Of course, all of this comes just a few weeks after Schultz"s public announcement to hire 10,000 refugees, a clear shot at the Trump administration"s immigration policies, seemingly backfired with his "brand perception" taking a sudden and massive hit (we wrote about it here: "Starbucks" "Brand Perception" Takes A Massive Hit After Announcing Plans To Hire 10,000 Refugees").
Credit Suisse"s Restaurant team, led by Jason West, also took note of the constant damaging political campaigns and warned that Schultz"s refugee stunt could cause the company to miss upcoming same-store-sales estimates.
We have analyzed online “net sentiment” data (positive vs. negative online mentions) provided by NetBase to gauge changes in Starbucks’ brand perception. This follows recent media reports that SBUX’s decision to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years could have upset some customers, perhaps negatively impacting sales trends. Our work shows a sudden drop in brand sentiment following announcement of the refugee hiring initiative on Jan. 29th, to flattish from a run-rate of ~+80 (on an index of -100 to +100). Net sentiment has since recovered, but has seen significant volatility in recent weeks. While this is only one data point, the analysis leaves us incrementally cautious on SBUX’s ability to meet consensus US SSS forecasts, which call for SSS to accelerate from +3% in F1Q17 (Dec. qtr.) to ~+3.5% in F2Q and ~+5.5% in 2H17.
Potential impact to F2Q SSS: NetBase data show that net sentiment remained depressed for 10 days in late Jan. and early Feb. and was particularly volatile through the remainder of Feb. We see potential for a scenario in which US SSS slowed for a few weeks following news of the refugee hiring initiative, negatively impacting full-quarter SSS by ~70-80bps under a reasonable bear case. This assumes that (1) SSS during the initial 10-day stretch were ~flat, (2) SSS averaged +2% during the remaining 3 weeks of Feb. (when net sentiment saw particularly high volatility) and (3) SSS during the rest of the qtr (Jan. and Mar.) average +3.5% (in line with consensus forecasts for F2Q), putting F2Q US SSS at ~+2.8%. We caveat that we found little to no correlation over longer time periods between the net sentiment data and US SSS. However, in our past work on Chipotle (CMG: Neutral), we found that large and sudden spikes in net sentiment coincided with similar shifts in SSS trends.
For those who missed it, here are some excerpts from the politically charged message drafted by Schultz to his employees with "deep concern and a heavy heart":
I write to you today with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise. Let me begin with the news that is immediately in front of us: we have all been witness to the confusion, surprise and opposition to the Executive Order that President Trump issued on Friday, effectively banning people from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, including refugees fleeing wars. I can assure you that our Partner Resources team has been in direct contact with the partners who are impacted by this immigration ban, and we are doing everything possible to support and help them to navigate through this confusing period.
Hiring Refugees: We have a long history of hiring young people looking for opportunities and a pathway to a new life around the world. This is why we are doubling down on this commitment by working with our equity market employees as well as joint venture and licensed market partners in a concerted effort to welcome and seek opportunities for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and discrimination. There are more than 65 million citizens of the world recognized as refugees by the United Nations, and we are developing plans to hire 10,000 of them over five years in the 75 countries around the world where Starbucks does business.
Building Bridges, Not Walls, With Mexico: We have been open for business in Mexico since 2002, and have since opened almost 600 stores in 60 cities across the country, which together employ over 7,000 Mexican partners who proudly wear the green apron. Coffee is what unites our common heritage, and as I told Alberto Torrado, the leader of our partnership with Alsea in Mexico, we stand ready to help and support our Mexican customers, partners and their families as they navigate what impact proposed trade sanctions, immigration restrictions and taxes might have on their business and their trust of Americans.
Apparently nothing will ever convince some of America"s leftist billionaires that, no matter how rich they become, they will never be able to force their political opinions on Americans who see through their propaganda...just ask all the rich people that just lost a fortune trying to elect Hillary.
In its latest, January, update of US home prices, Case-Shiller reported that the unadjusted 20 city composite index, rose at a 5.9% annual rate, up from 5.7% last month and setting a 31-month high. Perhaps even more notable is that in 17 of 20 metro areas, the pace of home appreciation over the past year was 5% or higher, or more than double the pace of core inflation. And with rents continuing to soar across the country, in many cases at a double digit clip, not to mention exploding healthcare costs, one wonders just what the BLS "measures" with its monthly CPI update.
