Downtown Olympia needs action

I am disabled and recently had an appointment with my doctor in downtown Olympia. I was shocked at the mess Olympia has become. First I had to fight my way from the parking area to my doctor's side of the street. I was confronted by several panhandlers and one mentally ill woman who chose to relieve herself next to my vehicle.

As a business owner myself, my first thought is that no one will shop the downtown businesses with this problem continuing. If I were a business owner in this area, I would band together with other business owners, start a secure account to deposit the business tax the city would normally get, and refuse any tax payments until this problem is cleaned up. If you have no business sales because of the problem downtown, you have no income to be taxed.

I had to inform my doctor I can't risk my safety to see him. If you haven't driven through downtown Olympia I urge you to do so. This problem continues because your elected officials in Olympia are letting it happen. Do we put the rights of the homeless over the safety of others? Do we ignore the fact that our constitutional rights are also being violated?