In any case, for those lucky Americans who can afford to own a house instead of being stuck renting the New Normal American dream where they are prohibited from peddling fiction as their annual rent increases by 10% or more each year, here is the breakdown of the best and worst cities for home price appreciation in the U.S.
At the top, with annual price increases of 10% or more, we find the usual west coast (and thus closest to China) suspects: Seattle and Portland, followed close behind by Denver and Dallas, which appears to be enjoying the recent revival in shale. What is more surprising is that on the other end we find Cleveland, Washington and - of all places - New York, which was dead last with only 3.2% annual price appreciation.
Here are some more observations from Case Shiller on the top 3 cities: Seattle, Portland, and Denver reported the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities over each of the last 12 months. In January, Seattle led the way with an 11.3% year-over-year price increase, followed by Portland with 9.7%, and Denver with a 9.2% increase. Twelve cities reported greater price increases in the year ending January 2017 versus the year ending December 2016.
The below charts compare year-over-year returns for Seattle and Portland with different ranges of housing prices (tiers). Tier level analysis from 2011 to present for both Seattle and Portland’s year-over-year returns show housing prices in the high tier to be the most stable, while housing prices in the low tier are the most volatile
About a month ago, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided to "take a stand" in defiance of Trump"s immigration executive order and penned a message to the world vowing, among other things, to hire 10,000 refugees over the next 5 years and "build bridges, not walls, with Mexico". Here are some excerpts from the politically charged message drafted by Schultz with "deep concern and a heavy heart":
I write to you today with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise. Let me begin with the news that is immediately in front of us: we have all been witness to the confusion, surprise and opposition to the Executive Order that President Trump issued on Friday, effectively banning people from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, including refugees fleeing wars. I can assure you that our Partner Resources team has been in direct contact with the partners who are impacted by this immigration ban, and we are doing everything possible to support and help them to navigate through this confusing period.
Hiring Refugees: We have a long history of hiring young people looking for opportunities and a pathway to a new life around the world. This is why we are doubling down on this commitment by working with our equity market employees as well as joint venture and licensed market partners in a concerted effort to welcome and seek opportunities for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and discrimination. There are more than 65 million citizens of the world recognized as refugees by the United Nations, and we are developing plans to hire 10,000 of them over five years in the 75 countries around the world where Starbucks does business.
Building Bridges, Not Walls, With Mexico: We have been open for business in Mexico since 2002, and have since opened almost 600 stores in 60 cities across the country, which together employ over 7,000 Mexican partners who proudly wear the green apron. Coffee is what unites our common heritage, and as I told Alberto Torrado, the leader of our partnership with Alsea in Mexico, we stand ready to help and support our Mexican customers, partners and their families as they navigate what impact proposed trade sanctions, immigration restrictions and taxes might have on their business and their trust of Americans.
Unfortunately, Schultz quickly found out the hard way that while most adult-aged Americans can agree that they like coffee, roughly 50% disagree with his leftist political opinions. Which, according to Yahoo Finance, has sent the company"s "brand perception" into a downward spiral since January 29th.
The coffee giant"s consumer perception levels have fallen by two-thirds since late January, according to YouGov BrandIndex.
The perception tracker measures if respondents have "heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative." In Starbucks" case, perception is still overall positive, but significantly lower than it was prior to CEO Howard Schultz published a public letter outlining the company"s plans to give refugees jobs.
YouGov says that there"s reason to believe backlash will impact the chain"s bottom line. Two days before Starbucks" announcement, 30% of consumers said they"d consider buying from Starbucks the next time they were craving coffee, the highest proportion in nearly a year. Now, the percentage is down to 24%, according to YouGov.
Of course, this isn"t the only time Starbucks has alienated customers by publicly pursuing a controversial political agenda. As we noted back in March 2015, the Company was forced to abandon its "Race Together" campaign that was intended "to be a catalyst for a larger conversation on race" relations in the United States but really just served to piss off a bunch of anxious people eager to grab their cup of coffee and be on their way.
Apparently nothing will ever convince some of America"s leftist billionaires that, no matter how rich they become, they will never be able to force their political opinions on Americans who see through their propaganda...just ask all the rich people that just lost a fortune trying to elect Hillary.
A committee of the Seattle City Council voted in favor of divesting $3 billion in city money from Wells Fargo over the bank’s role in construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
According to the Seattle Times, council members Kshama Sawant and Tim Burgess co-sponsored the bill, which was heard before the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods and Finance Committee while #NoDAPL pipeline opposition activists gathered in a rally outside.
Public pressure over the controversial pipeline and a massive campaign to divest from banks contributing loans and funds to the project led to the preliminary hearing — and a full vote will be taken on Monday.
Energy Transfer Partners was forced to halt construction when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted approval of the necessary easement for the last remaining portion of the project in order to perform a full environmental impact assessment.
Viewed as a last ditch but sound victory by many, the construction stoppage was expected to last for some time as officials assessed the safety of Dakota Access undercutting the Missouri River’s Lake Oahe reservoir — the sole source of drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. An additional 18 million people are estimated to draw their drinking water supplies downstream from the pipeline’s planned crossing.
But that stop gap appears to have been removed altogether with the incoming administration of President Donald Trump, who signaled approval of both the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines.
Then, on Tuesday, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven released the following statement, proffering more bad news for supporters of the Standing Rock Sioux encamped near the slated path of the final segment of construction:
“Today, the Acting Secretary of the Army Robert Speer informed us that he has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with the easement needed to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline. This will enable the company to complete the project, which can and will be built with the necessary safety features to protect the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and others downstream.
“Building new energy infrastructure with the latest safeguards and technology is the safest and most environmentally sound way to move energy from where it is produced to where people need it.
“We are also working with the Corps, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior and the Department of Homeland Security to secure additional federal law enforcement resources to support state and local law enforcement. On Sunday, 20 additional Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers arrived at Standing Rock to assist local authorities. Also, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council has asked the protesters to leave the campsite on Corps land.
“This has been a difficult issue for all involved, particularly those who live and work in the area of the protest site, and we need to bring it to a peaceful resolution.”
In light of the unrelenting effort by politicians and Big Oil to ensure Dakota Access will be completed, divestment from the banks financing the project — speaking to corporations in the language of cash — has proven the only viable option for water protectors to find a voice.
The vote in favor of the bill for divestment from Wells Fargo — which also would require the city to consider social justice principles prior to approving major projects — was immediately hailed as a telling win for Indigenous rights and environmental concerns.
According to the Times, Wells Fargo manages more than $3 billion of Seattle’s operating budget, “including a bi-weekly payroll of $30 million for about 12,000 employees. The average daily balance in the city’s account with Wells Fargo is about $73 million.
“Wells Fargo, along with 16 other banks, is a lender to the Dakota Access Pipeline project. Wells Fargo has $120 million in a $2.5 billion credit agreement funding the pipeline project, according to Jessica Ong, with Wells Fargo corporate communications.”
Pressure from a disaffected public on major banks has worked in favor of pipeline opposition before, as DNB — Norway’s largest bank — pulled all its assets from the project in November after receiving a petition with over 120,000 signatures gathered by Greenpeace.
Permanently halting the Dakota Access Pipeline has begun to seem next to impossible — particularly under the oil and gas industry-friendly Trump administration.
Water protectors have been asked by the Standing Rock Sioux tribal leadership to leave the camps as spring flooding of the entire area is just around the corner. Native and non-native water protectors who have vowed to stay in the area have begun the long cleanup and relocation to higher ground.
At the time this article went to publication, rumors had begun swirling police and National Guard were poised and ready to evacuate the camps by force, though those had yet to be confirmed.
Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline project has sparked a national and international movement to oppose frivolous and unnecessary new fossil fuel projects — but time doesn’t seem to be cooperating.
With a relentless barrage of corporate executives taking veiled, and not so veiled, shots at Trump"s immigration policies, moments ago Starbuck"s outgoing CEO Howard Schultz went one better, and in a letter to employees, the CEO announced plans to hire some 10,000 refugees in the 75 countries in which Starbucks does business, and furthermore added that “our Partner Resources team has been in direct contact” with employees affected by President Trump’s immigration ban."
He outlined different plans to not only hire refugees, but also on how the company will support “Dreamers” in the country, “building bridges, not walls” with Mexico and providing healthcare for his employees as Congress prepares to repeal ObamaCare.
Schultz focused on future ties with Mexico and said that "coffee is what unites our common heritage, and as I told Alberto Torrado, the leader of our partnership with Alsea in Mexico, we stand ready to help and support our Mexican customers, partners and their families as they navigate what impact proposed trade sanctions, immigration restrictions and taxes might have on their business and their trust of Americans. But we will continue to invest in this critically important market all the same."
Schultz also vowed to support “Dreamers” saying that "there are nearly three quarters of a million hardworking people contributing to our communities and our economy because of this program. At Starbucks, we are proud to call them partners and to help them realize their own American Dream. We want them to feel welcome and included in our success, which is why we reimburse them for the biennial fee they must pay to stay in the program and why we have offered DACA-related services at our Opportunity Youth hiring fairs."
Also, having been criticized in the past of curtailing total worker hours in order to accommodate higher minimum wages and health benefits, Schultz wrote that "our commitment remains that if you are benefits eligible, you will always have access to health insurance through Starbucks." He added that "many have expressed concerns that recent government actions may jeopardize your ability to participate in the Affordable Care Act. If the recent Executive Order related to health care remains in place and the Affordable Care Act is repealed causing you to lose your healthcare coverage, you will always have the ability to return and can do so within 30 days of losing that coverage rather than having to wait for an open enrollment period."
It is unclear how big of a hit to the SBUX bottom line these generous proposals will end up costing, and whether the company"s shareholders will be as delighted in sharing the CEO"s noble vision.
His full letter below.
Message from Howard Schultz to Starbucks Partners: Living Our Values in Uncertain Times
Dear partners,
I write to you today with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise. Let me begin with the news that is immediately in front of us: we have all been witness to the confusion, surprise and opposition to the Executive Order that President Trump issued on Friday, effectively banning people from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, including refugees fleeing wars. I can assure you that our Partner Resources team has been in direct contact with the partners who are impacted by this immigration ban, and we are doing everything possible to support and help them to navigate through this confusing period.
We are living in an unprecedented time, one in which we are witness to the conscience of our country, and the promise of the American Dream, being called into question. These uncertain times call for different measures and communication tools than we have used in the past. Kevin and I are going to accelerate our commitment to communicating with you more frequently, including leveraging new technology platforms moving forward. I am hearing the alarm you all are sounding that the civility and human rights we have all taken for granted for so long are under attack, and want to use a faster, more immediate form of communication to engage with you on matters that concern us all as partners.
I also want to take this opportunity to announce specific actions we are taking to reinforce our belief in our partners around the world and to ensure you are clear that we will neither stand by, nor stand silent, as the uncertainty around the new Administration’s actions grows with each passing day:
In the face of recent events around the world, let me assure you that we will stay true to our values and do everything we can possibly do to support and invest in every partner’s well-being while taking the actions that are squarely within our ability to control. This is our focus: providing a Third Place of respite for those around the world who seek it, daily.
Starbucks has and will always stand for opportunity – opportunity for our young people who are working to land their first job in the 75 countries where we do business, opportunity for our farmers who care so deeply for the highest of quality coffee we offer to customers all around the globe, and yes, opportunity for those who come to America in search of their own fresh start – whether that is with Starbucks directly, or through our suppliers or our partner companies.
If there is any lesson to be learned over the last year, it’s that your voice and your vote matter more than ever. We are all obligated to ensure our elected officials hear from us individually and collectively. Starbucks is doing its part; we need you to use the collective power of your voices to do the same while respecting the diverse viewpoints of the 90 million customers who visit our stores in more than 25,000 locations around the world.
So, while we seek to understand what the new Administration’s policies mean for us and our business both domestically and around the world, I can assure you that we will do whatever it takes to support you, our partners, to realize your own dreams and achieve your own opportunities. We are in business to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time – whether that neighborhood is in a Red State or a Blue State; a Christian country or a Muslim country; a divided nation or a united nation. That will not change. You have my word on that.
Onward,
Howard
